Last weekend, Tofino hosted its 18th annual shorebird festival.  It was the first time I attended, and I think that was true for many of the participants.  Word is getting out about this fun event!

On Friday, before the official start of the festival, Karen Ferguson and I spent most of the day checking out as many of the local “hot spots” as we could.  We were stunned by the number of shorebirds, including hundreds of Semipalmated Plovers.  You have to understand that we normally get excited just seeing a few of these minature plovers.  To see dozens to hundreds scurrying around on the sand of Long Beach was amazing. We spent a bit of time near Incinerator Rock where mussels clung to the rocks and Velella were stranded on the beach (like everywhere on the coast it seems.)

The Velella bloom must have been going on for some time as high on the beach, mounds of sails have accumulated.

A visit to the airport gave us an American Kestrel and a few passerines, but the focus was definitely on the shorebirds.

Clouds of peeps darted through the skies over every available patch of mud.

Mark Yunker, Daniel and Leo Donnecke arrived late in the afternoon and after a few quick birding stops we headed for the festival’s opening event, a presentation by John Reynolds on the sex lives of shorebirds.   They are far more complex than you might imagine, but I think the highlight for everyone was video of a Pectoral Sandpiper’s courtship flight. Who knew that shorebirds could give grouse a run for their money?

Several birders from Victoria were at the event, including Michael Simmons who cajoled Andy Murray of Tofino Sea Kayaking to add a Saturday trip.  I jumped at the chance to go out to the birds!  Unfortunately for a number of the participants, the Saturday pelagic trip had to be cancelled due to rough weather, and as of Friday night, the Sunday trip was in doubt as well. Jamie’s Whaling put on a second Cleland Island trip so that the pelagic folks could at least get out on the water.  We all signed up just in case, but were told that we could cancel early Saturday morning if the pelagic on Sunday was a go.

Daniel, Leo, Michael and I joined Andy on Saturday morning for what would be about a 7.5 nautical mile kayak to Stubbs island, Meares Island, the Browning Channel and points in between.

It was a perfect day for paddling, and although I was definitely the weakest link (the others all have their own boats and kayak frequently), I didn’t feel like I was holding anyone back.  I had the good fortune to be the second seat in Andy’s boat, and can tell you that he’s an expert guide on both the kayaking and the history of the area.  We got to get very close to a lot of shorebirds for excellent looks and photo opportunities.

 

Shorebirds weren’t the only sights to see.  Gulls and terns loafed on the sandbars, and loons and ducks were numerous in the bay.

There was still a bit of time to visit the Sharp Road lookout and Grice Bay, where we picked up a Semipalmated Sandpiper for my list.

I attended John Neville’s slide show that evening before heading to Ucluelet for the night in preparation for the next day’s pelagic trip.  The weather had calmed down a bit, and the trip was going to go!

Bright and early Sunday morning, twelve of us were all set to go on the Michelle Diane, captained by Brian Gisbourne, with Mark Maftei leading the trip.  The plan was to head out to the continental shelf, some 35 nautical miles offshore.  Although the weather was much better than it had been two days earlier, it wasn’t exactly calm.

Brian’s boat was fast, but it was still a two to three hour trip out to our destination.   En route, the pelagic birds started to appear.  First, Sooty Shearwater, then Cassin’s Auklet, Black-footed Albatross, Pink-footed Shearwater, Northern Fulmar and Fork-tailed Storm Petrel.   We followed a fishing boat for a while, where Black-footed Albatross were just hanging around hoping for snacks.

Normally, there is a concept that these herbal products to certain patients as an extremely effective alternative treatment for individuals getting frustrated because of their sexual problem. viagra samples from doctor The men who were into smoking had shortened cialis tadalafil online length by on an average 1 cm. Precautions to be in use: Taking precaution during the medication assures you for better buy 10mg levitra results under safe zone. This source to enduringly ruin the sexual organ & you won t need viagra shipping mg further.
A pleasant surprise was the appearance of several Black-Legged Kittiwakes, a species that wasn’t a “given” for my year list.

The real show began, though, when we entered the krill zone.  In places, krill was so thick that it coated the surface of the water in a layer more than three inches deep.

Dogfish were feeding at the surface and pilchard were attacking from below. Velella drifted helplessly by.

The bird spectacle came in the form of a massive flock of more than 4000 Sabine’s Gulls, picking away at this floating smorgasboard.  Several youngsters were in the flock, is apparently quite unusual.

 

As if adding seven new species to my year list was not enough, we also had fantastic mammal displays.  Humpback whales, Risso’s Dolphins, Dahl’s Porpoises, and Northern Fur Seals kept us entranced.

It was a long trip, ultimately taking us 47 nautical miles offshore.

UPDATE: Neil Boyle provided this track of our route.

Depending on the waves, I’m usually okay for the first four or five hours, and today was one of those days, despite a couple of days of self-medication prior to the trip.  I succumbed to the motion of the ocean and spent a couple of segments of the trip looking very far over the edge of the boat.  To add insult, the wake of the boat caused waves to come up and hit me upside the head while I was in the most vulnerable position.  Thankfully, the waterboarding was brief and infrequent, but it was good to be back on solid ground shortly after 4 pm.  Liam Singh summed it up best when his dad asked where he’d rate the trip on a scale of 1-10.  His answer: 12!

Birders do crazy things sometimes, and one of the craziest I think I have ever done is go on a full-day pelagic on a day when I am giving a presentation a short time later. I had the chance to book a room at the Long Beach Lodge Resort, thanks to their generosity, so I had an opportunity to clean up and regroup before the evening event.

Some of us ended the evening with a movie viewing.  A fitting end to a great weekend.  I’m only sorry it took me so long to find out about this growing festival.  There were 150 participants in 2015.  I bet there will be more in 2016!

By the end of the festival, my year list stood at 205 species.  Not bad for just a little over four months.