British Columbia (western Canada), September 2006
Species List (continued...)
The following abbreviations are used throughout:
VI = Vancouver Island
Van = Vancouver area (i.e. coastal region between Vancouver and Boundary Bay)
Int = Interior, i.e. anywhere inland of Vancouver
Click on the photos to see a larger (and sometimes less heavily cropped) version.
WADERS (SHOREBIRDS)
Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani
VI – 2 Clover Point 9th, 1 from the ferry between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen 13th. All 3 were only seen in flight.
Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
VI – 6 Oyster Bay Shoreline Park 12th.
Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
Van – Total of 94 including 64 Westham Island 8th.
VI – 1-2 seen (or heard) at 5 sites.
Grey Plover (Black-bellied Plover) Pluvialis squatarola
Van – 4 Boundary Bay 8th.
VI – 80+ Oyster Bay Shoreline Park 12th, 68 Amber Way Biofiltration Wetland 12th.
Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
Van – 4 Iona Beach 7th.
VI – 5 Island View Beach 10th and 13th, 43 Oyster Bay Shoreline Park 12th.
| Western Sandpiper, Island View Beach, 10th September 2006 | Western Sandpiper, Island View Beach, 13th September 2006 |
Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
Van – 40 Iona Beach 7th.
VI – 1 Island View Beach 10th, 2 McIntyre Reservoir 10th, 4 Oyster Bay Shoreline Park 12th, 11 Island View Beach 13th.
| Least Sandpiper, Island View Beach, 10th September 2006
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Least Sandpiper, Island View Beach, 13th September 2006
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| Least Sandpiper, Island View Beach, 13th September 2006 | |
Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
VI – 1-2 Island View Beach 10th. 1 seen on the way up with 1 Least and 2 Western Sandpipers, 1 seen on the way down with 3 Western Sandpipers - perhaps the same bird but 2 were apparently present so quite possibly different. A scarce bird on Vancouver Island which had attracted some interest from local birders.
| Baird's Sandpiper, Island View Beach, 10th September 2006 | |
Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
Van – An impressive flock of 24 Boundary Bay 20th in soaking rain. I didn't think identifying a vagrant Sharp-tailed Sandpiper would be too problematic but I did wonder for a while when I noticed two or three birds showing much more extensive warm colour and streaking along the fore-flanks, as well as particularly bright rufous crowns, compared to all the other Pec Sands I've seen. Unfortunately though, these were no Sharpies, just Pecs at the brighter end of their spectrum which I hadn't previously encountered.
VI – 1 McIntyre Reservoir 13th.
Int – 4 Kicking Horse Drive, Golden 16th. One of these four was confusingly tiny – I almost put it down as a Least Sandpiper it was so much smaller than the others. However it showed all the normal plumage, structural and behavioural features of a juvenile Pec. Very odd.
| Pectoral Sandpiper(s), Golden, 16th September 2006 | |
Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
Int – 1 juvenile Kicking Horse Drive, Golden 16th. This is apparently a scarce migrant in most of British Columbia. It was associating with Long-billed Dowitchers and appeared to have a slightly injured leg.
| Stilt Sandpiper, Golden, 16th September 2006 | |
Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis
Van – Another scarce bird locally: 1 Boundary Bay 20th.
| Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Boundary Bay, 20th September 2006 | |
Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
Van – 1 Reifel 8th.
Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
Van – 4 Reifel 8th, 70 Boundary Bay 20th.
VI – 3 McIntyre Reservoir 10th, 1 Oyster Bay Shoreline Park 12th, 13 Campbell River 12th.
Int – 45 Kicking Horse Drive, Golden 16th. Also 33+ Dowitcher sp. Wilmer Bird Sanctuary 17th were probably this species. The vast majority were juveniles (e.g. just one adult in the flock of 45 at Golden).
| Long-billed Dowitchers, Golden, 16th September 2006 | |
Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
Van – 2 Reifel 8th, 2 Boundary Bay 8th, 4 Boundary Bay 9th.
VI – 1 Cordova Spit 13th, 1 McIntyre Reservoir 13th.
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| Greater Yellowlegs, Boundary Bay, 9th September 2006 | Greater Yellowlegs, McIntyre Reservoir, 13th September 2006 |
Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia
VI – 1 McIntyre Reservoir 10th, 2 Island View Beach 13th.
| Spotted Sandpiper, Island View Beach, 13th September 2006 | |
Black Turnstone Arenaria melanocephala
VI – 20 Oyster Bay Shoreline Park 12th, 45 Campbell River 12th, 1 Amber Bay Biofiltration Wetland 12th.
Surfbird Aphriza virgata
VI – 1 Amber Bay Biofiltration Wetland 12th.
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| Surfbird with Grey (Black-bellied) Plovers, Amber Way Biofiltration Wetland, 12th September 2006 |
Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
VI – c50 Oyster Bay Shoreline Park 12th.
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