And so I went! Leaving Victoria at 6 am would get me to the ferry by 10 am, in time to make the short trip to Quadra Island on the 10:25 sailing–unless I stopped for something else along the way. I considered looking for Short-eared Owls at the Nanaimo Estuary or the Marbled Godwit in Courtenay, but thinking strategically, those species should be available at other times and places during the year; the Great Gray Owl would likely not be.
Driving north on the island, radio stations fade away and others come in as you approach their towers. As I arrived in Campbell River, the announcer stated that the hazardous cargo that normally is transported to Quadra on Tuesday had not gone due to ferry cancellations, and would instead be going on Wednesday, so passengers might face delays. Yep, you guessed it. The 10:25 sailing was for dangerous cargo only. I could have tried for the godwit!
No problem though, as this gave me a bit of a chance to bird the channel from the “big island” . I posted a Facebook message stating so and within minutes, I was surprised when former co-worker from Royal Roads University (and current Facebook friend), Steve Budgeon popped down to the dock to say “hi” and catch up. Gotta love modern technology!
Once I reached Quadra Island, I started a text conversation with Carla Duffey (of Lime Soda Photography), who was tracking the owl’s movements for me. She had come across it the previous day at 1:30 pm and a resident on the same street had seen it later Tuesday night. I was feeling pretty optimistic about finding this bird! I headed to an area where most of the streets are named after trees and started searching the area on foot. After four hours of walking paved and unpaved stretches, some of them knee-deep in rainwater, it was clear that this wasn’t going to be an easy tick. Again. The area was absolutely filled with suitable habitat for a Great Gray Owl: Logged and replanted plots interspersed with forest and many residences with chickens or ducks in open pens. It was eerily quiet in the woods with far fewer birds of any type than I would have expected.
The owl has been spotted many times out in the open, but just as frequently deep on private property. I was going to have to have a lot of luck. And it was going to have to be good! Somehow, that wasn’t in the cards. There was light fog on the island when I arrived and about 4 pm, it really started rolling in. I had come a long way. Should I head home empty-handed, or try through the night. It is an owl, after all! Lunacy prevailed, and I made the decision to try searching for the owl during the night.
After a stop for food, I drove pretty much every road on southern Quadra Island, searching the edges for any sign of the Great Gray. Fog prevented me from using my high beams, though, so my visual field was severely limited. Eventually, I had another decision to make: find a hotel, or stay out for the night. The hotel would have been more comfortable, and would have had Internet, but no chance of finding the owl. Sleeping in my car would be decidedly less comfortable, but there would be a small chance of detecting the owl. Hmmmm….
The funny thing is that I bought a camper van about a year ago so that I wouldn’t have to sleep in my car anymore, but I didn’t bring it on this trip. On balance, it’s only financially worthwhile to bring if I’m going to be away more than one night. It uses about three times as much gas as my car. I did, however, bring a pillow and a sleeping bag. I headed back to the area where the owl had last been reported and got set up for the night, leaving the window open in hopes of hearing either the owl or a kerfuffle if it went after a chicken. I also had another trick up my sleeve. As a volunteer for Rocky Point Bird Observatory, I often use audio lures to attract Northern Saw-whet Owls for banding. I have other calls, but didn’t want to subject the neighbourhood to the loud hoots of an electronic Great Gray. I opted instead for the quiet squeaks of voles, which I played for about two hours without the slightest interest from any owls in the area. I slept on and off through the night. At one point, I thought I could hear a Saw-whet, but it was so far away, I couldn’t be certain.
At 7am, I headed out on foot again, still optimistic that this bird could be found. As the sun came up, the silhouettes of Varied Thrushes could be made out along the road edges, and then a larger bird–not an owl, but something interesting! There are two species of grouse known on Vancouver Island: Ruffed and Sooty. I would like to propose a third: Foggy Grouse. In the daylight, there is often confusion over what species you might be seeing. In the dim light of a foggy dawn, even more so! I started taking (bad) pictures in the hope that I would be able to confirm the ID later. The low elevation and the bold barring on the flanks had me favouring Ruffed, and indeed once the fieldmarks were all considered, Ruffed it was. This would be the only new bird for my list in two days.
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I walked another four hours adding a few species for the county list, but no owl or new birds for the master list. At one point a short cut that looked like a trail on the satellite image took me through a gauntlet of face-slapping Alder saplings into an impassible bog. I think I made the right decision to backtrack before I got soaked, even though it meant another round of Alder-attacks.
Just as I was preparing to head to the 11:55 ferry, I got another text from Carla. One of her neighbours had seen the owl in her yard for several days at the end of December and beginning of January, including the day that Jim Danzenbaker and I were on the island searching. We had passed with a half-block of the owl! The neighbourhood was an area I hadn’t searched. I decided to stay another hour to check out the area and the adjacent golf course. Within minutes of my arrival, however, the fog rolled in thick and heavy. Curses, foiled again! I headed to the 12:55 ferry, where Carla met me and presented me with a 2-dimensional version of the Great Gray, a beautiful photo that she had taken last month.
I learned several things about Great Gray Owls while I was making my search. Carla had one in her yard four years ago as well as in the last months. Another resident said he’d seen them in his yard three out of the last four years. The owl has been taking residents’ chickens and ducks, a habit that won’t help its longevity. The bird that is there now has been seen in a variety of spots since November. Could this be a single bird that is returning year after year, or is there something special about Quadra Island that is attracting this species? Might there even be a family of them? Carla doesn’t think this year’s bird and the one from four years ago are the same bird based on appearances. Regardless, it means my quest for the Great Gray Owl is likely not over yet!
Having used up an extra hour on the owl search, I only had time for one brief stop on the way home. The Marbled Godwit in Courtenay was the obvious choice. This is another overwintering bird, and like the owl, has been moving around quite a bit. The latest posted sighting had been from Mansfield Rd, so that was my destination. The highway was fog-free, but the turn to the coast took me back into the soup. When I arrived, I could hear ducks but couldn’t see any!
Thankfully, the fog lifted enough to reveal hundreds, if not thousands of ducks. Trumpeter Swans flew by, Bald Eagles sat on the beach, but no godwit was in sight. With time ticking away, I had to get back on the road, but this site really deserves more than a quick stop. I plan to be back for a full day or two in early February. Between now and then, I’ll be birding closer to Victoria over the weekend, and then it’s off to California for the Morro Bay Bird Festival. On my return, the chases will resume!
In some ways, the last two days have been a bit disappointing, but at the same time, I spent the better part of those days walking around a new place. My big year is about the birds, but it’s also about exploring and discovering interesting places on and around Vancouver Island. There is no doubt that I did that this week!