One of the really important things about doing a big year is to get outside as much as possible.  These days, once I leave the house, I am rarely back before dark, and dark is coming later and later.  That’s a big reason you see these blog posts published at such crazy times of the day.  You won’t stumble across a rare bird very often if you aren’t out in a potentially birdy area during daylight.  I admit to missing dawn most mornings, but many nights, I’m only getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep.

Another really important thing for a big year is to get on the rare birds as quickly as possible. As happened with the Say’s Phoebe in Victoria, sometimes the rare bird is only around for a few minutes.  If you can get to it right away, you have a chance.  Otherwise, as they say, “you snooze, you lose.”

The news on Friday evening of a Sage Thrasher photographed in Black Creek (~3 1/2 hours away) was tempting but frustrating.  My best chance for this bird would have been to get there the same day.  Anything could have happened overnight.  I was planning on helping out at RPBO’s International Migratory Bird Day event at Beaver Lake Park on Saturday.  Could I even get away?

The more I thought about it, the more I knew I had to go.  Even though I was a day late, I would feel better about having chased the bird and missed it than to not have tried.  Emails were sent to the event organizers and first thing (well, before 7), I was on my way.  I didn’t think any of my Victoria friends would have wanted a pre 7 am phone call, but birders in Nanaimo could be reached a little later and still get in on the fun.  A brief stop in Duncan brought some bad news.  The bird hadn’t been seen at all on Friday; it was last seen by the homeowner on Thursday afternoon.  That greatly reduced the chances of finding it, but I was well on my way and could go birding in the Black Creek area anyway.   I called Dave Baird shortly before 8 and met up with him on the Inland Island Hwy around 8:30.  For these “twitches” , extra sets of eyes can be invaluable, and it doesn’t hurt to have a witness in  case the bird isn’t easily photographed.

The fellow who had photographed the thrasher owns 100 acres of property between Hamm and Macaulay Rds in Black Creek.  He hadn’t offered access to his property, so we stuck to the roads.  It was fairly birdy, with even Common Yellowthroats coming out to check us out.

We were looking for open areas, akin to the sagebrush prairies where you’d expect to find a Sage Thrasher.  Imagine our delight when we came across the Island Bison Ranch!  If I was a Sage Thrasher, I’d thnk this would be a pretty good spot to hang out.

I loved their driveway speed limit sign.

Sadly, dedicated efforts on this property and along both Hamm and Macaulay Rds didn’t turn up our target bird, although we picked up several firsts for my Strathcona region list.  We spent about four hours in the area close to where the bird had spent part of the day on Thursday, and then moved on to try other areas just to see what might turn up.

Miracle Beach Provincial Park was brand new to me.  A beautiful sandy beach, and in the park trees, a call of a flycatcher that got our attention.  I’m not naming it at the moment.  I got a bit of bad audio recording that I have shared with some experts. It might not be enough to confirm the ID.

After this stop, we continued along the waterfront, looking for Caspian Terns and other uncommon birds,

We picked up several new species, but nothing unexpected.  Around 5 we headed back south. I dropped Dave off in north Nanaimo and continued for a bit of a walk at Buttertubs West Marsh to round out the evening before heading home.

There was a possible Green Heron at Swan Lake, but I knew I there was no way I could get there before dark

International Migratory Bird Day at Beaver Lake went well without me, and Sunday I was able to redeem myself by spending the morning at Outerbridge Park for our first IMBD event there.  But first, I had to check for the heron!

At Outerbridge Park, in addition to our regular monthly walk (held on the 2nd Sunday of each month), we had a same-day photo contest, a big sit, and Jeff Kreiger brought his Red-tailed Hawk, Loki.

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Daniel Donnecke had his largest group so far for an Outerbridge walk, with about 24 people checking out the birds. I estimate that about 50-60 people participated in the events.  The Big Sit list had 33 species, and about half a dozen people entered the photo contest.  Not bad for a first go!  Congratulations to Penny Lancaster who organized the event, and all of the volunteers who helped out.

After wrapping up just after 1  I headed to Panama Flats to check out the aftermath of a drone training exercise that had occurred in the morning. There were fewer ducks and shorebirds around, but still some decent numbers.  About a dozen dowitchers were probing the mud, four Blue-winged Teal were swimming around and I saw the first Greater Yellowlegs there that I had seen in several visits.

The beetles that had been abundant just a few days earlier were sparse.  That could have been expected as I was intending to collect a few for Claudia Copley.

On my way out, a crow was struggling with a substantial garter snake.  My mind went to the videos I’ve seen where hawks have been strangled by an ill-advised prey item, but I don’t think this crow was at risk.

 

I stood back and watched for a while.  The crow eventually took off with the snake, heading directly for a neighbour’s sundeck. That could have been interesting!  It veered off, though, at the last minute.

Arriving home around 6 pm, I decided to take a nap. I have to admit that this full-time birding can be exhausting!  When I woke up, I looked at the clock.  7:15. It was light outside.  Could I have possibly slept more than 12 hours?  I knew I was tired, but really, 12 hours tired??  And I hadn’t budged an inch.  Gradually, reality set in.  It was only 7:15 PM, not AM.  Like I said, I’ve so seldom been home before dark lately, my mushed brain hadn’t even considered that option.

I checked my email at about 8, only to discover that a flock of American White Pelicans had landed in Cowichan Bay at 2:15 in the afternoon!  Still groggy, I checked sunset.  8:40.  Google maps–arrival at 9:04.  If I left now and did not stop en route, I could arrive at Cowichan Bay with five minutes of dim light left.  If they were near, I just might be able to make out the pelicans!

I was definitely feeling a sense of deja vu.  A couple of years ago, a similar situation had occurred in Sooke. Pelicans flying around late afternoon, possibly settling in for the evening.  I chased and dipped. Turned out that they had settled about 500m from where I was standing, but just out of sight around a point.  That could easily happen again given the fading light.

As scheduled, I arrived in Cowichan Bay just after 9 and climbed the viewing tower.  I could make out Osprey on the pilings and could hear Purple Martins hunting for insects.  Try as I might, I couldn’t turn up the pelicans. With no light left, I drove around to Dock Rd and to my surprise, the gate was still  open.  Zipping through, realizing I might get locked in, I made it almost to the viewing spots when a commissionaire who had been clearing the road came along.  I pleaded for a couple of minutes to look for the pelicans, and he agreed!

Scanning the bay below Mt Tzouhalem, I could make out some large white shapes in the darkness.  Could it be?  Scope out!

Sometimes good optics are not our friends.  With the higher powered gear, I could see the birds stretching their necks. Swans.  Bah!  It was too dark to confirm the species, but I know there are several Mute Swans in this bay.

At least I had time to stop for a tea on my way home.

Please, if you see a bird (or hear about one) that you think I might want to know about, call me!  My cell number is 250-514-6450 and time of day (or night) is not a consideration.  I promise not to be cranky if you wake me up.  In fact, I might even buy you a tea!