Journal 208 May 1 - The day after I said I had to cut down on quick trips, I had to make a delivery to Comox. I suppose I could have shipped the books, but I did want to do a little birding. As luck would have it, birds were scarce. The only birds close by at Deep Bay were Red-breasted Mergansers. A pair of breeding plumaged Long-tailed Ducks and six Marbled Murrelets were present but stayed a long ways out. Goose Spit was also quiet but yielded my first Least Sandpiper of the year. For a change, people were scarce on Goose Spit. It was just a Least Sandpiper and a couple of tourists. The Least Sandpiper seemed content enough, but I wondered where the rest of the flock was. Red-breasted Mergansers are exciting looking birds. The males were playing their mating games, but I was too far away to capture much of the exotic displays. There were four males trying to impress one female. This is a cool move, but my favorite is the curved-neck-in-the-water with the bill skyward. I almost got a presentable photo, but I was too far away. Do you mind noise? May 4 - Buttertubs Treats Everyone on the Island except me had been reporting Yellow Warblers for the past 3 or 4 days. I was determined to rectify the situation today with a visit to Buttertubs. It was also a chance to check for the famed Bullock's Oriole that has been a Buttertubs special for many years before I started birding. It's a fixture just like the Ogden Point Tattler. Many of us were getting anxious as the Oriole was long overdue. Hello Lincoln! While I was setting up for a Yellow Warbler, a stranger flew in right in front of me. No need to move or adjust the camera. It was my first Lincoln's of the year - or did I report one during the winter? That's right. I had one at my feeders during the snow storms. I'll check the dates later. The Lincoln's was a total surprise and a great way to start the day. Yellow Warblers were singing everywhere. I knew it was just a matter of time before I found a cooperative one. This fellow was at the south end feeding on a Hawthorn tree. On the way to look for the Bullock's I found a serenading Yellow Warbler. I looked around but couldn't see the female. I'm not sure if the singing is a territorial declaration. All I know is that it makes a great photo opportunity. There was no contest in making it the cover photo of my new book. Hooray! My heart let out a big cheer as I neared the foundation. I could hear the deep rich chirp of the Bullock's. It took me a few minutes to locate him in the big alder, but guided by his regular chirping, I finally zoned in. It was amazing how well he was buried in the foliage even with his bright orange wardrobe. He eventually flew to the tall maple by the walkway to the viewing platform where I got an almost open view. Good thing Mr. Bullock's is a big bird as he always sits near the top of the tree. Later he flew to a Hawthorn to feed. I could almost touch him for five minutes but there was no way to get a clear picture. However, I didn't mind as I already had a couple of decent photos, and I just enjoyed having a good old "welcome back!" visit with him. I wished he could tell the stories of his winter adventures in Mexico and Central America as well as his migration. It's simply amazing how he's successfully returned for all these years. My only question was, "Where's your wife?" I've yet to see the gal, but I thought I heard another bird chirping a couple of times. I was ready to pack up the camera a get some chores done at home when a Band-tailed Pigeon flew up from my feeders. Since I hadn't taken a decent Band-tailed picture this year, I decided to sneak over to the window and wait for it to return. It sat on a fir tree for about 30 minutes before it felt the coast was clear. Finally, it flew down to the ground below the feeders and started picking up the tossed out seed. It had no idea I was concealed behind the curtains. Click!
