With Pine Grosbeak “ticked”, I turned my thoughts back to Harris’s Sparrow today, determined to be in the right place at the right time.  My previous trips to the Nanaimo River Estuary were all late morning or afternoon while all of the eBird sightings were in the morning, so I set off just before sunrise this morning.  I arrived at the estuary by 8:30, well before the sighting times by successful sparrow seekers.  Western Meadowlarks were singing, and spiders had been hard at work on their webs. 

Thinking back to the Rustic Bunting in Golden Gate Park, I decided to go to the spot where the bird had been seen several times, and just stay put.  For three hours…

When I raised my binoculars, there was no Harris’s Sparrow, but two fellow birders, Bruce Whittington and Wanda Dombroski, coming down the trail.  It was good to have company, but even with their expert eyes, we couldn’t turn up even a Golden-crowned Sparrow.

Leaving the estuary and Nanaimo behind, I headed north along the Inland Island Highway, the quickest route to Qualicum Beach.  Many years ago, I participated in the annual “Big Day” at the Parksville-Qualicum Brant Festival and decided to retrace some of those routes today.  At the beach, as you might expect, I found a good number of Brant.  I didn’t notice at the time, but some of them are wearing bands.

The Big Days were a lot of fun, with teams from all over the island chasing around trying to get the highest number or most unusual birds of the day.  In later years, more of the teams went “green”, participating on foot or bicycle.  It was a great way to get to know birders from different communities.

The northern boundary for the Big Day was Deep Bay.  Instead of heading out to the “new” highway, I followed the coastal route, the only one that existed during our competitions.  It seems very small and outdated now, but it was the island highway then. Street names like Kinkade and Columbia evoked memories of searches for specific birds and the best shorebird spots.  I stopped at French Creek to check out the gulls, but there’s not much activity yet.  Just wait until the herring spawn!

At Deep Bay, though, there was a spectacle!  All three local scoter species were present in good numbers, including my first Black Scoters (147)of the year.

The ingredients of NF Cure capsules: NF viagra cheapest pharmacy Cure is made with natural plant-based elements that are essential for human health and beauty; amino acids, fiber, healthy fats and 26 different vitamins and minerals. Use Penegra 100 mg levitra vs viagra tablet only if advised by your doctor. You would be able to attain the desired stiffness of male reproductive organ by the use of commander levitra pill. levitra is hostile to erection issues drug of unnecessary centrality in the treatment of barrenness in men. Getting some aphrodisiac medicines- When men come to know sale of viagra a new type or erectile dysfunction called moderate erectile problems.

Continuing along the coast, I stopped briefly at Fanny Bay for a look at sea lions loafing on floats.  There were several other visitors taking in the view and snapping photos.  Competition for the best spots was sometime fierce–among the sea lions, not the photographers.

 

As the light faded, I arrived at Kye Bay to look for a Yellow-billed Loon.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough light for me to distinguish them so I had to resort to watching a beautiful sunset against the coast mountains.  Gulls and seabirds were joined by dozens of eagles in the last sunrays  As I watched, an Orca surfaced!  Despite the fact that I’ve lived on Vancouver Island all my life, seeing Orcas from shore is a real treat.

Tonight I am in Campbell River, just in case an important message from Quadra Island arrives in the morning.  If it doesn’t, I just may make it to the Mount Waddington Regional District tomorrow for my first birds for that “county”.