However, it seemed that my timing was off all month. I'd read about the incredible fallouts at Queen Elizabeth Park during the week only to see very little there the following weekend. I did manage 13 new species during the month, some of them on my annual golfing trip to Kelowna.
As mentioned in previous posts, the photo accompanying the bird is the best one I took of the bird that year, not necessarily the photo taken on the first sighting date.
#138 Brown-headed Cowbird - Date: May 3. Location: Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta.
A reasonably attractive bird but one with nasty habits. This species place their eggs in other birds nests and let them do all the hard work. Sometimes the larger Cowbird chicks will kill the other nestlings, which are usually smaller. This was part of the reason for the near extinction of the Kirtland's Warbler in Michigan. The cowbirds were removed and the Warbler is rebounding.
#139 Black-headed Grosbeak - Date: May 3. Location: Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta.
Now this is a nice bird, no bad nesting habits. Two photos below, the first is a male seen at Reifel, the second is a female seen on the Ryder Lake Ramble in Chilliwack in June.
#140 Western Sandpiper- Date: May 8. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
Each spring, a half-million (or so) of this species pass through the Fraser Delta. They're heading north to breed, and typically start coming back through starting in August. Usually the adults return first leaving the juveniles to fatten up and then find their way south. It seems to work for them.
The photo below was taken at the tip of the Iona Jetty in August. It is probably a juvenile based on the reddish colour in the upper scapulars.
#141 Blue-winged Teal - Date: May 8. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
An uncommon duck that can be seen in places like the Iona Sewage Ponds. It is closely related to the Cinnamon Teal which was in the April 2013 - Part 3 blog. Sometimes the two teals will hybridize. The photo was heavily cropped as the teal was part of a large group of other species.
#142 Purple Martin - Date: May 8. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
A member of the Swallow family, Purple Martins are colony nesters. They are more commonly seen in the prairies and further east. There are some restoration projects in the lower Mainland with colonies at Iona, Blackie's Spit and Grant Narrows. The boxes are put on pilings offshore to minimize land based predation.
#143 Whimbrel - Date: May 14. Location: Blackie's Spit, Surrey.
These are large shorebirds with down-curved bills. I was lucky to see a pair near the entrance of the Spit when I drove in. I parked quickly and was able to get reasonably close to take the photo below. Two days later I saw two Whimbrel at Iona in Richmond. I suspect they may have been the same pair.
#144 Wilson's Warbler - Date: May 16. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond.
This was my one Warbler experience in May. After walking around the entire park and seeing little, I noticed a photographer in a wheelchair and went up to chat. He told me there was a Wilson's nearby and I was able to get off a couple of good shots. Always a great bird to see.
#145 Sooty Grouse - Date: May 19. Location: Burnaby Mountain Park.
There were reports of this bird being seen during the week. This was breeding season and the males had come out of hiding and were hooting to attract attention. As I was walking up to the location I met my birding buddies Floyd and Peter and they directed me to the location. The grouse was barely visible and this photo was the best I got. However, this was life list addition #369.
#146 Lazuli Bunting - Date: May 20. Location: Jack's farm, Hope BC.
My friend Mary-Jean and I had agreed to try the Hope airport area out for birding as it had received good reviews on the Fraser Valley birding site. I picked her up at Cultus Lake and we headed out. The Hope airport is very small and only used by a flying club. It is surrounded by farms and mountains. We stopped the car and decided to walk along the road and did find some good, but common birds.
A truck pulled up and the driver asked us if we were birders and invited us to come to his yard where he had swallow boxes and hummingbird feeders. We accepted and were not disappointed.
The highlight of the day was a Lazuli Bunting, which I had seen once before a few years ago.It only appeared for a moment and I got some good but not great shots.
#147 Ruddy Duck - Date: May 23. Location: Shannon Lake Golf Course, Kelowna.
I participate in a 5-day golf trip each year. We stay near Vernon at Predator Ridge, and play various courses in the area. Shannon Lake is always a good location for birds and marmots. The Ruddy is a very odd Duck with the Blue bill and upturned tail. Not the greatest photo.
#148 Red-necked Grebe - Date: May 23. Location: Shannon Lake Golf Course, Kelowna.
While the guys were putting on the 17th green, I noticed a bird out on the lake. I got a couple of quick shots off and continued on. They were, of course, oblivious to it. However, the photo below was taken at the White Rock Pier in November.
#149 Brewer's Blackbird - Date: May 24. Location: Sunset Ranch Golf Course, Kelowna.
A very common Okanagan resident, I may have seen it in April but did not record it. The photo below was taken near Hope Airport in June.
#150 American Crow - Date: May 25. Location: Shadow Ridge Golf Course, Kelowna.
As mentioned in a previous post, the crows of the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley are Northwestern Crows. Once you get past Manning Park, any crow you see is an American Crow. There's a slight difference in the Caw, but other than that you need to do a DNA test to distinguish them.
That's it for May. The next post is June, another slower month, but with some great birds.
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