MIGRATION STOPOVERS (under construction)
There are many birds from the south that nest north of Vancouver Island in the boreal forest and Arctic. Some fly nonstop, but others stop to rest and refuel at various staging areas. For lack of a better term, I call these MIGATION STOPOVERS. Some of them like the Brant stop on the way north but fly non-stop on the way south. Others stop on the way north and south. May is the best month for northern stopovers, and July to September is best for southern stopovers. Most of the stopovers are shorebirds, but there are also some waterfowl and songbirds.
SHOREBIRDS
Shorebirds are probably the most beleaguered and threatened birds in the world. They are long distant migrants and require special habitats to rest and refuel to complete the journey. A major problem is the disappearing habitat in all locations of their existence. Climate change, pollution, subsistence hunting, poaching, changing agricultural practices, and declining food resources are other daggers in the life of these truly magnificent birds. One of the most tragic cases of habitat loss is the 200 square miles of mudflats that was lost to indusrial land reclamation and salt-making ponds along the shorelines of China. The area was a major stopover habitat for millions of migrating shorebirds. Without the stopover to rest and refuel, many shorebirds have been unable to survive the thousands of miles they have to travel to get to and return from their breeding grounds. All species have declined in numbers but none as bad as the Spoon-billed Sandpiper that is down to a few hundred birds and the Nordmann's Greenshank with barely a 1,000 in existence.
Closer to home one needs to look no further than the Robert's Bank industrial port. Historical development had already devastated 85% of the cruicial bird habitat, and in 2023 the federal government approved RBT2 to destroy another 177 hectares of habitat. Up to 100 species depend on the ecosystem, but of particular significance will be the loss of the unique nutrient rich biofilm utlized by the Western Sandpipers.
Shorebirds often travel and rest in mixed flocks. In the picture below, the Western Sandpipers are joined by Long-billed Dowitchers, Red Knots, and Dunlin. Other species in the flock but not shown were black-bellied Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Whimbrels, and Marbled Godwits. The best place to see these large flocks on Vancouver Island is at the Kennedy River mudflats in Tofino. During the first week of May, Tofino holds the annual shorebird festival to celebrate the spring arrival of these long distant migrants.
Do you see the Red Knots in the middle of the above photo? They are another endangered shorebird. Their population declined by 50% from 1994 to 2005 and part of the reason may have been the over-harvesting of horseshoe crabs on the Atlantic coast. The crab eggs are an important food source for Red Knots migrating from South America to the Arctic. Red Knots are fairly common on the Pacific Rim but only the occasional bird has been reported on the east side of the island.
below - As far as I know there are no significant shorebird habitats left on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The best one used to be the Holden Creek estuary adjoining the Nanaimo River estuary. It wasn't unusual to see flocks of over 500 shorebirds descending onto the shallow pools on the mudflats. Unfortunately, the area was modified to favor waterfowl habitat and shorebird numbers plummeted. Although I haven't checked in recent years, the Nanaimo and Cowichan River estuaries may still host significant numbers of migrating shorebirds. 20 years ago it wasn't unusual to see flocks of a 100 Long-billed Dowitchers foraging on the Holden Creek mudflats, but now, no mudflats and no dowitchers.
below - It is always a delight to see flocks of Western Sandpipers marching along the beach on the west coast as they forage in the sand to replenish their energy reserves for their journey to the Arctic. Unfortunately, increasing numbers of tourists and unleashed dogs often interrupt the feeding schedule. The best place to observe large flocks of Westerns is along the west coast beaches of Vancouver Island in the month of May.
Like most sandpipers the Western stop on Vancouver Island in the month of May, and if they are lucky there will still be herring eggs to supplement their diet of aquatic ivetebrates, biofilm, and small crustaceans.
Notice the difference in plumage between the above juvenile and the breeding plumaged adult on the right - no black markings on the chest, no rufous colour on the cap and cheek, crisp, clean edges on the feathers.
Least but not last. The Least Sandpiper is the smallest of the peeps and easiest to identify because of its yellow legs. Also, unlike the Western and Semipalmated, it has now webbining between the toes.
The Semipalmated is sometimes difficult to distinguish from the Western. A short, straight bill with a bulbous tip is a good field mark but not always obvious. Likewise with the sometimes greenish hued legs.
The warm brown tones of the Baird's makes it eay to separate from the other small sandpipers. It breeds along the Arctic coast and most migrate through the central or prairie flyway to South America. Only a few make it to the west coast to traverse the Pacific flyway.
During the post-breeding migration the adult sandpipers usually arrive first because they abandon the juveniles and leave early. They are easy to identify because of their worn and fading plumage.
To the untrained eye adult breeding dowitchers are difficult to identify, but thankfully, the juveniles are easy. The best fieldmark for the juvenile Long-billed is the plain, gray, unmarked tertials with orangish edges.
The juvenile Short-billed is easily identified because of the distinctive orange barring and edges on the tertials.
above photo - juvenile Semipalmated Plover at Holden Creek
The Semipalmated Plover is a handsome brown and white shorebird regularly seen during the spring and fall migrations. In typical plover behavior the Semipalmated runs a short distance, grabs its prey, and then runs another short distance to its next prey. It feeds mainly on aquatic invertebrates but also enjoys worms, spiders, horseshoe crab eggs, and seeds. Like other shorebirds if frequents sandy beaches, mudflats, and very shallow wetlands.
above - Two fairly common stop-over shorebirds are the Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs. They are aptly named after the colour of their legs. As the photo above illustrates, the Greater Yellowleg in the foreground is quite a bit larger than the Lesser Yellowleg. The bill on the Greater Yellowleg usually has a slight upcurve while the Lesser Yellowleg's bill is straight. However that is not always possible to discern. An easier fieldmark is the bill colour. The bill on the Greater is black at the tip but fades to a green as it nears the base. The Lesser's bill in mostly black the whole length. Another difference is the markings on the chest. They are very distinct on the Greater but very diffuse on the Lesser.
Most Greater Yellowlegs nest in the boreal wetlands then migrate south to winter in the southern states, Mexico, Central America, and South America. However, there is often a winter presence on Vancouver Island, but I'm not sure how consistent this is. Its diiet consist aquatic invertebrates, fish, and frogs.
Lesser Yellowleg
Pectoral Sandpiper
Wandering Tattler
Marbled Godwit
The Hudsonian Whimbrel is large shorebird characterized by its long down-curved bill. It is uncommon on the east side of Vancouver Island but fairly abundant on the west coast during the spring migration. In Victoria you can set your calendar to the date in May when a flock of Whimbrels will descend on the Royal Victoria Golf Club for their rest and refueling on the way to their Arctic tundra nesting grounds.
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SONGBIRDS
Western Kingbirds nest all across the western half of the US and north into the Okanagan. They winter in Mexico and Central America and on their way to their Okanagan breeding areas a few always stop on Vancouver Island.
The Tropical Kingbird is an anomaly in bird behavior. It breeds mainly in Mexico and the southern tip of Arizona and most of them winter south as far as mid-South America. However, a few always head north along the Pacific Coast and have become fairly regular winter visitors to Vancouver Island.
The Palm Warbler nests east of BC all the way to the Atlantic coast and then migrates south across eastern US to southeast US, the Carribean, and Central America. However, we are fortunate that a few generally take the west coast route south and use Vancouver Island as a staging area.
The Harris's Sparrow is a central North American bird. It winters in south central US, migrates up the central or prairie flyway, and nests in the central Arctic. It is our largest sparrow and like the Palm Warbler, it is not uncommon for a few Harris's to detour to thr west cost on its migration route.
above - It's an annual rite of passage to enjoy the fall return of the American Pipits as their flocks descend onto golf courses, fields, estuaries, and shorelines. They nest on the Arctic tundra and alpine meadows during the summer then migrate to the southern US for the winter. They are not particularly shy as they forage in close proximity to golfers looking for insects, spiders, beetles, ticks, seeds, and plant material on the fairways.
We might not get snow every year on Vancouver Island, but we do get a few Snow Buntings every year. They never seem to stay very long as they pass through from their Arctic coast nesting areas to the prairie grasslands and agricultural fields for the winter.
Horned Lark
White-throated Sparrow
Western Meadowlark
American Tree Sparrow
Lapland Longspur
The Bohemian Waxwing is known as an irruptive species. It doesn't really migrate in the sense of a precictable annual movement from one location to another, but it does move from area to area based on food abundance. While individual birds are found almost every year on Vancouver Island, large flocks seem to appear only once or twice every decade. The last major influx was during the early winter of 2017 when about 200 Bohemians invaded Nanaimo and feasted on the many hawthorn berries in the region.
Swamp Sparrows are more of an eastern bird with a breeding range from eastern BC across to the Atlantic. However, there is also a small wintering population along the west coast of the US, and some of those would stop on Vancouver Island during their migration. As the name suggests, their preferred habitat is around swamps and wetlands.
Mountain Bluebirds nest inland away from the coast in BC and up to Alaska, but they are regular stopovers in the spring and fall. Occasionally a few have wintered here but their normal winter range is south western US and Mexico.
AN OUTLIER
below - It's debatable as to whether the Short-eared Owl is a winter migrant or a migration stopover. There have been years when they have only been reported intermittently during the winter and years when they are consistently seen for most of the winter. I could hedge my bets by putting them in both categories, but for now I'll just call it a migration stopover based on our local experience at the Nanaimo River estuary. Currently (Jan. 2026) there seems to be 1 or 2 at the Nanaimo estuary and 4 at the Cowichan estuary. There are several dynamics in play. First, there is the abundance of owls which fluctuates from year to year. Second, the owls tend to be irruptive and favor different areas in any particular year. Third, loss or changes in habitat may encourage the owls to seek different locations. Fourth, global warming may affect not habitats available but also how far the owls decide to migrate.
It's debatable as to whether the Short-eared Owl is a winter migrant or a migration stopover. There have been years when they have only been reported intermittently during the winter and years when they are consistently seen for most of the winter. I could hedge my bets by putting them in both categories, but for now I'll just call it a migration stopover based on our local experience at the Nanaimo River estuary. Currently (Jan. 2026) there seems to be 1 or 2 at the Nanaimo estuary, but the numbers vary from year to year and sometimes there are none. There are other dynamics in play. First, there is the general abundance of owls which fluctuates from year to year. Second, the owls tend to be irruptive and favor different areas in any particular year. Third, loss or changes in habitat may encourage the owls to seek different locations. Fourth, global warming may affect not just the habitats available but also how far the owls decide to migrate. Fifth, the severity of winter affects how long the owls stay. A prolonged deep freeze will definitely encourage them to move further south.