YELLOW-GREEN VIREO!

Word has now spilled across the internet that a very intriguing-looking vireo was sighted in Vancouver on the 18th of September, 2013. Well here's what I have collected so far. Please check out the photos and comment if you have any strong feelings to suggest that this is not a YG Vireo.

If accepted, this would be a first record for British Columbia and  the second record for Canada (the first being a specimen collected in Quebec back in 1899!). While at face-value this might seem like an outlandish vagrant, the species is close to annual in September in California now a days and this year saw 12 confirmed sightings including a couple in the San Francisco area. 

• Thank you to Andy Birch for helping to get the word out on this!

This from the photographer:

"There aren't really too much in the way of field observations. All i can say is, i saw the bird moving around in a tree, not sure if you can ID the tree from the photos? The bird seemed to stay in under the foliage, not coming out to the front of the tree at all. Which was why the photos are not my best! It stayed in the same tree for maybe 10 minutes, before disappearing into some thick bushes. I spent half of that time photographing the bird, the other half trying to get the attention of my birder friend. Sadly, he believed it to be a Red-eyed Vireo, as you can imagine, as Yellow-green has not been found this far North before. So, we didn't pursue it too much, bad move as it turns out, but sure you understand why?"

----Gary Thoburn (All photos are his).

*Remember that you can enlarge the photos by clicking on them*

Nov 12/13--One more BROWN BOOBY for BC

Robbie Heggelund, a commercial fisherman, snapped this photo of an adult BROWN BOOBY that landed on his boat yesterday (Nov 12) off the coast of BC near Ucluelet. Likely disoriented and starving. The bird was quite tame and readily ate sardines out of the crews hands. The bird flew before the vessel returned to port in Sooke. Keep an eye-out in the Juan de Fuca and beyond.                                                  The booby invasion ain't over yet!

Nov 1-2--Ash-throated Flycatcher in Prince George!

Well it's been a good week for Myiarchus flycatchers! On Nov 2, Nancy Krueger found this Ash-throated Flycatcher along the Nechako River Trail near Brinks Forest Products in Prince George. Today (Nov 3), it was relocated by several birders closer to Cottonwood Island Park (but still along the Nechako River Trail). *This, I believe is the 2nd most northerly record in BC, the other was caught at the banding station in Mackenzie a few years back.

In comparison to the Great Crested Flycatcher below, note the pale-grayish wash to the breast (weak lemony colour to belly as opposed to rich yellow), and the dark tip to the orangy tail-feathers. The bill is also smaller and lacks the obvious pale base to the lower mandible. (Photo: Nancy Krueger)

*Great Crested Flycatcher October 29

Gord Gadsden found this Great Crested Flycatcher at Island 22 regional park in Chilliwack in the late afternoon. This is potentially the 3rd record for BC. The bird was last seen on Nov 1st. Gord Gadsden first misidentified this bird as an Ash-throated Flycatcher and the correct ID was made by Russ Cannings.

Great Crested Flycatcher in Chilliwack - Photo: Gord Gadsden/Macaulay Library 

Oct 26--LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL in Penticton

For the last decade or so this has become an annual visitor to the Okanagan. Multiple individuals have been involved but it's still unclear just how many actually occur. In some cases, individuals have been suspected of commuting from Penticton to Vernon in the same day, then Kelowna the next!

Regardless, it's still a great bird for BC and one that many have yet to see. Dick Cannings found this adult bird (Oct 26)on the walking pier in front of the Penticton Lakeside Resort (Okanagan Lake).

As usual, local nature photographer Laure Neish was able to get a great shot!

*Oct 27 UPDATE: Reported from SW corner of Okanagan Lake near the S.S. Sicamous where the lake flows into the Okanagan River in NW Penticton--corner of Riverside Drive & Lakeshore Drive (Darcie Arcand)

Oct 24/25--CHESNUT-COLLARED LONGSPUR

Aziza Cooper found and photographed this Chestnut-collared Longspur at Cattle Point, Victoria.

Primary projection and call support ID. More photos HERE. Please leave a comment if you have any input on ID/age/sex of bird. 

*Not seen on Oct 26

Red-throated Pipit photographed near Sandspit, BC

Meant to post this earlier sorry folks! On October 12th, Andrew Keaveney was finally successful in snapping a photo of a RED-THROATED PIPIT near Sandspit, Haida Gwaii. It's been a good fall for them with 2 recorded on Vancouver Island and at least 4 on Haida Gwaii though I'll have to check with the Haida Gwaii birders to confirm.

Oct 17--BROWN THRASHER near Tofino

From Adrian Dorst: "This afternoon I found a Brown Thrasher at Long Beach (Pacific Rim National Park). It was at the Lovekin Rock parking lot on the lawn between the beach and the pavement."

Photo: Adrian Dorst

Oct 16--YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO at Vaseux Lake

Chris Siddle found a YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO at the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory--located on the west side of Hwy 97, 1 km north of the lake itself. Look for a wide shoulder near a gate in a barbed-wire fence, roughly opposite a hwy speed sign.

It was most recently seen (Dick Cannings & Doug Brown) at the old banding trailer that's at the bottom of the short track that leads down from the highway. It flew northeast across the oxbow that parallels the highway and is presently 'missing' but obviously still in that area somewhere (riparian thickets along the highway).

Stay tuned for updates.

Oct 12--YELLOW WAGTAIL in Royston, Vancouver Island

On the morning of October 12th, Adrian Boyle, a visiting birder from Australia, and a friend observed a YELLOW WAGTAIL as it flew past them calling at the Royston estuary (location posted below). Having seen them on the breeding grounds in Alaska and not being from here, Adrian assumed this was not an unusual sighting. Upon consulting some range-maps a little later he realized his mistake. In the afternoon of the same day he returned to the area and re-found the bird foraging along the tide-line. It flew and he managed some record shots that were unfortunately quite back-lit (see below). 

As a resident of Broome, Western Australia, Adrian sees around 100 Yellow Wagtails a year and he's travelled extensively in Asia (as a bird guide) so knows all the wagtails by call and sight. He sounds confident on the ID and I believe the photos help his case. "Eastern Yellow Wagtail" is of course the most likely type to occur in BC so I'll try and get more info on him to see if we can shore that up. For those trying for it, please let me know via email (russellcannings@shaw.ca) or cell: 778-886-3200 if you have any updates.

Location of the wagtail in Royston (Just north of Qualicum)

Shape consistent with wagtail/pipit but facial pattern much more wagtail-like.

Appears to be missing inner rectrices (tail feathers)

*October 13th + 14th--Two solid efforts to re-find the wagtail have been unsuccessful. Stay tuned for any further updates.