#3 Birds of February

Welcome to February 2015. This month was slower than January (49 species). I think it was a conscious effort to save some common species for later in the year. There were no lifers in February and one bird classified as rare - the Tufted Duck.

Notes: 
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. 
Additions to my life list are noted where applicable.

#50 Common Goldeneye Date - Feb 1. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond BC.
Status: Abundant

My first sighting of this duck was quite distant and I only recorded some poor quality IPhone digiscope photos. The photos below are much better. Both the Female (brown head) and Male (green head) were seen at Brydon Lagoon in March.

#51 Northern Shrike Date - Feb 1. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond BC.
Status: Abundant

I only had a quick glimpse of this bird, it was pointed out by one of the local experts. This bird preys on smaller songbirds. The photo is not very good, but I did not see this species again during the year.

#52 Western Meadowlark Date - Feb 1. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond BC.
Status: Abundant

I saw this bird in three distinct locations this year. They are easily found at Iona in Richmond and Brunswick Point in Ladner in winter. In the spring, they are very common in the Okanagan. I also saw a good number of them south of San Francisco in October. This photo was taken from the driver side window of my car on White Lake Rd somewhere between  Oliver and Okanagan Falls in June.

#53 Ring-necked Duck Date - Feb 1. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond BC.
Status: Abundant

As mentioned in one of my January posts, winter is the time to get duck photos. By March they will be gone or in full moult. These photos shows a male and then a female. Both were taken at Colony Farm Regional Park in Coquitlam in March.

#54 Gray-crowned Rosy Finch Date - Feb 8. Location: Mount Seymour Ski Area, North Vancouver BC.
Status: Abundant

There were two finches reported at Mt Seymour near the Main Lodge for about a week. This was my first time up there in about 25 years. The drive seemed to take forever. I figured the probability of finding them was low, but I had to try. I stopped at the lodge and got out of my car. About 20 ft away, two birds were sitting on a ledge looking down at me. I took numerous photos of them there and then they moved out to the gravel parking lot.

The two birds shown below are from different sub-species of the Gray-crowned Rosy Finch. The one with the Gray/Black throat is a member of the Coastal race, while the one with the brown throat is a member of the Interior race. Since races inter-breed (just like humans) the plumage characteristics can blur over time.

#55 Canada Goose Date - Feb 8. Location: Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park Burnaby BC. Status: Abundant

The American Ornithological Union may need to invent another status beyond abundant for this species. This photo of some cute goslings was taken at Golden Eagle Golf Course in Pitt Meadows in May.

#56 Green-winged Teal Date - Feb 8. Location: Burnaby Lake Regional Nature Park Burnaby BC. Status: Abundant

This is the smallest of the dabbling ducks in North America. Here's a nice photo of a colourful male and understated female taken on this day.

#57 Red-breasted Nuthatch Date - Feb 14. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC. Status: Abundant

Very glad to see this bird in our backyard again after missing it in previous years. Not a great photo, but the only other sightings in the Okanagan were from a distance.

#58 Eurasian Wigeon Date - Feb 14. Location: Kings Links Golf Course, Delta BC. Status: Common

After seeing the nuthatch it was off to the golf course. This one is right off the Boundary Bay dike at 72 St, so I always bring a camera with me when I play here. I got this common (not abundant) duck on the pond by the 10th tee box. I did see it again at Blackie's spit but did not get any good shots, so here's the one from the golf course. The Eurasian Wigeon is the duck with the Orange/Red head. The related American Wigeon is the one with the Green head.

#59 Bewick's Wren Date - Feb 15. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC. Status: Abundant

This wren is often heard before it is seen. It has a very loud call, especially at the start of breeding season. Although I got some good shots in the backyard on this day, they don't beat the one taken below in the front yard in March. I had just pulled up from a birding trip and had my camera handy when this one landed in the Lilac brush about 10 ft away.

#60 Rufous Hummingbird Date - Feb 14. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC. Status: Abundant

Later that day I noticed a hummingbird on the feeder in the back. I first thought it was an Anna's but the photos revealed the first Rufous female for the year. 
The two photos below are males captured at the Red Roost Gift Shop near Kaleden in the Okanagan. This location is a home just off Highway 3 that features a small gift shop and numerous seed and hummingbird feeders. Our April birding tour winds up at this location. Sadly, the owners have the house for sale and the gift shop and feeders may be gone for the 2016 season.
These photos of a Rufous Male were taken at this location in late May as I was returning home from my Okanagan golf tour. I noticed that after visiting the feeders, the hummers would perch on nearby branches.

#61 Brewer's Blackbird Date - Feb 20. Location: Hornby Drive, Delta BC. Status: Abundant

This Blackbird is more common in the Okanagan than the Lower Mainland, but you can see them in winter in the farmlands in Delta. The photo was taken in at the Hope Airport on March 31st as I was heading to the Okanagan for my spring birding tour.

#62 Tufted Duck Date - Feb 22. Location: Iona Regional Park, Richmond BC. Status: Rare.

This Eurasian Duck was my first rare bird of the year. One seems to appear here every two or three years. I saw my first in 2008, and another one in 2014. It is related to our Greater and Lesser Scaup. It had been reported at Iona during the week so Iona was my first stop on Saturday the 21st. The bird was not in the outer ponds, so I checked out the inner sewage ponds (birding is so glamorous). Of course, there were hundreds of Scaup on the ponds so finding the Tufted Duck turned into a game of Where's Waldo. Although I thought I saw it, I could not get a photo and left disappointed.

On Sunday morning I returned and scoped the outer ponds. There was the Tufted Duck all by itself. I got wonderful scope views and as it moved closer I got some decent camera shots. I also had the good fortune to show the duck to a couple of women who were interested in birds.

#63 Harlequin Duck Date - Feb 22. Location: Lighthouse  Marine Park, Point Roberts WA Status: Abundant

After Iona I headed down to Point Roberts. it was a nice sunny day and I was running out of time to catch some of the winter ducks and grebes that could be seen there. This location is almost guaranteed to have Harlequin Ducks in the winter. I got this nice shot of a male and female together there.

#64 Double-crested Cormorant Date - Feb 22. Location: Lighthouse  Marine Park, Point Roberts WA Status: Abundant

For such an abundant bird, I did not manage to get a very good photo this year. This cheeky photo was taken from the Waterfront Restaurant off the Embarcadero in San Francisco in October.

#65 Horned Grebe Date - Feb 22. Location: Lighthouse  Marine Park, Point Roberts WA Status: Abundant

This small grebe is common in winter at Point Roberts and also in White Rock off the Pier and South Surrey at Blackie's Spit. Unfortunately, we only see it in non-breeding plumage. It is much more colourful when it heads inland to breed

#66 Surf Scoter Date - Feb 22. Location: Lighthouse  Marine Park, Point Roberts WA Status: Abundant

This is another common duck at Point Roberts, and the best place to see them close to shore. The photos of the colourful Male and plainer female were both taken on this day.

#67 Brant Date - Feb 22. Location: Lighthouse  Marine Park, Point Roberts WA Status: Abundant

This sea-going Goose is quite different in behaviour from the Canada Goose. It us usually seen over salt water, flying powerfully near the shoreline in small groups.It is identified by it's dark colour, the white flanks, and the white neck ring.

#68 Red-breasted Merganser Date - Feb 22. Location: Lighthouse  Marine Park, Point Roberts WA Status: Abundant

Rounding out the winter duck collection, this Merganser is usually seen in salt water. It is very common at Point Roberts. However, it is unusual to see males, only the female. It can be told from the similar Common Merganser by location (salt water), the thinner bill, and by the border between the neck and breast (the Common has a sharply delineated border, this one is more blended). This photo was taken at Point Roberts in November.

#69 Black Turnstone Date - Feb 22. Location: Lighthouse  Marine Park, Point Roberts WA Status: Abundant

This shorebird is a year-round resident along the rocky shores of Lighthouse Marine Park in Pt Roberts and also the Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty. This photo was taken at the latter location in November.

That's all for February, the next post is March 2015 with another 19 birds.

#1 Birds of January - Part 1

Starting in 2012, I decided to start keeping a list of all the birds I saw each year. My 2012 effort yielded 182 species. In 2013, I increased the count to 218 with 29 life list additions. In 2014 I managed to break the record again with 224 species, but only recorded 14 new lifers.

I was very optimistic about 2015 for a number of reasons. Primarily, Edith and I were taking a 4 week vacation to Newfoundland in June/July and planned a a few of the days for birding activities that offered good chances for adding lifers, the foremost example being the Atlantic Puffin. Other possibilities were Razorbill, Arctic Tern and Thick-billed Murre, plus perhaps an Eastern warbler or two. There were bound to be a good number of year bird additions as well.

Other chances for lifers included my annual Okanagan Bird tour in April and a return to the Okanagan in May for golf. We would also be visiting Calgary on our way back from Newfoundland.

Also this year, I finally put my fear of sea sickness aside and signed myself and Edith up for a pelagic birding cruise in September. It would be an all day event, setting out from Ucluelet BC into the open Pacific. Lifers were unavoidable since I'd never done any pelagic birding to speak of.

Finally, we were returning to San Francisco in late October for the Oracle Open World convention. I tacked on two extra days to do some California birding.

As in past years, many of the first sightings occurred early in the year. However,  there were good numbers in July and September as well.

Since I saw 49 species in January and 50 in April, these months have been split into two posts. This blog details the first 25 birds seen in January.

Notes: 
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. 
Additions to my life list are noted where applicable.
I have added the American Ornithological Union's (AOU) status for each species. You may be surprised to see how many of them are Abundant. There are a lot of common birds out there there many people are unaware of.

#1 Golden-crowned Kinglet: Date - Jan 1. Location: Boundary Bay, 72 St Delta BC 
Status: Abundant.

I headed out early in the morning and tried hard not to see any birds on my way to Boundary Bay so the my first bird would be special (not a crow like last year). It was a very cold morning, with frost on the ground. After parking I headed for the dike and saw a flash of yellow in the bushes, a Golden-crowned Kinglet! This was a bird that I missed in 2014 and I had resolved to see one in 2015. Mission accomplished. This photo was taken on January 25th at Reifel Bird Sanctuary.

#2 Red-tailed Hawk: Date - Jan 1. Location: Boundary Bay, 72 St Delta BC
Status: Abundant.

A common but good bird to record as my second of the year. However, the photo was not the greatest so I have used one I took in the Okanagan near Oliver in May.

#3 Golden Eagle: Date - Jan 1. Location: King's Links Golf Course 72 St. Delta BC
Status: Abundant.
This bird was featured in last year's blog as a December posting. It hung around Delta until mid-January before heading inland or north to its normal hunting grounds. I did not manage a good photo on this day and did not see one again all year.

#4 Glaucous-winged Gull: Date - Jan 1. Location: New Brighton Park, Vancouver BC
Status: Abundant.
My next stop after Boundary Bay was this location under the Second Narrows Bridge. I was here for a different bird (next entry) but observed a pair of Gulls on an frozen over swimming pool.

I also had to include this much more interesting photo of the species. It was taken at the White Rock pier in May.

#5 Gyrfalcon: Date - Jan 1. Location: New Brighton Park, Vancouver BC
Status: Common.
This was the bird I came to New Brighton to see, I had seen it on December 31st as recorded in the 2014 blog. This or another Gyrfalcon was at this same location in 2012 and 2013. The bird was about 500 metres from me, so this IPhone Digiscope shot was the best I could do.

#6 Rock Pigeon: Date - Jan 1. Location: New Brighton Park, Vancouver BC 
Status: Abundant.
The reason that the Gyrfalcon and Peregrine Falcons hang out at New Brighton is the abundance of Rock Pigeons. They feed at the grain terminals in the area. This photo was taken at Burnaby Lake in May.

#7 Northwestern Crow Date - Jan 1. Location: New Brighton Park, Vancouver BC
Status: Abundant.
Well, I did see our native crow on New Year's day, but it was not the first species of the year.
I did not take a picture on this day, in fact I don't have a good photo of a NW crow at all this year so far. This one was taken in my back yard in September.

After writing that entry, I went out on November 11th and took this much better photo on the Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty.

#8 Mallard: Date - Jan 1.  Location: New Brighton Park, Vancouver BC
Status: Abundant.
Our most common duck. the photo below was taken at Burnaby Lake in May and is one of the cutest I took all year. As is the case with most Duck species, rearing the young is done by the female. The males have headed south already to molt and get ready for winter breeding season.

#9 American Wigeon: Date - Jan 1. Location: New Brighton Park, Vancouver BC
Status: Abundant.
Another common species, I recorded this shot later in January at Reifel Bird Sanctuary. This is the best place to get close-ups of Ducks, as long as you go there in the Fall or Winter.

#10 Dark-eyed Junco: Date - Jan 1. Location: New Brighton Park, Vancouver BC
Status: Abundant.
The last of the New Brighton Park outing, this bird is commonly seen here in the Fall and Winter. It goes to higher altitude to breed in the spring. This photo was taken at the Red Roost Gift Shop in Kaleden BC in April. This is the Oregon race of the Dark-eyed Junco, commonly seen in BC.

The bird seen below is also a Dark-eyed Junco, but is of the Slate-colored Race commonly seen east of BC. This photo was taken in Newfoundland in June. It caused me some identification problems until I realized it was "just" a Junco.

#11 Pine Grosbeak: Date - Jan 1. Location: Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area,  Burnaby BC Status: Abundant.
Another bird I saw on Dec 31st. I think the pictures I took on this day were better than the previous. This is one of my favourite species. The Red males are spectacular. Although they are named Grosbeaks, they are more closely related to Crossbills and Finches than they are to the Evening and Black-headed Grosbeaks (which are also not closely related).

#12 Chestnut-backed Chickadee Date - Jan 1. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC
Status: Abundant.
We have at least one of these resident in our backyard, which means I could photograph it any time. However, this shot taken in February is the best I can offer. It's only November as I write this, so something better might appear here.

Update: Below is a photo taken in late November through the living room window:

#13 Black Capped Chickadee Date - Jan 1. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC
Status: Abundant.
The same can be said for this species, but I have a few more choices for a good photo. This was taken in September at Reifel Bird Sanctuary.

#13 Northern Flicker Date - Jan 1. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC Status: Abundant.
Another resident backyard bird. This photo is from my April Okanagan birding tour, taken in Princeton on my way home.

#14 Anna's Hummingbird Date - Jan 1. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC Status: Abundant.
And yet another part-time resident. The Anna's go into hiding in spring when the more aggressive Rufous Hummingbirds show up and take over the feeder. They reappear in Fall. This shot of a female on nest was taken at Queen Elizabeth Park in late April. This nest is used each year and is well known to birders. It is hidden out in the open and not noticed by most of the public.

#16 Pileated Woodpecker Date - Jan 1. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC Status: Abundant.
New Year's day was a good day to get photos of many of our resident backyard birds. This was taken on the day in the backyard from our living room window. This was the last bird seen on January 1st.

#17 Steller's Jay Date - Jan 2. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC.
This is a very difficult bird to photograph. Their dark colours cause exposure problems, and they are always aware when a camera is pointed at them. This effort, taken in the backyard in September is the best as of November 10th. Still about 51 days to get a better shot.

#18 Downy Woodpecker Date - Jan 3. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC Status: Abundant.
Our suet addicts visit the feeder daily as shown below.

This second photo was taken at the red Roost Gift Shop in Kaleden BC in April.

#19 Varied Thrush Date - Jan 3. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC Status: Abundant.
This is only an occasional visitor in Winter. We need to keep the cat in when these ground feeders are in our yard. This photo was taken in March at Colony Farm Regional Park in Coquitlam BC.

#20 Bushtit Date - Jan 11. Location: Backyard, North Delta BC Status: Abundant.
Always in flocks and never sitting still, Bushtits are always a pleasure to see. The photo below was taken in Ladner in March.

#21 Song Sparrow Date - Jan 11. Location: Boundary Bay, 72 St Delta BC Status: Abundant.
A very common bird on the coast and across North America. I've posted three photos to show the regional variation in this species.

This is the BC version with gray and rich brown. This was taken at Boundary Bay in Delta.

This is the Eastern group seen from Eastern BC all the way to Newfoundland. This was taken in Trepassey NL in June. There is more red on this group

This is from the California Mainland group seen in Redwood Shores CA in October. There is more contrast between brown and white.

#22 Northern Harrier Date - Jan 11. Location: Boundary Bay, 72 St Delta BC Status: Abundant.
A very familiar sight on Boundary Bay gliding low and looking for mice and voles for dinner. The white on the rump is the easiest way to identify this raptor.

#23 Yellow-rumped Warbler Date - Jan 11. Location: Boundary Bay, 72 St Delta BC Status: Abundant.
It was a surprise to see this species so early in the year, they seem to turning into a year-round visitor here, probably due to the mild winters. There are two sub-species, the western Audubon's race, and the eastern Myrtle race. It's not unusual to see a Myrtle out west, but Audubon's are very rare in the east.  I'm posting a photo of each sub-species.

This is the Audubon race in non-breeding plumage. This was taken in October at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The main indicator is the yellow throat feathers.

This is a Myrtle race (white throat) in breeding plumage seen in at Cape Race, Newfoundland in June.

#24 Bald Eagle Date - Jan 11. Location: Boundary Bay, 72 St Delta BC Status: Abundant.
Our most common raptor, it was hard to pick a best picture from a good selection this year. I took this low-altitude fly-over in April while I was walking the South jetty at Iona Regional Park in Richmond.

#25 American Tree Sparrow Date - Jan 11. Location: Boundary Bay, 72 St Delta BC Status: Abundant.
This sparrow spends most of the year in the north, but does come south when the northern winter becomes too cold. I posted photos of this species from pretty well the same spot on Boundary Bay the last two years.

That's all for the first half of the January Blog. There are another 24 birds in January Part 2.