SCHEDULED EVENT
A fundraiser for the Fanny Bay Hall on October 16, 2016. You're all invited.
Other scheduled events include 3 craft fairs in November. Details in the next journal.
A QUIET SEPTEMBER
The last few weeks of summer have been very quiet for me. The good news is that I did finish painting most of the exterior of my house. All that remains is the trim, and I'm hoping for a few sunny days to get that done. I would have finished by now had I not snuck out for more than a few birding sessions. Most of the time I was just checking for shorebirds from San Malo to Columbia Beach without much success. Success is predicated not just by persistence but also timing and luck. For example, a couple of weeks ago I checked San Malo in the morning and only saw a few of the regular Killdeers. Later that day Guy, Donna, and Mark found and photographed a rare Sharp-tailed Sandpiper which just happens to be at the top of my wish list. Unfortunately, the Sharp-tailed and its Pectoral friends didn't stay around. I did check the next morning to no avail, but a pleasant consolation was to finally meet Mark again. Mark is an excellent naturalist and birder who is a recent refugee from the urban congestion and smog of the mainland. My previous meeting with Mark was during the Black-tailed Gull in Courtenay about five years ago. A second consolation was the opportunity to photograph a couple of American Pipits who were foraging at the edge of the mudflats. I have been seeing pipits close-up for the past month at Fairwinds but couldn't do much with just a nine iron in my hand.
American Pipits are one of the more obliging birds to photograph. I started seeing them in early August when migrating flocks were foraging on the fairways at Fairwinds golf course. Quite often I approached within 6 or 7 meters before they flushed a short distance away.
American Pipits usually nest at high altitudes in the mountains of BC and as far north as Yukon and Alaska. Their winter range is just a short ways south along the Pacific coast into the southern US.
My shorebird success during the past few weeks was minimal despite a reasonable effort. San Malo proved to be the most productive location with decent flocks moving through in late August and early September. The best time was usually when the tide was receding and the mud flats were reloaded with a fresh batch of aquatic insects and organisms.
Besides the usual Western and Least Sandpipers and Killdeer, the only other shorebirds I managed to photograph were the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and a Short-billed Dowitcher. The last Greater Yellowlegs I saw was a bit of an enigma. It was on the shore of the river when I first saw it. Its partner flew upstream as soon as it saw me, but this one just wandered slowly along the muddy shoreline. I followed it to take a few photos. When I got within 6 meters I expected it to fly upstream to join its partner. Instead of flying it simply swam across the river. I wondered if it had difficulty flying.
Flocks of dowitchers used to be fairly common on the mid-island, but they have been scarce in the past few years. The only dowitcher I saw this year was on September 11. It was peacefully foraging in the San Malo Mud in the company of a couple of killdeer.
I often wondered how they could find their prey by probing blindly in the mud. Do they have special sensors on their bills or do they just grab anything that is solid?
On August 25 I decided to bird up to Deep Bay, but it wasn't a good idea. Birds were few and far between for photography. As usual at Deep Bay and Baynes Sound the birds were plentiful, but only if you were using a scope. On the way back south I stopped at Nile Creek where I found a Wandering Tattler and several Westerns last year. I scanned the shorelines of the creek and spotted a small shorebird foraging in the rocks. A quick look through my camera and lens confirmed a Spotted Sandpiper. I looked up and scanned the shoreline again and found another 4 Spotted Sandpipers. The only other shorebirds were 2 Killdeer and 1 Black Turnstone.
After a couple shots of the Spotteds I scanned the gull flock. As expected it was mostly Californias and Bonaparte's. Eventually, a few of the gulls decided to bathe. One of them was a Bonanparte's and it appeared to be having a lot of fun. Here it is practicing the backstroke.
Keeping the feathers in good condition is essential for survival. A good wash and shower occasionally helps to get rid of the dirt and parasites.
There are usually a few shorebirds that stop at French Creek during migration. Here's a trio of Least Sandpipers coming in for a landing at low tide.
There is no mudflat to forage on unless it's low tide. At low tide the peeps generally forage along the muddy creekside.
I was watching some of the Least Sandpipers bathing when a peculiar habit caught my eye. After each bathing session the sandpipers would flutter a few inches above the water to shake the excess water their their wings. They would then land and continue to preen.
The Western Sandpiper is the most abundant shorebird to fly down the Pacific flyway. One of its distinguishing features is its black webbed feet. Another is its medium to long down-curved bill.
It's always a treat to see the return of the Black-bellied Plovers. They are quite photogenic and one of my regular winter subjects. On September 15 I was watching the rising tide at Admiral's Lagoon. When it was almost high tide several Black-bellied Plovers sprang into action. They stood in the shallows by rocky shoreline and watched for crabs to vacate their shelters under the rocks. As soon as a crab emerged it was grabbed by a plover. The plover would then run to shore, drop the crab, spear it a few times with its bill, and then pick it up for dinner.
Another welcome return is our winter seabirds and ducks. Red-necked Grebes and Common Loons have been noticeable for the past few weeks particularly at Baynes Sound. There's also a few loons that hang around French Creek, and that's where this one was hanging out. Enjoy the alternate plumage now before it disappears.
Songbird migration has been almost non-existent around my yard. During the rain this morning I saw a flurry of birds but they were too quick to identify. My best guess would be vireo species. One migrant that did stop two weeks ago was a Savannah Sparrow - a new yard bird. Savannahs usually favor the open shorelines and grasslands and not forested areas like my yard. However, I'm sure they can survive in forested regions if they had to.
Although I haven't seen any wigeons in the Fairwinds ponds yet, I know they will soon be arriving. I saw a large flock of wigeons winging past Admiral's on September 15. There were also a few Northern Pintails in the group.
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Bird Poster
My poster is on display at: Victoria - Swan Lake Nature House. (Note: This poster has been produced in a more manageable size and is now available for $20 unlaminated and $32 laminated.)
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