Birds of 2013 - April Part 3

Welcome back to the April blog. We continue with the last batch of birds seen on our Okanagan Birding tour and then end with birds seen in the Lower Mainland after returning home.

#117 Lincoln's Sparrow - Date: Apr 24. Location: Road 22, Oliver.
The Sibley guide describes this sparrow as common but inconspicuous. I added it to my life list a few years ago, but this was only the third time I've seen one.

#118 Yellow-headed Blackbird - Date: Apr 24. Location: Road 22, Oliver.
This is a common Okanagan bird, you can see it some years at Iona Regional Park in Richmond. This photo was taken on my May Golf trip at Black Mountain Golf Course in Rutland, just outside Kelowna.

#119 Golden Eagle- Date: Apr 24. Location: Vaseux Lake Cliffs near Okanagan Falls.
Our biggest and most majestic raptor, my first sighting in a number of years.

#120 White-throated Swift - Date: Apr 24. Location: Vaseux Lake Cliffs near Okanagan Falls.
I've been hoping to see this bird for years since my dear departed friend Nick told me about them in the early 90's. I had made a few visits to Vaseux Lake but did not have the optics or a tour guide to point them out. This time, one of the guides spotted some overhead and I was able to get some shots with the telephoto lens. This cropped image was the best of them.This was lifer #364.

#121 Canyon Wren - Date: Apr 24. Location: Vaseux Lake Cliffs near Okanagan Falls.
The Vaseux Lake cliffs are also know for Canyon and Rock Wrens. We did not see any of the former, but Chris C managed to summon up a Canyon Wren. I saw it through a spotting scope, but could not spot it using the telephoto lens. The photos will have to wait until the next visit.
This was lifer #365. 

#122 Black-billed Magpie - Date: Apr 24. Location: Vaseux Lake Cliffs near Okanagan Falls.
A very common Okanagan resident. Their colouring makes them hard to photograph. My best shot was taken on the golf trip at Shadow Ridge Golf course in Kelowna in May.

#123 Western Meadowlark - Date: Apr 24. Location: Vaseux Lake Cliffs near Okanagan Falls.
One of my favourite birds, nice appearance and beautiful song. They always remind me of my father, who could whistle to imitate the song. Although associated with the Okanagan and prairies, these birds winter in the lower Mainland in Delta and Richmond along the dykes. However, they are silent here and go largely unnoticed.
This photo was taken in July at Road 22 near Oliver.

#124 Long-eared Owl  - Date: Apr 24. Location: Vaseux Lake near Okanagan Falls.
Earlier in the day our group had met Russell Cannings who owns the BC Big Year record of 373 birds seen in 2010. You can read about it here: BC Big Year
He told Chris C about a location near Vaseux Lake where a Long-eared Owl was sitting on a nest. The group was led to the destination and Chris S set up a spotting scope on the bird (from a good safe distance). We were allowed to come in one-by-one and have a look, no photos. It wasn't much of a look, but was my only sighting until late December when I took the photo below on the Boundary Bay dyke. On New Year's day 2014 I got some much better shots, but they will need to wait until next year's blog.

#125 Great-Horned Owl  - Date: Apr 24. Location: Road 22 near Oliver.
After dinner we went out owling again. This time Chris C was able to find a Great Horned Owl and shine a giant spotlight on it as we drove by. However, once again no photos. The photo below was taken in 2008 at Reifel Bird Sanctuary.

#126 Red-Naped Sapsucker  - Date: Apr 25. Location: Three Gates Farm near Okanagan Falls.
Our last day of the tour started with a visit to this location, a nature themed Bed and Breakfast. We had been here at night and seen a Saw-whet Owl. This morning it was quite busy. One of the highlights was this bird, Lifer #366.

#127 Say's Phoebe  - Date: Apr 25. Location: Three Gates Farm near Okanagan Falls.
This is a small flycatcher often seen in the Okanagan. I did not catch a great photo of it.

#128 Western Bluebird - Date: Apr 25. Location: White Lake Road near Okanagan Falls.
At our next stop, we encountered a pair of Western Bluebirds at a nesting box on the side of the road.This was life list addition #367 and completed my collection of Bluebirds. I had seen Mountain's quite a few time and saw the Eastern a couple of years ago near Atlanta.

#129 Mountain Bluebird - Date: Apr 25. Location: Gray Lake Road near Okanagan Falls.
A bit farther along we turned onto Gray Lake Rd where we spotted a Mountain Bluebird. However, i could not get close enough for a decent photo. This one below is a male taken in 2012 near Calgary.

#130 Cinnamon Teal - Date: Apr 25. Location: Gray Lake near Okanagan Falls.
We only saw this beautiful duck through a spotting scope here. The photo below is a of a pair taken at the Iona Sewage Ponds on Sea Island.

#131 Calliope Hummingbird - Red Roost Gift Shop near Penticton.
This gift shop is located on Hwy 3A which runs between Penticton and Keremeos. They have all sorts of bird feeders up and a good variety of birds. Some of the photos in other 2013 posts were taken there. I had hoped to see this bird on our tour and had to wait until the last moment to do so. I did not see a male, but got good shots of this female for lifer #368.

So ended our Okanagan Bird and Owl Tour. However, I did add a few more 2013 birds in April, so this post is not quite done.

#132 Savannah Sparrow - Date: Apr 28. Location: River Rd in Ladner.
Always a sign that spring has fully arrived, I did not get this bird as early in the year as usual. This bird is so photogenic that I had to include two of my favourite photos. The first was taken near Hope Airport in May
and the second was taken on the Iona Jetty in September.

#133 Barn Swallow - Date: Apr 28. Location: Westham Island Bridge in Ladner.
The great thing about the more common birds it that one gets more opportunities to take great photos of them. I had a few good choices for Barn Swallow, the best one was taken at Colony Farms Regional Park in Coquitlam in June.

#134 Cliff Swallow - Date: Apr 28. Location: Westham Island Bridge in Ladner.
This was a lucky sighting.With my first barn swallows was a third bird which I assumed was a Barn Swallow as well. I then read someone's posting that they had seen a Cliff Swallow in downtown Ladner. I re-checked my photos and saw enough evidence to post it online for confirmation. It was indeed a Cliff Swallow, a bird I usually see in Alberta. With the flooding there this year, this was my only sighting for the year.

#135 Mute Swan - Date: Apr 28. Location: Westham Island Bridge in Ladner.
The Mute Swan is what most people think of when they hear the word Swan. However, these are a European bird which were imported to North America many years ago and are considered an invasive species in parts of the US. I assume this bird is wild, given its location but it may not be countable using ABA rules.

#136 Marsh Wren - Date: Apr 28. Location: Westham Island Bridge in Ladner.
Our most common Wren, easily heard in Marshes in Spring but more difficult to see and photograph. I took this photo from the bridge deck looking down on the Wren.

#137 Least Sandpiper - Date: Apr 28. Location: Westham Island Bridge in Ladner.
Another shot taken looking down from the bridge deck. This bird earns it name by being the smallest sandpiper commonly seen in North America.

Well that's it for April, a very busy month. As the year progresses, it becomes more difficult to add new species, and summer is usually very slow for birding in general. However, there will be posts for each month coming.

Birds of 2013 - April Part 2

This part of the April Blog covers some of the birds seen on a three day Okangan Bird and Owl Tour. We met the group in Kelowna and immediately headed towards Okanagan Falls, where we would be staying for the next three nights. There was one brief stop at Hardy Falls near Peachland on the way.

The tour itinerary included visits to various locations during the day  where we hoped to encounter a variety of Okanagan specialties. After a break for dinner and a bit of rest, we then set out again looking for Owls.

The birding was quite successful, but the Owl part was a bit disappointing. We did see one Saw-Whet and one Great Horned Owl on the two nights we went out, but struck on the guide's other targets.

Other than Edith and I, and one fellow from Calgary, the tour group was comprised of birders from Kelowna who all knew each other from regular outings there.

The tour company was Avocet Tours and our guide was Chris Charlesworth, assisted by Chris Siddle. I have encountered both of them since the tour in the Lower Mainland.

On the tour I added 10 lifers and 35 to the 2013 list.
This post will cover the first 20 of those.


#96 American Dipper - Date: Apr 23. Location: Hardy Falls Provincial Park near Peachland.
This is a bird that lives on fast flowing streams, creeks and waterfalls. The one we saw had a nest right at the base of Hardy Falls.

#97 Pacific Wren- Date: Apr 23. Location: Hardy Falls Provincial Park near Peachland.
I could not get my camera focused on this quick moving bird.The only photo I have of this species was taken in 2004 on the Queen Charlotte Islands.

#98 Eared Grebe- Date: Apr 23. Location: Okanagan Lake at Okanagan Falls
This bird was seen through the scope far out on the lake, too far for cameras. It was my only sighting in 2013, so there are no photos from that year. Below is one of my favourites from 2012, taken at Frank Lake in Alberta.

#99 Williamsons Sapsucker - Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
An uncommon woodpecker, found in Pine and Fir forests. Our guide used his IPOD to broadcast the call, and one eventually responded and came to investigate. The photo is not great, but this was life list addition #359. The ethics of using recorded bird calls is an ongoing debate, but probably necessary for successful tour operators.

#100 Northern Goshawk- Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
Shortly after the Sapsucker, Chris Siddle pointed out a Northern Goshawk flying directly overhead. I got off one shot for life list addition #360.

#101 Ruffed Grouse- Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
As the group was leaving the area to walk back to our cars, Chris Charlesworth noticed a Ruffed Grouse close by. Most of the group had walked by it already. It was very cooperative and I got off a number of shots. This was life list addition #361, the third in about 15 minutes.

#102 Sharp-shinned Hawk - Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
This was another quick fly-over, I did not get a photo this time. the photo below is one of the few I have in my collection. It was taken looking out into our backyard on a snowy day in 2005. Not bad for a film based shot.

#103 Common Raven- Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
A less exciting discovery than the last three, but always nice to see. Not a great photo.

#104 Mountain Chickadee - Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
This is a relatively common Okanagan bird that I had not seen since 1988. We saw them in a few places. This photo was taken on April 25th on Gray Lake Rd near Okanagan Falls.

#105 Clark's Nutcracker - Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
An alpine bird we normally see at Manning Park at the Resort picnic area, and usually get close-up photos. The photo below is from the tour in a natural habitat, but not as close.

#106 White-breasted Nuthatch- Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
A reasonably common Okanagan bird that does not reside in the Lower Mainland. A good bird to finally see again after quite a few years.

#107 Cassin's Finch - Date: Apr 23. Location: Shuttleworth Creek Rd, Okanagan Falls
The third member of the red finch trio seen in North America. I had seen the House and Purple Finch many times, but never this one. It was #361 on the life list. The photo below was taken on April 25th at the Red Roost Gift Shop near Okanagan Falls.

#108 American White Pelican - Date: Apr 23. Location: Holiday Beach Motel, Okanagan Falls
The sighting of these pelicans was like a scene from the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. While resting up after our first full day, the motel manager came out and announced loudly "Here come the Pelicans". All the birders scrambled as 36 American White Pelicans flew over our heads and gracefully circled Okanagan Lake. By the time I got my camera pointed upwards they were too close. But the photo shows a bit of what we saw. The next day our friend Blanca, located in Quesnel, posted on Facebook that their resident Pelicans had arrived. I'm certain they were the same ones.

I could not resist adding a Pelican Photo I took south of San Francisco in September.

#109 California Quail - Date: Apr 23. Location: Holiday Beach Motel, Okanagan Falls.
I saw this very common bird running around the motel grounds on our first night. The photo below was taken in July near the Nk'mip Winery Resort in Osoyoos.

#110 Barrow's Goldeneye - Date: Apr 24. Location: Okanagan River, Okanagan Falls.
Day 2 started out in the Provincial Campground in OK Falls. There was not much to see there, but we continued along until we reached the Okanagan River. We saw quite a few species of ducks, including the Barrow's Goldeneye. The photo below is a male (foreground) and female from that walk.

#111 Common Merganser - Date: Apr 24. Location: Okanagan River, Okanagan Falls.
Another duck seen on the river. The best photo I took (or the cutest) was at the Great Blue Heron Reserve in Chilliwack in May.

#112 Redhead - Date: Apr 24. Location: Okanagan River, Okanagan Falls.
I'm not sure how this duck got such a short name, but it is very descriptive. I usually see them every year on my Kelowna golf trips. I did not get a photo on the birding tour, but here is one of a male and female from Predator Ridge Golf Course near Vernon, taken in May.

#113 Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Date: Apr 24. Location: Okanagan River, Okanagan Falls.
This was another case where one of our guides called out a bird as it flew overhead. I asked "Are you sure?" and Chris C. answered "Yes". This was life list addition #362. As it happened, I saw this species again in May at the Great Blue Heron Reserve in Chilliwack, and managed a few great shots of it.

#114 Osprey - Date: Apr 24. Location: Okanagan River, Okanagan Falls.
We saw an Osprey fly over, and later in the day saw one sitting on a nest near the river by Oliver. The best photo of the year was taken in July in Osoyoos at Haynes Point Provincial Park.

#115 Virginia Rail - Date: April 24. Location: Road 22, Oliver BC.
Our next stop was Road 22, a gateway to the Wine Vineyards of Oliver/Osoyoos, and a pretty good birding area. We stopped at a marsh right by Highway 97 and Chris C used his audio magic to summon up a Virginia Rail. This was lifer #363.

#116 Killdeer- Date: April 24. Location: Road 22, Oliver BC.
A familiar member of the plover family, the Killdeer is famous for its broken wing trick to lure predators away from its nest, usually a shallow depression on the ground. The photo below was taken at Shannon Lake Golf Course in West Kelowna in May. It may be sitting on a nest just in front of the #17 tee box.

That's the end of Part 2 of the April Blog. 
The next post covers the remainder of the Okanagan birding tour, and the other birds seen in April in the Lower Mainland.

Birds of 2013 - April Part 1

April was the biggest month of the year, due in large part to a three day Bird and Owl Tour in the Okanagan later in the month.

However, the first April Blog will detail the birds seen prior to the start of the tour on the 23rd.

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. This is especially applicable with common birds photographed early in the year. In some cases there are two photos of a bird, which means I couldn't choose one.

#84 Double-crested Cormorant - Date: Apr 1. Location: Northview Golf Course, Surrey.

Nothing like annoying your fellow golfers by noticing a bird in a nearby pond and taking time to pull out the camera and take a shot or two. I was not sure of the ID at the time and was a bit disappointed to discover it was "only" a Cormorant.
The photo below is a much better shot I took at Lighthouse Marine Park in Point Roberts in September.

#85 Eurasian Wigeon- Date: Apr 1. Location: Northview Golf Course, Surrey.
Sometime later in the round, Pat asked me "What's that strange looking duck over there?".
I immediately grabbed my camera and headed over. The Eurasian Wigeon is an occasional visitor that mixes with our American Wigeon. The last time I had seen one was 1992. I did see another in November at Ambleside Park in West Vancouver, but this is the shot from the golf course.

#86 Mew Gull - Date: Apr 6. Location: Brydon Lagoon, Langley.
Last year, I met a birder named Randy who recommended this location as an excellent birding spot. He should know as his house backs onto this small park area. After parking I noticed a group of gulls in a nearby pond and casually snapped off one shot. Today was the first day I was using my new 400mm telephoto lens in the wild. I met up with Randy that day and he asked me if I had seen the Mew Gulls.
Upon checking my photo I realized I had just added species #358 to my life list.
When I returned to my car, the gulls were gone.

#87 Common Yellowthroat - Date: Apr 6. Location: Brydon Lagoon, Langley.
This is a warbler that lives in marshy areas. The male is unmistakable in appearance and the "witchey, witchey" call is very distinctive.
The photo below was taken in Burns Bog just off the boardwalk in June. The second photo is likely an immature male. It was taken in September at Serpentine Fen in Surrey.

#88 American Robin - Date: Apr 6. Location: Brydon Lagoon, Langley.
Amazing that it took me until April to record a Robin. This photo was taken at Serpentine Fen in Surrey in May.

#89 Black-bellied Plover - Date: Apr 6. Location: Boundary Bay, Delta.
Spring migration brings shorebirds up from the south. This plover can be seen in great numbers on Boundary Bay in spring, and then again in early Fall. The photo is of a juvenile making its first voyage from the North. It was taken in September at Boundary Bay.

#90 Dunlin - Date: Apr 6. Location: Boundary Bay, Delta.
Another common shorebird, these ones do spend the winter in Delta. This photo was taken from the Westham Island Bridge in Ladner.

#91 American Kestrel - Date: Apr 6. Location: 112 St, Delta.
Always a treat to see the smallest Falcon in North America, particularly in Delta.This section of 112 Street north of #10 Highway is a good spot as it is mostly farmland. Photo conditions were poor by the time this was taken.

#92 Chestnut Backed Chickadee - Date: Apr 6. Location: South Surrey.
April 6th was a good day for sightings, and after the Kestrel we headed to our friends place for dinner. Out on their balcony was a Chestnut-backed Chickadee, adding to the year list again. The photo below was taken in our backyard in June.

#93 Eurasian Collared-Dove - Date: April 7. Location: 112 St, Delta.
I returned to this location again to see if I could get a better photo of the Kestrel, but it was nowhere to be seen. There were a good collection of Collared Doves. This dove was introduced to the Bahamas in the 1970's and reached Florida soon after. It has been spreading across the continent and is considered an invasive species in North America. It is similar to the Mourning Dove, but is easily distinguished by the black "collar" that goes part way around the neck. It's cooing is similar but not as pleasant as the Mourning Dove.

#94 Sora- Date: April 14. Location: Colony Farm Regional Park, Coquitlam.
This is a member of the Rail family, which are marsh inhabitants. They are usually notoriously difficult to see. There were reports on the bulletin boards that this rail was being seen openly at Colony Farms. I headed down and found the photographers (easier than finding the bird) and it put on a good show for about 30 minutes. Of the 61 shots I took the one below was the best. This was the first real good use of the new camera and lens.

#95 Pileated Woodpecker - Date: April 19. Location: Burns Bog, Delta.
We sometimes have these big guys in our back yard, but I was getting antsy about adding it to the year list. I spotted one just off the boardwalk in Burns Bog, but the photos were terrible. My only other sighting was on the Grouse Mountain Powerline trail in July.

That's it for this post - April Part 2 will be the start of our Okanagan tour.