Decisions, decisions, decisions. I had the opportunity to get up Monday morning and kayak with Andy Murray on the chance of finding a Red Knot on Stubbs Island. Problem was I had a couple of immovable commitments in Victoria on Monday night, so if I did that, I might be late. Reluctantly, I declined Andy’s offer in order to leave some leeway in timing for my trip home.
I had a few minutes before I left the Long Beach Lodge to check out the beach for birds, but nothing out of the ordinary was running around. Time to hit the road! It turns out that Monday morning isn’t a bad time to leave Tofino as I didn’t have too many cars following me on the stretch back to Tim Hortons, er, I mean Port Alberni. I took most of the tight turns at the recommended speed limits on the yellow signs and with fairly good weather had a much easier time than the trip in. I heard, though, that the rain started coming down a couple of hours later, so my timing was good.
The road between Port Alberni and Parksville seemed much less twisty than it did just a few days earlier. I think that the curves of the Pacific Rim Highway made the Alberni Highway feel like a walk in the park.
While I had been up-island a LOT of birds had turned up in Victoria. Some, like a breeding plumaged Lapland Longspur, stayed for days, while others, like the flock of American White Pelicans, were just fly-bys. More migrants had arrived, and I knew I had a lot of catching up to do. There would be no time for that on Monday, though. Or at least not until I was ready to go for the evening. I was doing a presentation with Ann Scarfe for some Girl Guides at 6:15, and then at 7:30, I was doing a different presentation just down the block for the Gordon Head Garden Club. I had some last minute edits to do and then made a quick trip to Panama Flats to start to do some catching up.
My first new species since coming home was a Blue-Winged Teal. In his company was a Bonaparte’s Gull and Long-billed Dowitcher, both new “county” birds, but not new for my year.
Whew! I felt like I was on the road to recovery!
Tuesday morning started on Mt. Tolmie, with the faint hope that a Western Kingbird might be around, and a good chance at Western Tanager and Olive-sided Flycatcher. The tanager was waiting for me, but not the others. However, Rick Schortinghuis, David and Geoffrey Newell could all be checked off if I was keeping a birder list! Next stop, Witty’s Lagoon with Kim Beardmore. Access to the beach has changed with the closure of the stairs off Witty Beach Rd, but the view is worth the walk!
Witty’s Lagoon is one of the top spots in Victoria to see shorebirds, but the difference in the numbers here versus the Tofino area is just startling. We did pick up a new bird for my list, though, a Warbling Vireo.
My next destination was Mt. Matheson, a site I hadn’t visited in more than a decade. At the summit, there is a trail down to Matheson Lake. Of course, the problem with any trail down is that you also have to come back up, so I avoided that! I decided to bird around the neighbourhood instead. On nearby Ambience Place, I found an unmarked viewpoint on municipal property. There is a water storage tank, some outbuildings and this:
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Click on the picture for a better look. This is facing towards Sooke Basin. Although the hill has a lot of houses on it, the lots are large and there is still quite a bit of habitat. There might even still be grouse in the area.
Eventually, I had to leave the hill and head back to town to prepare for yet another presentation, this time for the residents at the Lodge at Broadmead.
Wednesday morning, another hill, but this time I’d be on foot, along with Rick Schortinghuis, to check out the Observatory grounds. We weren’t far up the road when we heard an Olive-sided Flycatcher, another tick for my list. Near the summit, we ran into Glenn Bartley and a couple of visitors checking out the Garry Oak Meadow.
I had the rare opportunity to go home and get a few things done, so I took it. However, it didn’t last long, as the Newells found a Lazuli Bunting in Uplands Park. Back into the car to the other side of town.
I didn’t find the bunting, but I found Mary Robichaud, so we joined forces. We wondered if the bird might have headed to higher ground so headed to Mt. Tolmie where we met Daniel Donnecke. While looking for the bunting, Mary told Daniel about a banded Western Sandpiper she had seen earlier. Daniel has been photographing bands and matching them up with the original bander, providing valuable information on the movement of many species of birds. We went to Loon Bay to see if the bird was still there, and sure enough, it was! Daniel got some shots which allowed him to connect with the bander. This little shorebird had been banded near Nome, Alaska in 2012!
By Wednesday evening, I had added 7 species since arriving home and was now at 212. I had one more presentation to do Wednesday evening, this time for the Friends of Mt. Doug Park, making it five in four days.
During my presentation, I mentioned how the road closure in the park has negatively affected many people in the birding community. They are aware that there are some who can’t or don’t have the time to hike to the top. There may be something in the works to improve access at least one day a week. At least they are thinking about it!