Broad-winged Hawk!

I have been searching for one of these in the fall in this area for years. Finally! September 11, 2012. Near Siwash Ridge, just south of Nanoose Bay, BC.

Vega Gull

This adult Vega type Herring Gull was seen at the Little Qualicum Estuary on 19 March 2007 by myself and Nigel Jacket.

Varied Thrush

It would seem that summer is over. This morning there were Varied Thrush all over Moorecroft Regional Park. A sure sign that fall is on it's way.

Deep Bay Jaegers

Today I spent about 5 hours birding at Deep Bay, which is near Bowser, on Vancouver Island. This site is a great place to observe interactions between terns, gulls and jaegers from mid-August through September. Although there were only about 25 Common Terns and 200 Bonaparte's Gulls, the jaeger action was intense all through the morning. I observed 62 different chases in that time, most of them by Parasitic Jaegers pursuing Bonaparte's Gulls. There was at least one Pomarine Jaeger as well, which is a very good sighting for this site, although by no means the first. The three species of North American Jaegers, as well as South Polar Skua, have all been noted in this area over the years.

Birds observed at Deep Bay on 2 Spetemebr 2012:

Mute Swan x Trumperter Swan hybrid: 2
Canada Goose: 44
American Wigeon: 6
Mallard: 2
Northern Pintail: 17
Green-winged Teal: 10
Harlequin Duck: 3
Surf Scoter: 83
White-winged Scoter: 52
Common Merganser: 6
Common Loon: 7
Red-necked Grebe: 565 (Deep Bay is a major fall molt site for this species)
Double-crested Cormorant: 26
Pelagic Cormorant: 11
Great Blue Heron: 3
Turkey Vulture: 10 (migrating across from Denman Island)
Osprey: 1
Cooper's Hawk: 2 (migrating across from Denman Island)
Merlin: 1
Killdeer: 5
Black Oystercatcher: 2
Sanderling: 1
Western Sandpiper: 24
Least Sandpiper: 2
Baird's Sandpiper: 2
Red-necked Phalarope: 8
Pomarine Jaeger: 1
Parasitic Jaeger: 20+- (estimate)
Bonaparte's Gull: 200+- (estimate)
Heerman's Gull: 1
Mew Gull: 12
California Gull: 26
Glaucous-winged Gull: 51
Common Tern: 20+- (estimate)
Common Murre: 10
Pigeon Guillemot: 6
Marbled Murrelet: 3
Rock Pigeon: 22
Band-tailed Pigeon: 18
Eurasian Collared-dove: 11
Common Nighthawk: 33
Anna's Hummingbird: 1
Belted Kingfisher: 2
Purple Martin: 12
Barn Swallow: 2
American Pipit: 1
Savannah Sparrow: 9
Red Crossbill: 116
American Goldfinch: 2

Migrants!

Moorecroft Regional Park has been astoundingly dull for birds of late. Essentially, all of the breeding neo-tropicals have moved on, and very few migrants are being seen. This afternoon, I did see a spark of hope though. There were four Hammond's Flycatchers chasing each other around in the cedars near the beaver pond. In the cattails surrounding the pond, were three Common Yellowthroats. These are the first warblers and flycatchers that I have seen in the park in several weeks. Things should pick up nicely as we move into September.

Sun Up to Sun Down

I was out in my row boat before sunrise, and did not get back to Morecroft Regional Park until well after sunset yesterday. Although I spent most of that time fishing, I was of course, also paying attention to birds. Not that there were many to pay attention too. The numbers were quite low, but that is not unusual in mid-August.
Species recorded in the vicinity of Gerald Island/Moorecroft Regional Park, Salish Sea, 17 August 2012:
Mallard: 1
Surf Scoter: 18
Common Merganser: 3
Pelagic Cormorant: 2
Great Blue Heron: 1
Turkey Vulture: 2
Northern Harrier: 1 (flew from Vancouver Island, to the Sunshine Coast)
Bald Eagle: 7
Spotted Sandpiper: 2
Red-necked Phalarope: 19
California Gull: 11
Glaucous-winged Gull: 4
Rhinoceros Auklet: 1
Eurasian Collared-Dove: 1 (Gerald Island. Wow! Now they really have spread EVERYWHERE!)
Great Horned Owl: 1 (Calling at Moorecroft as I was launching the boat in the morning)
Belted Kingfisher: 1
Northwestern Crow: 10
Red Crossbill: 32 (flying between Gerald Island and Moorecroft)

Long-billed Curlew In Parksville

Earlier this week there was a "probable Whimbrel" reported from the Englishman River Estuary, near Parksville, BC. Because the bird was reported to have been "buffy with dark wrist patches, I thought I should go have a look. As I suspected, it was actually a Long-billed Curlew, and a fairly brightly colored one, at that. This is the fourth Long-billed Curlew I have seen in this area, although all of the other ones were Spring sightings.