For many years I have been hoping to do some migration monitoring on local hills in the area between Nanaimo and Qualicum Beach. Unfortunately, I am usually away in the NE corner of BC at this time of year doing this type of research for wind energy project proposals. This year, with the economy in the toilet and the Canadian Conservative Party fascists dismantling the environmental assessment process, I find myself unemployed, and thus able to do a bit more hawk watching locally. Today, Donna and I hiked to the top of Nanoose Hill on what is known as the "Notch Trail". It is a quick slog to the top through Douglas Fir, Garry Oak and Arbutus forests, which are broken by rock outcrops near the top, offering great views to all directions but the east. We spent five hours here, starting at 9:00 and ending at 14:00. It was hot and sunny, with only a slight breeze from the north. Migration was slow, but we were thrilled to have as many as 23 Turkey Vultures above us at one point, soaring so close that we could hear them croaking at each other.
Birds recorded from Nanoose Hill Today:
Turkey Vulture: 66
Osprey: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 2
Merlin: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 1
Glaucous-winged Gull: 3
California Gull: 3
Band-tailed Pigeon: 81
Vaux's Swift: 4
Anna's Hummingbird: 3
Hairy Woodpecker: 1
Northern Flicker: 10
Hammond's Flycatcher: 2
Hutton's Vireo: 3
Steller's Jay: 2
Common Raven: 12
Horned Lark: 1
Violet-green Swallow: 5
Chestnut-backed Chickadee: 14
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 27
Brown Creeper: 4
Bewick's Wren: 1
Winter Wren: 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet: 22
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 5
Hermit Thrush: 1
American Robin: 69
Varied Thrush: 15
American Pipit: 24
Yellow-rumped Warbler: 35
Dark-eyed Junco: 21
Brewer's Blackbird: 2
Purple Finch: 3
Red Crossbill: 28
Pine Siskin: 550
American Goldfinch: 4
Evening Grosbeak: 2
With spectacular September weather and a day off together, Donna and I loaded the bikes on the car and drove up to the end of Sundew Rd in Nanoose Bay. We off-loaded the bikes and rode around the closed gate on the Sundew Mainlibe logging road, headed for the north flank of Siwash Ridge, about 5 kms and 500 further up the road. It was hot riding, but it only took us about 45 minutes to reach our goal, and hike the last remaining bit through every prickle and sticker bush found on Vancouver Island, to a little bare knoll where we plunked down and waited for migratory raptors to come sailing by. It was slow going this afternoon, but we stuck with it, and eventually saw 19 raptors. Not exactly like the east flank of the Rockies, but not the worst hawk-watching I have ever done on Vancouver Island. Not by a long shot.
Turkey Vulture: 16
Osprey: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 1
Band-tailed Pigeon: 37
Rufous Hummingbird: 1 (this is getting late-ish for this species on Vancouver Island)
Steller's Jay: 2
American Robin: 88
Varied Thrush: 12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 1 (my first this fall)
Purple Finch: 3
American Goldfinch: 2
Pine Siskin: 205
Today I did a complete census at Moorecroft Regional Park, in Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC. New birds for the 2012 list in the park were Common Terns, Parasitic Jaegers, and Rock Pigeon. All expected, but only seen for the first time today. Passerine migration continues to be exceedingly slow, but the number of Dark-eyed Juncos has increased substantially in the past few days. The number of Red-breasted Nuthatches locally continues to astonish. I have never seen so many in my 17 years on Vancouver Island.
Canada Goose: 3
Northern Pintail: 18
Surf Scoter: 6
Red-breasted Merganser: 2
Common Loon: 5
Brandt's Cormorant: 1
Double-crested Cormorant: 7
Pelagic Cormorant: 4
Great Blue Heron: 2
Turkey Vulture: 18
Bald Eagle: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 2
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Parasitic Jaeger: 2
Bonaparte's Gull: 47
Heerman's Gull: 1
Mew Gull: 2
California Gull: 16
Glaucous-winged Gull: 31
Common Tern: 5
Rock Pigeon: 1
Barred Owl: 2
Rufous Hummingbird: 1
Anna's Hummingbird: 2
Belted Kingfisher: 2
Downy Woodpecker: 3
Hairy Woodpecker: 4
Northern Flicker: 12
Pileated Woodpecker: 4
Hutton's Vireo: 3
Common Raven: 6
Chestnut-backed Chickadee: 27
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 41
Brown Creeper: 10
Bewick's Wren: 3
Winter wren: 8
Golden-crowned Kinglet: 19
Varied Thrush: 6
American Robin: 15
American Pipit: 3
Orange-crowned Warbler: 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler: 5
Spotted Towhee: 8
Song Sparrow: 4
Dark-eyed Junco: 79
Red Crossbill: 60
Pine Siskin: 43
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.
This adult Vega type Herring Gull was seen at the Little Qualicum Estuary on 19 March 2007 by myself and Nigel Jacket.
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.
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
