One Year At Moorecroft!

Today marks the one year anniversary of our becomeing caretakers of Moorecroft Regional Park, and the begining of our second year of keeping a list of bird species recorded here. Below is a list of the 135 bird species noted from the boundaries of the park.

Greater White-fronted Goose

Snow Goose

Brant

Cackling Goose

Canada Goose

Trumpeter Swan

Wood Duck

American Wigeon

Green-winged Teal

Mallard

Northern Pintail

Greater Scaup

Harlequin Duck

Long-tailed Duck

Surf Scoter

White-winged Scoter

Black Scoter

Common Goldeneye

Barrow's Goldeneye

Bufflehead

Hooded Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Common Merganser

Red-throated Loon

Pacific Loon

Common Loon

Yellow-billed Loon

Red-necked Grebe

Horned Grebe

Western Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Brandt's Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Kestrel

Merlin

Black-bellied Plover

Killdeer

Black Oystercatcher

Spotted Sandpiper

Black Turnstone

Surfbird

Least Sandpiper

Dunlin

Red-necked Phalarope

Red Phalarope

Parasitic Jaeger

Bonaparte's Gull

Heerman's Gull

Mew Gull

Ring-billed Gull

California Gull

Herring Gull

Thayer's Gull

Iceland Gull

Western Gull

Glaucous-winged Gull

Glaucous Gull

Caspian Tern

Common Tern

Common Murre

Pigeon Guillemot

Marbled Murrelet

Ancient Murrelet

Rhinoceros Auklet

Rock Pigeon

Band-tailed Pigeon

Great Horned Owl

Snowy Owl

Barred Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Common Nighthawk

Black Swift

Vaux's Swift

Anna's Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Cassin's Vireo

Hutton's Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Steller's Jay

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bushtit

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

Bewick's Wren

Pacific Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Swainson's Thrush

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Varied Thrush

European Starling

American Pipit

Cedar Waxwing

Orange-crowned Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Townsend's Warbler

MacGillivray's Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Wilson's Warbler

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Spotted Towhee

Savannah Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Purple Finch

Red Crossbill

White-winged Crossbill

Common Redpoll

Pine Siskin

American Goldfinch

Evening Grosbeak

Autumn Birding At Paradise Meadows

Today we headed up to Strathcona Park near Courtenay, BC, and walked around the loop trail at Paradise Meadows. Although the hideously developed nearby ski resort at Mt. Washington has badly degraded the overall character of this area, and put serious strain on the local wildlife by directing thousands of urbanites into the back country, this is still a wonderful hike. The broken, sub-alpine forest, meadows, and wetlands along the trail, backed by the spectacular peaks of Strathcona Park, offer some of the most beautiful scenery on this coast.   

Birding here is always interesting, even though the number of birds can be low, and the diversity is far less than what one would find at lower elevations in this region. Not only are there a few species here not often fond at lower elevations on Vancouver Island, but during Autumn migration, it is possible to get some species here which one only rarely encounters at sea level. This was the case today, with some great migrants noted flying over this area. Unfortunately, we were not able to locate the Three-toed Woodpecker, a local specialty of this site. We did though, observe a somewhat late Baird's Sandpiper feeding along the edge of a small pond, and had both Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches and Horned Larks flying over. All great birds for anywhere in this area. If nothing else, it's always fun dealing with the Gray Jays and Steller's Jays following you, hoping for a hand-out.

Birds noted on the Paradise Meadows Loop Trail today;

Sharp-shinned Hawk: 1
Baird's Sandpiper: 1
Belted Kingfisher: 1
Red-breasted Sapsucker: 1
Hairy Woodpecker: 2
Northern Flicker: 1
Gray Jay: 22
Steller's Jay: 6
Common Raven: 7
Horned Lark: 3
Chestnut-backed Chickadee: 22
Red-breasted Nuthatch: 10
Golden-crowned Kinglet: 26
Ruby-crowned Kinglet: 4
Hermit Thrush: 2
American Robin: 72
Varied Thrush: 6
American Pipit: 25
Fox Sparrow: 2
Dark-eyed Junco: 18
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch: 5
Red Crossbill: 50+-
Pine Siskin: 250+-

A New Turkey Vulture Migration Route?

For some time now, I have suspected that the numbers of Turkey Vultures migrating through Metchosin and East Sooke Park each Autumn are probably greater than the total breeding population on Vancouver Island. So where are these other Turkey Vultures coming from? We know that some of them are coming from the southern and northern Gulf Islands, and a few migrate across Johnstone Strait onto Northern Vancouver Island. But what about the large breeding population on the Sunshine Coast? Is it is possible that these birds somehow make their way across the Salish Sea onto Vancouver Island somehow? The distance across much of the Salish Sea is even greater than that across Jaun de Fuca Strait, and would seem to be a barrier to any of the migratory raptors that do travel well across water. Some recent observations from Moorecroft Regional Park in Nanoose, has made me wonder if perhaps the Salish Sea isn't the barrier it was previously believed to be.

On September 27th, 2011, we were doing some sea-watching from Vesper Point, in Moorecroft Regional Park. At app. 12:40, a kettle of 14 Turkey Vultures were spotted, fairly high, and north of Gerald Island. These birds were flapping hard, and seemed to be loosing altitude fairly quickly. When they reached Gerald Island, they began soaring again, and quickly gained some altitude, before soaring ashore over First Bay in Moorecroft, and then continuing on towards Nanoose Hill. About 15 minutes later, another kettle of 17 Turkey Vultures appeared app. two kilometres to the northwest, very high up and soaring towards Gerald Island. They also began catching thermals as soon as they reached Gerald Island, and it didn't take them long to reach the Moorecroft shoreline. Interestingly, this kettle also contained a Cooper's Hawk and an American Kestrel. Although I had little time today to perform active monitoring, I did notice three Turkey Vultures soaring ashore from the direction of Gerald Island.

So where are these birds coming from? The total breeding population on Gerald Island this year appeared to be one pair, and the adults and young left the island back in late August and spent several weeks in Moorecroft before going elsewhere. I would imagine that the total breeding population of the two Ballenas Islands is similar, and it is possible that they made their way onto Vancouver Island previously anyway. I can only think of two explanations. These birds are flying directly across from the Sunshine Coast (app. 28 kms) or from Lasqueti Island (app. 10 kms). I would think that direct crossing from the Sunshine Coast is unlikely. It is simply too far. Lasqueti Island is certainly within the range of a migrating Turkey Vulture though. And there are certainly more than 30 pairs of Turkey Vultures nesting on Lasqueti. How do I know this? Because for years I have counted them as they migrated from Lasqueti across to Parksville, usually coming ashore near the Englishman River Estuary, a distance of about 17 kms. The problem is, I see Turkey Vultures migrating across there every year. Why would they suddenly begin migrating in the other direction? 

I am beginning to wonder if the Turkey Vultures we have seen over the past two days are not actually from the Sunshine Coast, and are using Texada Island as a migratory Stepping Stone. Looking at a map, it becomes obvious that if Turkey Vultures do migrate between the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island, this is likley the route that thyey take. Using Google Earth, I made the following calculations;

Smuggler Cove (north of Sechelt) to Thormanby Island = 1.5 kms
Thormanby Island to Texada Island = 3.5 kms
Texada Island to West Ballenas Island = 12 kms
West Ballenas to Gerald Island = 3 kms
Gerald Island to Moorecroft Regional Park = 1 km   

All of this seems entirely possible for a migrating Turkey Vulture to accomplish. Now, with only about a week left in the migratory period, I need to do a lot more monitoring to see if this is indeed the case. Exactly the type of mystery that fascinates me.

Perception Vs. Reality: Altitude and Nesting Birds on Vancouver Island

Humans are funny animals. And birders, naturalists, and conservationists are no exception. Even though our knowledge of the natural world is vastly greater than the average persons, we still often miss the obvious, even when it is, well, obvious. Nowhere is this more true, than in the perceptions many birders have here on Vancouver Island, as to the altitudinal preferences of nesting birds. Dark-eyed Juncos are a good example of this, as was shown recently in a discussion on one of the local internet bird chat groups. The perception of those living in more urbanized areas, seems to be that this species prefers to nest at higher elevations, because they don't appear to nest in non-forested backyards in suburbia, but they do arrive in good numbers in Autumn, so they must be migrating down the hilsides in the winter. Is this the case? Well, yes. Sort of. And it kind of misses a point that birders spend a lot of time agitating about. That of habitat protection.

 The subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco present on most of Vancouver Island is J.h. shufeldti. It prefers to nest in forests with a certain type of canopy closure. These types of forest can occur at almost all elevations found on Vancouver Island. Thus, it is influenced far more by habitat, than it is by elevation. As can be seen using the BC Breeding Bird Atlas maps, on Vancouver Island Dark-eyed Juncos nest in most squares from the coast right through the interior areas of the island.

 

 In winter though, they tend to prefer areas with some tree cover, but larger openings. Forest edges, hedgerows, and well landscaped back yards tend to be ideal Dark-eyed Junco habitat, and these areas will host large flocks of the birds. Are all of these birds moving into these areas from higher elevations though? No. They are not.

 In autumn, numbers at lower elevations on Vancouver Island appear to increase for at least four different reasons.

1) Dark-eyed Juncos in the nesting season exist either in pairs, or in small family groups. In Autumn, they come together into much larger feeding flocks. This makes efficient counting of the birds easier. It also gives the appearance that there are more birds in the immediate area than there were in the nesting season.

2) Dark-eyed Juncos on Vancouver Island do migrate attitudinally. As snow increases at higher elevations, more and more birds move to lower elevations.

3) Dark-eyed Juncos in most of the interior of the province, as well as birds in Alaska and the Yukon, migrate south in the winter. Some of these birds will end up on Vancouver Island. These longer distance migrants likely exists in the millions, and thus the numbers on Vancouver Island should increase substantially in the Autumn and winter.

 4) As noted previously, Dark-eyed Juncos also use somewhat different habitats in winter, than they do in the nesting season. Sometimes, even at the same sites. Here in Moorecroft Regional Park, of which about 93% is covered in forest, Dark-eyed Juncos are one of the most numerous nesting birds. I have found nests from less than a meter above sea level, to the highest point in the park, which is about 60 meters. Essentially, everywhere in the park with appropriate habitat. Right now though, it is hard to find any juncos outside of the more open areas, such as parking lot and picnic area margins. And by January, it will be surprising to find any Dark-eyed Juncos at all in the park. I have no idea where these birds go in the winter. Although it is possible that they undertake some type of longer migration, my guess is that they simply move a few kilometers to where the habitat is more to their liking. It is entirely possible that the birds that nest in Moorecroft actually move up in elevation in winter, heading up the hill to areas where there has been more clearing of forests for residential developmant. Probably one of the few sites on Vancouver Island where this is the case.

 There are quite a few nesting birds on Vancouver Island that many like to equate with an altitude higher than the main urban and residential areas. The truth though, is that we come to know these birds at higher elevations, simply because this is where humans have yet to seriously alter the habitat, and we have seriously altered vast tracts of habitat along the southeast of the island . If we built our subdivisions and industrial sites above 1000 metres, and left the lowland forests intact, we might just get the idea that Sooty Grouse, Vaux's Swifts, Olive-sided Flycatchers, Steller's Jays, Hermit Thrush and Varied Thrush, were all low elevation nesters.

East Sooke Hawk Watch

Today Donna, our grandson Cedar and I headed down to East Sooke Park to take in the annual Fall migration of Turkey Vultures and raptors off of Vancouver Island. East Sooke Park is more or less the southernmost tip of Vancouver Island, and is the place where the majority of raptors, vultures, and many other migratory species, make the jump across Jaun De Fuca Strait to Washington State. Because Vultures and raptors have issues with crossing large bodies of water, the birds gather here, sometimes stacking up to counts of several thousand birds, waiting for the weather conditions to be ideal for crossing the Strait.

Today was not the best raptor watching I have ever had at East Sooke Park, but it was still exciting, and I never tire of seeing large kettles of Turkey Vultures drifting back and forth from hilltop to hilltop. The waters off East Sooke Park were also absolutely teeming with alcids and gulls today, which makes for good sea watching, when the raptor activity dies down.

We realized on the drive home that one of the reasons that the vulture count seemed low, was because there are still good numbers of them up island, which have yet to migrate. We noted 87 of them on the drive home between Metchosin and Nanoose Bay.

Birds noted between 09:00 and 14:00 today;

Turkey Vulture: 480+-
Osprey: 1
Bald Eagle: 3
Northern Harrier: 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 7
Cooper's Hawk: 3
Northern Goshawk: 1
Red-tailed Hawk: 29 (two dark morphs, the rest being typical western types)
Merlin: 2
Vaux's Swift: 160+-
Band-tailed Pigeon: 320+-

Loon Migration

I did a complete census of Moorecroft Regional Park this morning. I won't bore anyone with the data though. It was like a graveyard in the forest. Except for striking numbers of Red-breasted Nuthatches, there were virtually no birds at all. It did get a bit more interesting when I got to Vesper Point though. There was a really heavy migration of loons taking place. And although we have been seeing one or two Common Loons here for the past few weeks, today there were Pacific and Red-throated Loons as well. In two hours this morning I counted the following birds moving past Vesper Point;

Pacific Loon: 112
Common loon: 38
Red-throated Loon: 2