As the number of winter regulars on my list dwindles, more and more trips will fail to turn up new birds. The lure of the computer or other “must-do” tasks will often have me torn between being production or getting outside. I am attempting to go birding every day, even if it’s just for a short time. On Monday, I started the day by taking my sister to the airport before dawn, then heading to Saanichton Spit and Martindale Flats in hopes of spotting a Barn or Short-eared Owl. No cooperation! A side trip to Island View Beach to look for Brant came up empty as well. As has happened several times this year, the fog rolled in, so I rolled home.
I have several projects with deadlines this week, so I relunctantly sat down at the computer and started to work. I made some good progress until… the phone rang. Mike McGrenere was doing a coastal bird survey at Cordova Bay and had spotted Eared Grebes. This species used to occur here in fairly large numbers, but in recent years, only small numbers at best. The work would wait! A quick drive to Cordova Bay and expert guiding via cell phone from a couple of kilometers away, and Eared Grebes were mine! We saw at least four among Horned Grebes, Buffleheads, and other waterfowl. Thanks to Mike, I was able to add a bird to my year list bringing it to 130. Photo opportunities were not good; the birds were well offshore.
Although seeing new birds is the number one priority for this year, I have built in a few other goals to inspire me to keep getting out birding. For years I have been primarily using other people’s photos in my slide shows, but this year I am going to build a library of my own photos for future use. Here are a couple to celebrate the grebe chase. (Clicking on the photos will usually give you an enlarged view.)
On Tuesday, I took a break from the computer to head to Swan Lake. While I was away, at least six species I haven’t seen yet this year were reported by Ian Cruickshank while I was away. I’ve since picked up a couple, and today’s quest was specifically for American Bittern, White-throated Sparrow, and Nothern Shrike. No, no and no. However, I did get the pleasure of showing lighthouse keeper Ivan Dubinsky one of Victoria’s best birding areas. Ivan works on Balaklava Island west of Port Hardy. He’s a new birder, but making great strides. I’m hoping he might find a wandering vagrant or two for me to chase at the north end of the island this year.
We didn’t pick up any of my target species, but it was an excellent day for birderwatching. We ran into Kim and Roger Beardmore, Marie O’Shaugnessy, and Chris Saunders. Chris found a Barred Owl near Tuesday pond, a lifer for Ivan, among many less showy species.
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American Coots, Ring-necked Ducks and a good look at a Pied-billed Grebe kept us entertained.
Since we were in the mood for flashy birds, and Ivan had never seen a Wood Duck, we headed to King’s Pond for a few minutes. There must have been at least 20 Wood Duck drakes there, and courtship was definitely underway!
Migration is just around the corner–reports of vulture and raptor movement are already coming in. I can hardly wait!