Birding Adventures of Dave DeReamus

Monday, February 25, 2013

British Columbia Trip ~ February 18, 2013

The winter of 2013 produced several extremely unusual Asian strays in the West, particularly in British Columbia. One of these, a Citrine Wagtail that was discovered on Vancouver Island near Courtenay, represented the 1st record for Canada and only the 2nd record for North America. Then, a Red-flanked Bluetail was found in New Westminster, just southeast of the city of Vancouver, which was also a 1st record for Canada and only the 2nd mainland sighting in North America. The close proximity of these two mega-rarities caused me to take a flight from Philadelphia International Airport to Seattle, Washington with a stopover in Chicago. I got the rental car at around 11:00 AM and headed up I-5 into Canada. I got to Queens Park in New Westminster, British Columbia at around 2:00 and started searching for the Red-flanked Bluetail that had been found just two days after I got home from my January trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Queens Park in New Westminster, British Columbia.

After about an hour-and-a-half, I spotted the bird near the children's playground area. It was really tough to get photos because of the very dark evergreen understory coupled with the dreary conditions. Other birds seen there included Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pacific Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush, American Robin, and Dark-eyed 'Oregon' Junco.

Queens Park in New Westminster, British Columbia.

I left there at around 5:00 and drove towards Tsawwassen and got a motel that was about 15 minutes from the ferry terminal.

British Columbia Trip ~ February 19, 2013

I got on the 5:15 AM ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and drove the hour-plus up to Courtenay.

Sunrise from the Strait of Georgia near Duke Point, British Columbia.

This was my second attempt at getting a look at a Citrine Wagtail that was found there back in November. I, and another birder named David from California that I'd met on the ferry, set up shop at the 'traditional' site around 9:00 with Randy, an Alberta birder. A Northern Shrike and a Spotted Towhee were two of the birds found in the large slash piles.

Spotted Towhee near Courtenay, British Columbia.

About four hours later while David and I were checking the south side of the fencerow, Randy yelled "Wagtail!" The bird had flown in from the southeast and landed on a rock about 20 feet away from him, its tail bobbing away. As the two of us worked our way closer for a better look, the bird took off and flew back from where it came. The bird never returned despite another hour or so of waiting. I was the last one to leave at around 3:00, glad that I finally got to see the bird but wishing I'd had a little longer look at it and a chance for a photo. I drove back to Nanaimo, took the 5:45 PM ferry back to Tsawwassen and drove over to New Westminster where I spent the night.

Late afternoon in the Strait of Georgia near Duke Point, British Columbia.

British Columbia Trip ~ February 20, 2013

I drove over to Queens Park once again to see if I could get some better photos of the Red-flanked Bluetail. While there, a sleet storm partially whitened the ground. Several Varied Thrushes and numbers of 'Oregon' Juncos and American Robins were present.

Varied Thrush at Queens Park in New Westminster, British Columbia.

Craig Tumer, an Oregon birder, joined me about an hour later. Craig was one of the two birders who discovered a Little Bunting in Joseph, Oregon on January 28th. Soon after, Craig spotted the Bluetail and we both were able to get photos of it despite the occasional showers.

Red-flanked Bluetail at Queens Park in New Westminster, British Columbia.

Red-flanked Bluetail feeding on a worm at Queens Park in New Westminster, British Columbia.

Red-flanked Bluetail at Queens Park in New Westminster, British Columbia.

I left there and drove the two-plus hours back to Seattle where I spent the night.

The Space Needle in Seattle, Washington.

British Columbia Trip ~ February 21, 2013

I returned the rental car with 555 more miles on it and took an early flight back to Philadelphia by way of Chicago. I was thrilled to see two extremely unusual 'life' birds for North America.
More photos can be found in my PicasaWeb Albums.

British Columbia Trip - February 18-21, 2013

1) Canada Goose
2) Trumpeter Swan
3) Mallard
4) American Wigeon
5) Eurasian Wigeon
6) Black Scoter
7) Pacific Loon
8) Common Loon
9) Double-crested Cormorant
10) Great Blue Heron
11) Northern Harrier
12) Bald Eagle
13) Red-tailed Hawk
14) Peregrine Falcon
15) Ring-billed Gull
16) Mew Gull
17) Glaucous-winged Gull
18) Rock Pigeon
19) Northern (Red-shafted) Flicker
20) Northern Shrike
21) American Crow
22) Northwestern Crow
23) Common Raven
24) Black-capped Chickadee
25) Chestnut-backed Chickadee
26) Brown Creeper
27) Red-breasted Nuthatch
28) Pacific Wren
29) Golden-crowned Kinglet
30) Red-flanked Bluetail*
31) Varied Thrush
32) American Robin
33) European Starling
34) Citrine Wagtail*
35) Spotted Towhee
36) Fox Sparrow
37) Song Sparrow
38) Golden-crowned Sparrow
39) Dark-eyed 'Oregon' Junco
40) Purple Finch

(*) denotes 'life' bird.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pacific Northwest Trip ~ January 7-8, 2013

At 3:00 AM, I drove to Philadelphia International Airport and flew to Seattle, Washington with a stopover in Salt Lake City, Utah. I got the rental car at around 4:00 PM. I had planned on heading northeast to Revelstoke, British Columbia to see a Brambling that was being seen every day there, but heavy snows were predicted for the area and the route there would involve driving over mountain passes. Since winter tires and chains were required in that case, I changed plans and headed south on I-5 towards California where a Falcated Duck had been seen in December. The duck had not been reported for a few weeks after heavy rains hit the area, but I was hoping that would change, plus I had never been to Oregon. I headed the 10+ hours down I-5 through Washington into Oregon (the 48th state that I've visited) and on down into northern California, hitting heavy fog in the Mount Shasta area. I parked at a rest area just north of Williams at about 2:00 AM and slept for about 5 hours.
At daybreak on the 8th, I drove over to Colusa National Wildlife Refuge to the spot where the duck was most often seen. Unfortunately, the whole area was enshrouded in fog, limiting sight range to only about 75 yards. The duck was nowhere to be found among the Greater White-fronted Geese, Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintails, American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal, and American Coots. A few Black-necked Stilts were present. In the surrounding area, I found Killdeer, Northern 'Red-shafted' Flicker, a Black Phoebe, small flocks of Bushtits and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Marsh Wren, and a California Towhee. A drive around the 'Auto Tour Route' revealed Pied-billed Grebe, Great Egret, White-faced Ibis, Cinnamon Teal, Gadwall, Redhead, Bufflehead, Red-shouldered Hawk, Virginia Rail, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrow, and Western Meadowlark.

Red-shouldered Hawk at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, California.

With little hope of the fog lifting, I headed back up I-5 towards Portland, Oregon. I eventually left the fog in the Central Valley region and climbed up into the mountains framed by clear blue skies. The 'Castle Crags' rock formations were interesting.

'Castle Crags' rock formations near Castella, California.

A Common Raven was present at a Mount Shasta viewpoint.

Snow-capped Mount Shasta was an impressive sight.

Mount Shasta from I-5 near Castella, California.

Mount Shasta from I-5 near Dunsmuir, California.

Amazingly, about twenty miles farther north, I found myself back in fog once again.

Along I-5 near Yreka, California.

Eventually, the fog thinned out as I re-entered Oregon, drove most of the way through the state, and got a motel near Tigard, south of Portland.

Pacific Northwest Trip ~ January 9, 2013

I drove into Portland and spent most of the morning in light rain at the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area. A walk down the wooded section of the Interlakes Trail produced a few pockets of birds. These included good numbers of Ruby-crowned Kinglets with a few Golden-Crowneds mixed in, Black-capped Chickadees, Bushtits, a Bewick's Wren, a few Townsend's Warblers, Spotted Towhees, and Varied Thrushes, and at least a dozen 'Sooty' Fox Sparrows.

Varied Thrush at the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, Oregon.

'Sooty' Fox Sparrow at the Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area, Oregon.

The two lakes and smaller pools of water produced Pied-billed Grebe, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, Bald Eagle, American Coot, and Western and Glaucous-winged Gull.
From here, the plan was to pick up Devich Farbotnik at the Seattle Airport, continue north to Vancouver Island, spend the night in Courtenay, and look for the Citrine Wagtail the next morning. Dev's flight was supposed to arrive at around 2:00 PM, but he called and told me that his plane in Philadelphia was delayed because of mechanical problems, causing him to miss his connection in Phoenix. He eventually got put on a later flight that didn't get him into Seattle until 10:15 PM. As a result, I ended up spending several hours napping in the car near the airport until he arrived. Since the last ferry left Tsawwassen, British Columbia at 10:45 PM, we ended up sleeping a few hours at the ferry dock, waiting for the first crossing at 5:15 AM.

Pacific Northwest Trip ~ January 10, 2013

We took the 5:15 AM ferry to Nanaimo and then drove north to Courtenay, arriving at the Citrine Wagtail site at around 9:00 AM. Unfortunately, the area had stormy weather on the 8th and 9th followed by an unusually strong cold front. The pools in the field where the bird had been feeding since when it was found back in November were ice-covered and there was a strong wind out of the north. The one good thing was that it was sunny, something that doesn't occur very often there, so the pools eventually thawed. At times, the field contained dozens of Trumpeter Swans.

Looking nortwest from the Citrine Wagtail site in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Trumpeter Swan in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Devich spotted a bird among the Trumpeters that turned out to be an adult gray morph Gyrfalcon! One of several immature Bald Eagles soared by.

Bald Eagle at the Citrine Wagtail site near Courtenay, British Columbia.

A Peregrine Falcon and a few Northern Harriers also hunted the area. A few Golden-crowned Sparrows perched in the slash piles.

A young Golden-crowned Sparrow at the Citrine Wagtail site near Courtenay, British Columbia.

After a few hours of searching for the wagtail, we headed over to the nearby spot where it had been occasionally seen the week before. We parked at the 'Rotary Viewing Stand' and were surprised by the huge groups of waterfowl on the Courtenay River estuary that easily numbered in the thousands. Scanning one small area revealed five Eurasian Wigeons among the many Americans. Others noted there included Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, and Common Merganser. An adult Bald Eagle was perched in the tree by the parking lot.

Bald Eagle at the Courtenay River estuary on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

At lunch time, we made a quick run over to the McDonald's in Courtenay. A Glaucous-winged Gull stood on the light post.

Adult Glaucous-winged Gull in Courtenay, British Columbia.

We returned to the site and spent the rest of the day looking for the wagtail, but to no avail. A young Northern Shrike that only showed a hint of its mask moved from one slash pile to another.

Northern Shrike at the Citrine Wagtail site near Courtenay, British Columbia.

A Mew Gull flew by and a first winter Glaucous-winged Gull landed in the field as sunset approached.

A Mew Gull flying by the Citrine Wagtail site near Courtenay, British Columbia.

A first winter Glaucous-winged Gull at the Citrine Wagtail site near Courtenay, British Columbia.

We made one last ditch effort to check the other wagtail spot and struck out once again. A couple Spotted Towhees and several 'Sooty' Fox Sparrows were next to the parking lot.

Spotted Towhee along the Courtenay River estuary on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

'Sooty Fox Sparrow along the Courtenay River estuary on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

We checked into a Courtenay motel and planned our strategy for the next day.