Those readers well versed in the script of “The Big Year” will know what I’m talking about. Never seen it? Well, Bostick was the character who put chasing birds well above his family obligations.
My sister and brother-in-law arrived from California on Wednesday afternoon. Before dawn on Thursday, I was heading to the west coast of the island in search of Ruddy Turnstones and Red Knots. This is the week when the species overlap on the Tofino checklist, so my best opportunity to try to get both species. The long weekend meant that almost everything was booked in the area, so Thursday it was. My family understood. We grew up in Victoria, so Esther had other people she could see while I was chasing birds.
I arrived in Pacific Rim Park just as the tide reached its maximum height for the morning, so there was no point in going directly to the mudflats. I headed to the beach. The Green Point campground and Combers Beach parking lots are closed to the public due to maintenance, so I parked at the administration building and walked in at Green Point. There were a few surfers right at the beach access, but once I walked around the corner—-no one! This is just a couple of days before a holiday weekend, and there was literally no one but me on the beach. Well, several hundred birds and me. With the lots closed, very few people were willing to walk the distance to get to this section.
There were still hundreds of Western Sandpipers and Dunlin, with several Whimbrel, Black-bellied Plovers and quite a few of these:
It took me a while to figure out that these are breeding plumaged Sanderling!
The outgoing tide was making pretty patterns in the sand, to be washed away a few short hours later.
Driftwood and remains of beached jellyfish complimented the repetitive sand art.
I spent a few hours here, but as I was about to leave, I thought I should check the rocky outcrop near Green Point one more time. I was glad that I did. Along with Black Turnstones, I found this one Ruddy Turnstone, one of the species I had hoped to see on this trip.
No Red Knots, though, the harder of the two target species. Turns out they were on the mudflats, where Adrian Dorst saw four at Jensen’s Bay while I was enjoying the sand and surf.
It seemed like a good time to check into my room for the night, my first B&B experience. When I arrived at the home, named for a bird, but mispelled (should have taken that as an omen), I discovered that I didn’t actually have a room for the night. Mostly my fault. I had contacted them on Wednesday, asking about a room for “tomorrow”, May 15. Problem was that “tomorrow” was actually May 14. When the host confirmed the date, he didn’t point out that there was a discrepancy between the day and the date, and I found out the hard way. The place seemed like it could use a little TLC and there was a lot of stuff going on, so I was a bit relieved when they agreed to cancel my reservation for Friday. But now I was without a place to stay. Thank goodness for cell phone apps! Jamie’s Rainforest Inn was one of the Shorebird Festival Sponsors and they were right on the mudflats, so I decided to stay there for the night. The room was great, but the internet was more or less non-existent. On advice from Adrian that he might have had a Pacific Golden Plover at the airport this week, I headed there to see what I could find. It was technically after hours, and the gate was open, so I went in and poked around. I saw a right-sized shorebird take off and land waaaay down the runway, so went after it. Sadly, it was a killdeer not a golden-plover, but I got some exercise.
You fill the prescription, take best price on cialis a pill, and very quickly you can become as hard as you were when you were a teenager without any effort. A simple and single dose levitra 60 mg http://djpaulkom.tv/cbd-oil-in-brand-brand-new-orleans-louisiana-3/ of Kamagra can help you to get normal erection in no time. Occurs in over 50% of women djpaulkom.tv sildenafil uk buy with infertility cases suffer from fallopian tube disease. Men with normal viagra online india can use the medicine without any delays. 
Imagine my surprise when I headed to the terminal to use the facilities and discovered that I was the only one in the place. I went out the same way I came in just in case the other doors were alarmed! Getting busted for breaking and entering was not something I wanted to have to deal with!
The next morning, I checked my emails on my phone and discovered that not only had a Ruddy Turnstone turned up at the exact location that Daniel Donnecke and I had searched for one on Tuesday, but that he’d paddled to Sidney Spit Park and relocated the American White Pelicans AND a Great Egret. I did the math and realized that if I went straight home, I’d get there just in time to catch the last ferry (service began that day) to the island, but would not be able to get back home until the next day. My camping gear was in no state for a quick pickup. I decided to stay the day in Tofino as planned.
I managed to catch the mudflats at a good tide. There is only about a 90 minute window during each tide change where the birds are close enough for good looks. You pretty much need to choose your spot and stick to it, as by the time you can drive to the next spot, the tide will have covered half of the flats. It really moves a lot faster than we experience on this end of the island.
Two weeks ago, Grice Bay had hundreds of Whimbrel, Dunlin and dowitchers. On Friday, there were birds, but only in small numbers. And no knots. Bet you can’t guess where one showed up! Okay, you can. Adrian found one on the very beach I was visiting on Thursday. I didn’t find out until several hours later. Too later.
There was an afternoon whale-whatching trip at Jamie’s, and a discount since I’d spent the night at the inn, so I decided to go. I hadn’t been able to get on a Cleland Island trip during the Shorebird Festival, so here was my chance. Maybe a puffin? Tattler? Red Knot? Although there were only 8 passengers on the trip, I didn’t think the captain would have appreciated a Bostick-style mutiny to plead for spending more time at the puffin islands.
We saw several Sea Otters and had glimpses of two Gray Whales, but unfortunately, no new birds for my list.
Rhinoceros Auklets and Pigeon Guillemots looked flashy, and Black Oystercatchers announced our approach to their rocks. It was a fun afternoon out, but I couldn’t help but think about that egret on Sidney Island. At least I wouldn’t be torn between it and the Ruddy Turnstone in Sooke. I knew where I would be early Saturday morning!