Birds of 2013 - October to December

When doing a year list, it becomes much more difficult to add new birds as the year closes. Although we have a good collection of Winter birds on the Lower Mainland, many of them were seen in January and February. Therefore, this last post has just enough birds to fill out the last three months of the year.

On the flip side, the birds I did see were mostly really good ones, and there were some of my best photos of the year for a few of them.

October Birds

#209 Palm Warbler - Date: Oct 5. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
This is mostly an Eastern/Central warbler, but there is a small population that migrates down the West Coast. I had seen them before in Florida and at Point Pelee, but they were always in the tall grass or on the move. There had been an alert for this one at Iona. When I saw it, it was right at eye level in some bushes and was quite willing to pose. The first is one of my favourites for the year.

#210 Lapland Longspur - Date: Oct 5. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
The British verb for missing out on a rare bird is "to dip on it". I dipped on this bird and the much rarer Smith's Longspur a week earlier at Boundary Bay. After seeing the Palm Warbler I was ready to call it a day but there had been reports of Lapland's on the South Jetty. I was going to walk about 1 Km out and then turn around. However, I met a birder named Tak who told me there were two of them at about the 3 Km mark. I decided this might be my last chance for the year so out I went. I found them around 3 Km out and they were quite cooperative. This was lifer #378, well worth the walk out and back.

#211 Thayer's Gull - Date: Oct 13. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
Gulls are notoriously difficult to identify, especially in the Pacific Northwest where the Glaucous-winged Gulls hybridize with a couple of other species. This day at Iona had been quiet when I noticed a group of birders near the sewage lagoons. I recognized on of them as Russell Cannings, whom I had met on our tour in the Okanagan in April. As well as the holder of the BC Big Year, he's also the caretaker for the BC Rare Bird Alert website. I dropped by to say hello and heard him mention there were Thayer's Gulls in one of the ponds. I had a look through his scope, saw the Gulls, and then pointed my camera in the same direction. The Gull is the second from the left with the red spot on the bill. The other Gulls are Ring-billed.

#212 Harlequin Duck - Date: Oct 20. Location: Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA.
I had these ducks on my target list, knowing that I could get them here or at Stanley Park any time in Fall or Winter. The first shot is a male. The second is a female taken at the same location in November.

November Birds

#213 Pigeon Guillemot - Date: Nov 3. Location: Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA.
These are Ocean birds that can seen close to shore. I first saw them in the Queen Charlottes in 2004 where they were sitting inside steel tubes at the Ferry Terminal. In breeding season, they are mostly black with white sides. This one is in winter plumage, it may be a juvenile. In the second photo it has caught a tasty treat.

#214 Red-breasted Merganser - Date: Nov 16. Location: Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA.
My earlier posts showed Common and Hooded Mergansers in small freshwater ponds and lakes. This Merganser prefers salt water, and really seems to like the rocky shores of Lighthouse Marine Park. The first photo shows a male (left) and female. The second shows a female with a female Harlequin Duck.

#215 Black Turnstone - Date: Nov 16. Location: Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA.
This is the other Turnstone species. The Ruddy Turnstone was in the August post. These birds get their names from their habit of looking under stones on rocky beaches for small prey. This bird is common year round in the Pacific Northwest, but in limited locations. I had never managed to see them before, so this was life list addition #379.

#216 Ancient Murrelet -  Date: Nov 16. Location: Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA.
Another ocean bird that is seen further out from shore. I could only see them through binoculars, with identification provided by a birder with a spotting scope. This was an unsatisfying lifer #380. Next year I hope to have a scope. You'll have to Google the bird to see what they look like.

#217 Brant - Date: Nov 16. Location: Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA.
This is a goose that is likely unfamiliar to most. They favour salt water and can be seen in Point Roberts, or the BC Ferry Jetty. They tend to fly low over the water in groups, as in this photo.

December Birds

#218 Snow Bunting - Date: Dec 19. Location: Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty.
Another reported sighting that I was late in getting to. It was a cold windy day and I had walked from where I'd parked to the end of the boat launch on the south side of the jetty. And there they were. I got past them and they then escorted me half way back to my car. The second photo is a bit blurry as it was difficult to get focus on both birds with my telephoto lens.

#219 Cackling Goose - Date: Dec 26. Location: Terra Nova Nature Park, Richmond.
You may look at the photo below and say that's a Canada Goose. However, this smaller goose was split from Canada Goose back in 2004. You can see how small it is in the second photo compared to the Snow Goose beside it. I may have seen one sometime in the past, but had never recorded it, so I ended the year with life list addition #381.

So ends the 2013 birding blog, 219 species in total with 29 life list additions. It's going to be hard to beat in 2014, especially on the life list front.

I hope you enjoyed reading the blog.

Good birding...

Lou Davidson
Delta BC

Birds of 2013 - September - Part 2 - San Francisco

As mentioned in the last post, I travelled to San Francisco in late September for a convention. I managed to get a couple of birds on our second day there at Fisherman's Wharf.

After the convention, I had a day and a half to spend birding. I relocated from the city centre further south, and stayed in San Carlos, which is about 20 miles south of the airport. I had mapped out six or seven places I wanted to go, but did not plan on a 90 minute wait to get a car at the airport. This curtailed my half day activities to one outing.

On the second day, I set out and planned to use El Camino Real as my main thoroughfare. However, there was a propane tank fire at a warehouse on this road and this cost me at least two hours of travel time as well. Still, I did get to a few good locations on the day.

#198 Western Gull - Date: Sept 22. Location: Fisherman's Wharf.
This is the most common big Gull in the area. I may have seen one in 1989, the last time I did any birding in the area, but I did not list them then. So this sighting was life list addition #375. Both photos are at Fisherman's Wharf. Note the much darker colour on the sides, compared to our large gulls.

#199 Heerman's Gull - Date: Sept 22. Location: Fisherman's Wharf.
This is a much smaller gull, as can seen in the first photo which also has a Western Gull. I did see and list this bird in 1989.

The next set of birds were all seen after the convention, south of San Francisco.

#200 Great Egret - Date: Sept 26. Location: Bedwell Bayfront Park, Menlo Park, CA.
I parked my car in front of a small lake and there was my first sighting for the evening. As the name implies, this is the largest of the Egrets, nearly the size of the Great Blue Heron. I was not able to get a great photo as the light was dwindling by the time I arrived. The second photo was taken the next day at the Nob Hill Ponds in Redwood City.

#201 Snowy Egret - Date: Sept 26. Location: Bedwell Bayfront Park, Menlo Park, CA.
A mid sized Egret, both of the white Egret species were endangered in the early 1900's due to the use of their feathers as plumes in women's hats. They have recovered quite well since then. Once again, the second photo is from the next day, taken at the Nob Hill Ponds.

#202 Black-necked Stilt - Date: Sept 26. Location: Bedwell Bayfront Park, Menlo Park, CA.
This is a very unique bird with its black and white body and the long pink legs. It does appear to be on stilts. The first photo was taken on Sept 27 at the Radio Road ponds in Redwood City, The second photo was taken off of the White Rock Pier in October. It was the subject of a rare bird alert for the Lower Mainland. The reflection in the water makes the legs look even longer.

#203 California Thrasher - Date: Sept 27. Location: Holbrook Palmer Park, Atherton CA.
I had spent a long time in traffic due to the propane explosion and finally arrived at this park. It is in set in a well-treed suburban area. Upon entering the park, I heard a bird singing above me. I did not recognize the sound and eventually found it. I knew what it was on sight as I had read about them in my pre-trip preparation. This was life list addition #376. 

#204 Black Phoebe - Date: Sept 27. Location: Holbrook Palmer Park, Atherton CA.
I usually see this bird whenever I'm in California and this trip was no exception. The second photo was taken the next day at Radio Road Sewage Ponds in Redwood City.

#205 Oak Titmouse - Date: Sept 27. Location: Holbrook Palmer Park, Atherton CA.
Titmice are related to Chickadees and are common in the southern US. They all have a peaked cap on the back of their heads. I had seen one other species in Arizona in 2008. This one was on the list for this area and I was happy to see it. This was lifer #377.

#206 American Avocet - Date: Sept 27. Location: Radio Roads Sewage Ponds, Redwood City, CA.
This is one of my favourite shorebirds. In summer, their necks and heads turn a brownish pink colour. However, I found the non-breeding plumage quite attractive as well. There were good numbers of these birds present, as the second photo shows.

#207 Black Skimmer - Date: Sept 27. Location: Radio Roads Sewage Ponds, Redwood City, CA.
This is a most unusual bird, it is closely related to the Tern family. It is a large, prehistoric looking bird with a 44" wingspan and 18" length, but only weighs 11 oz (300 grams). It is a powerful flier and skims above the water for small fish.

#208 Willet - Date: Sept 27. Location: Radio Roads Sewage Ponds, Redwood City, CA.
A drab large sandpiper, I finally added it to my year list. There is a Willet that winters in White Rock, usually seen on the beach right by the big white rock. I had made several trips there with no luck. Even here, I took this photo and only noticed the Willets in the background when I got home. Not the greatest photo to end the month, but I'll take it.

This closes out September. Coming up next, the last three months of the year wrapped into one post.

Birds of 2013 - September - Part 1 - Local

September was a good month for birding. For the first three weeks I spent a lot of time at Boundary Bay as shorebird migration continued. From where I live in North Delta, I can get to the 104 St location in about 10 minutes. This allowed for numerous after supper visits. I also got out to Iona Regional Park for a very successful Sunday morning on the 8th.

In the last week of the month, I travelled to San Francisco to attend the Oracle Open World convention. I was able to add a couple of days to my stay, and spent them birding in the area south of the city. The birds on that trip are detailed in a separate September posting.

#189 Semipalmated Plover - Date: Sept 1. Location: Boundary Bay, Delta.
The first question one might ask is "What does Semipalmated mean?". There are two birds on this month's list with this description. If a bird has a webbing between its toes, it is semipalmated. This is almost completely useless in the field, as one rarely see's the feet of shorebirds because they are usually buried in the mud. This was a good sighting, my last one was in New Jersey in 2003. Another poor photo.

#190 Buff-breasted Sandpiper - Date: Sept 1. Location: Boundary Bay, Delta.
I have a birding buddy named Floyd that I see occasionally. He only carries binoculars, and keeps track of birds he has seen by ticking them off in a field guide at home. One of the birds that he had a real passion to see was a Buff-breasted Sandpiper. There are usually one or two seen each year. On this day, I met him just as he was leaving for a dinner appointment. Myself and a few other birders hung around. Suddenly, there was excitement about 50 metres away and there it was. This was life list addition #372. Thankfully, Floyd did see the bird a couple of days later. One of the most striking birds I saw this year.

#191 Short-billed Dowitcher - Date: Sept 2. Location: Serpentine Fen.
As mentioned with the Long-billed Dowitcher in a previous post, it is very difficult to distinguish between the two species. I checked my sightings out with the bird forum to confirm this was Short-billed. It is the bird in the middle.

#192 Pectoral Sandpiper - Date: Sept 3. Location: Boundary Bay, Delta.
This is a mid-sized sandpiper that is very common in Fall migration. When seeing a flock of them, the experienced birders examine each one hoping to see the rarer Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. I struck out on that species this year, hopefully I'll get it for my 2014 list (as well as my Life list).

#193 American Golden Plover - Date: Sept 4. Location: Boundary Bay, Delta.
I was hanging out with Floyd again on this evening, still trying for him to see the Buff-breasted. One of the region's top birders (Mike Tabak) came along and said he had seen an American Golden Plover in with a large flock of Black-bellied Plovers and other shorebirds. He was gracious enough to show us the bird through his scope, and I was able to get off a couple of shots. it was lifer #373. The photo below is heavily cropped. It is the mid-size bird immediately to the right of the Gull in the centre.

#194 Semipalmated Sandpiper - Date: Sept 1. Location: Boundary Bay, Delta.
Mike also pointed out this bird in the flock to Floyd and I. They are a common small sandpiper, and I had probably seen them before. The photo below is not detailed enough to point them out, but they are in there somewhere. This is a bit of a cheap lifer, but it is #374. I promise a better photo in 2014.

#195 Townsend's Solitaire - Date: Sept 8. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
I have seen this bird once before in Arizona in 2008. I could not get a photo, and was relying on other birders for ID. It has been on my most-wanted list since then. It is a member of the Thrush family, and does show up during spring and fall migration. This morning, there was a report about 30 minutes old of one on the Iona Sewage Ponds. I saw many migrating Yellow Warblers there, but gave up on the Solitaire. I had intended to check out the South Jetty and was heading there when I saw a bird sitting on a tree out in the open. This is one of my best photos of the year. The second photo is after it moved about 20 ft away to some wild blueberries.

#196 Sanderling - Date: Sept 8. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
After my good fortune, I decided I might as well walk the entire 4 Km length of the South Jetty. There might be a migrating Surfbird on the rocks. At the very end there is a small observation deck where you can look down on the surf and the rocks. Voila, there were two shorebirds on the rocks with perfect lighting conditions. One of the birds was a Western Sandpiper, and it is featured in an earlier post. The other was a Sanderling, a small white Sandpiper usually seen running around at the edge of sandy beaches.

#197 American Pipit - Date: Sept 8. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
After returning to the parking lot, I decided to have one more quick look for the Townsend's Solitaire. I did not see it again, but did discover this bird in the bushes. Pipits are ground-dwelling birds that are commonly seen here along the Boundary Bay dykes. The second photo below was taken there later in the month.

That's it for the local September sightings. Birds of 2013 - September Part 2 details the birds seen in the San Francisco area later in the month.