#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.