July 1/10 - Happy Canada Day! It has to be one of the coolest on record. We attended the annual Canada Day farm party at Nanoose Edibles, and I'm glad I wore my winter jacket. Obviously, it wasn't much of a day for birding so I spent most of the day trying to organize some pics for my next PowerPoint presentation. The highlight of my day was harvesting my first beautiful big Yukon Gold potatoes from the garden.

The birding excitement in the past week was over at Tofino where a very rare Bristle-thighed Curlew was sighted, photographed, and reported. A small army of birders from Victoria and as far as Kelowna responded the next day, but the curlew was nowhere to be found. Hopefully, the curlew was a sign of a great shorebirding season to come.

Two items of interest for this journal include QUALICUM, WHITE RAVEN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD and A VISIT WITH AL MACK'S PACIFIC-SLOPES. All winter I had planned to check for White Ravens during the spring but never got around to it. When I finally got around to it, it was June 25 and probably too late. Would you believe that as soon as I parked my car by the Qualicum Woods, I heard the White Raven call and saw it fly in the first minute. The Pacific-slope family was courtesy of Al Mack in Parksville. He invited me to his backyard to photograph the Pac-slopes that had built a nest on an awning by his porch. (Thanks again, Al.)

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Old business - a few shots I didn't post from my last visit to Reifel.

You know I'm not on Vancouver Island when I post a Black-capped Chickadee. Yes, I'm still at Reifel. I was so excited about the Sandhill Cranes that I forgot I had a few other shots.

From the "You learn something new every day" file. I thought all the Gadwalls left for the breeding season. I suspect the ones at Reifel were non-breeders. If they're breeders, I'd love to see the ducklings.

It's difficult to pass up a Cedar Waxwing. They have to be included in the list of "the photographer's best friends."

I have been expecting to see some juvenile Chipping Sparrows around my yard, but even the adults have been scarce. Things are getting pretty quiet with most of the Rufous Hummingbirds on their way south. I'm now down to 1 or 2 cups of nectar a day from a high of about 14 cups a day.

Since the hummers aren't using much nectar there's plenty for anyone else who is interested. The juvenile Hairy was the first to take advantage of the offer.

I'm not the only one with a sweet tooth.

I was pleased to find a non-breeding Wood Duck at King's Pond on June 21.

I wonder if the Wood Ducks would be interesed if a nest box was installed at King's.

I just can't help stopping at the Nanaimo Airport to look for a Vesper. I found a Vesper but there was no sign of the Western Kingbird reported a couple of days earlier.

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QUALICUM, WHITE RAVEN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

Qualicum, White Raven Capital of the World There is little doubt that Qualicum is the White Raven Capital of the World, and just to prove the point, another White Raven was recently added to the family. I stopped by the woods close to the Qualicum Civic Centre on June 25 and was lucky enough to photograph the latest white, blue-eyed offspring. According to a town worker there was only one White Raven seen this year. That makes five White Ravens I have seen and photographed in the past three years. There may even be more, as there may have been some that I missed.

White Ravens are extremely rare all over the world except in Qualicum. Some say it's the water. Others claim it is the pure Island air, but there is a more scientific reason. Albinism and leucism are known phenomena in nature. In simple terms these are genetic defects that affect the pigmentation of the cells in animals. If the animal lacks all pigmentation and has pink eyes, it is an albino. If it lacks pigmentation in only some parts and doesn't have pink eyes, it is leucistic. The situation usually arises when two black Common Ravens with the same genetic defect mate. The odds of this happening are probably worse that winning Lotto Max. However, since they are monogamus and long-lived, there is no reason why they can't produce successive generations of White Ravens. This definitely seems to be the case in the Qualicum area. White Ravens have been reported for well over a decade. A golfer at nearby Morningstar golf course phoned to say he once saw four White Ravens on the same branch of tree. Another golfer phoned to tell about a White Raven mated to a black raven and the produced mottled brown offspring.

The White Raven is held in high regard by many native cultures and has special spiritual significance. Several native legends credit the White Raven for bringing light to the world by freeing the sun, moon, and stars which were locked away by an evil being. In the course of its heroic deed White Raven was turned to black. The occasional sighting of a White Raven now is meant to remind people of how the world was saved for all mankind and animals of creation. There is also a belief that the sighting of a White Raven signifies the impending end of the world. With all the wars, riots, and environmental destruction, that might not be too far from the truth.

BASED ON 5 DOCUMENTED SIGHTINGS IN THREE YEARS AND A HISTORY OF PAST SIGHTINGS, I HEREBY DECLARE QUALICUM TO BE THE WHITE RAVEN CAPITAL OF THE WORLD!

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No comment required here.

A distant shot of the orange crown on the Orange-crowned Warbler.

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AL'S PAC-SLOPES

On June 28 the phone rang. It was Al Mack from Parksville. "My Western Flycatchers are back," he exclaimed. I knew he meant Pacific-slopes, but I didn't hesitate. "What's your address?" I asked. With that I made arrangements to visit the flycatchers the next day.

Al and the flycatchers greeted me the next morning. The flycatchers were busy collecting flies for the nestlings. When they had a snack they would land on a small fir tree before zipping up to the nest. Al told me that they didn't nest last year but they had the year before.

After a few shots of the adults we went up on the porch to watch the nest which was about 20 feet away on top of a rolled up awning. The adults came regularly to feed the for hungry mouths.

I'm glad I visited the Pac-slopes that day. The next day Al emailed to tell me that the youngsters had fledged.

The adults would land on a small fir before taking the snack to the nest.

With four hungry mouths I wonder if they all got their turn.

The nestlings were getting pretty big. The would be fledging soon.

I was right. This was the last day of nest feeding. They fledged the next day.

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Bird Poster

My poster is on display at: Victoria - Swan Lake Nature House

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PUBLICATIONS

VOLUME I & II BOOKS AVAILABLE AT

PARKSVILLE & QUALICUM - MULBERRYBUSH BOOKSTORES

NANAIMO - SAVE-ON FOODS (WOODGROVE),
SAVE-ON FOODS (COUNTRY CLUB), CHAPTERS, FALCONER BOOKS

PORT ALBERNI - CLOCKTOWER GALLERY

COURTENAY - GRAHAM'S JEWELLERS

SIDNEY - VICTORIAN BIRD HOUSE, TANNER'S BOOKSTORE

COMOX - BLUE HERON BOOKS

BOWSER - LIGHTHOUSE GIFTS

DEEP BAY - SHIP & SHORE

SAANICH - WILD BIRDS UNLIMITED

VICTORIA - BOLEN BOOKS, MUNRO'S, CROWN PUBLICATIONS, IVY'S

CAMPBELL RIVER - SAVE-ON FOODS, COHO BOOKS, CAMPBELL RIVER MUSEUM

DUNCAN - VOLUME 1 BOOKSTORE

CHEMAINUS - WILLOW"S WILD BIRD STORE

LADYSMITH - SALAMANDER BOOKS

NANOOSE - SCHOONER COVE MARINA

LAKE COWICHAN - GALLOPING MOON GALLERY

TOFINO - BOTANICAL GARDENS

QUADRA ISLAND - EXPLORE & BOOK BONANZA

LANGFORD - WILD BIRD CENTER

SOOKE - READING ROOM BOOKSTORE

SOOKE - MUSEUM

Port Hardy - MUSEUM

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