I haven’t been arrested for loitering–yet.  Despite a light drizzle, I decided to go for the Common Redpoll again this morning.  I figured that if I arrived before it got light, the hungry birds would come in and I could add another bird to the list. By 8 am, I was in place, with my binoculars, camera, umbrella and a cup of tea.  About fifteen minutes later the birds started to arrive and the now well photographed feeder.  I could hear goldfinches directly over my head, although it wasn’t quite light enough to see them.  As each bird took its turn at the feeder, my hopes were dashed again and again.  Oregon Juncos, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Golden-crowned Sparrows, American Goldfinches and many others visited the feeders over the next two hours, but there was no sign of the redpoll. The rain ebbed and flowed, and I learned just how difficult it is to balance binoculars and an umbrella.  I’m glad that no one was taking a video, but suffice it to say that I was pretty wet within an hour of watching.  Rob Gowan showed up to help with the vigil about 9:45, which was great, as I had to take my sister (who I’d left with her knitting in my car) to a friend’s place.

When I returned about half an hour later, Mike and Barb McGrenere had replaced Rob, but there was still no sign of the redpoll.  It was fantastic to have more eyes looking for the bird.  When I was there on my own, I struggled to figure out whether to keep my eyes on the feeder or to occasionally scan the trees.   Barb and Mike left shortly after 11, but I stuck it out for another  hour. There were times when more than a dozen birds descended on the favoured feeder, but none bore that characteristic red poll. Over the course of the morning, I had 21 species at this spot.  A Cooper’s Hawk flew through and cleared the area, giving me a good opening for my departure.  Much to my chagrin, the Common Redpoll did put in an appearance–about 20 minutes after I left.  David and Geoffrey Newell found it among a mixed flock in the trees near the feeders I’d watched all morning.

Before leaving the area to meet up with my sister, I went on a duck hunt. A controversial American Black Duck has been reliable in Beacon Hill Park for several months.  Well, reliable if you know where to look for it.  The word was out that the duck prefers Fountain Lake.  Not this lake with a fountain in it:

Nor this one:

Not even this one:

But rather, this one:

Yes, that’s right–the one without a working fountain!  In any case, the duck was very obliging and came in for some close-ups.
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While the identification of this bird is not really in question, it remains somewhat controversial with regard to whether it is truly a “wild” American Black Duck or not.  This is true of several species I may encounter on the island, including Ring-necked Pheasant, Common Peafowl, and other free-ranging descendants of human-released birds.  I will be relying on local records or checklist committees for the final say on whether these birds are countable for the area. In the meantime, this individual duck leaves each spring, returning for the winter, and is felt by many excellent birders in the Victoria area to be a legitimate Black Duck.  For now, it’s on my list.

After retrieving my sister, we checked out a few more Victoria hotspots, including Queens Park for Greater Yellowlegs, bringing my year list to 125 today.

 

We went by Cattle Point where there were no new species to add, but a small murder of Northwestern Crows provided an interesting diversion. Quick, what is the probably age of the crow flying on the right of this picture?

You may have to enlarge the photo, but if you look carefully, you’ll see this bird has a light band near the end of the tail.  The light marks are an indication  weak spots, most likely caused by a day or two of malnourishment when these feathers were growing in.  Normally, we’d only expect all of the tail feathers to be growing in at the same time when the bird was in the nest.  During later molts, the feathers are shed and regrown in pairs. This bird was likely hatched in 2014, and since every bird has its birthday on January 1, this bird would be aged as  second year, with a caveat.  If the crow had lost its tail for some other reason (predator being the most likely), it could also show this pattern.

Today was a good example of how many of my days will go this year.  You’d need a tracking device to figure out where I might be.  Good news!  I have one.  For safety purposes, I have purchased a device and subscribed to a  service that will let you know where I am (sometimes) at the click of a mouse.  There is a new page on this blog site called “Where’s Ann?”  When I am out birding, even around town, I will try to remember to turn this device on.  This will create a map similar to the one below.   You can click on the “pins” to see when I was at a particular site.  The pins are dropped about every ten minutes in real time, so it is possible that you can find me if you want to come birding.

Maybe you’ll see me get that Common Redpoll tomorrow!