Post by paulos on Jan 12, 2024 19:07:50 GMT -8
I’ve had a busy year, so my apologies for neglecting to update you all on the Cariboo bird species (obviously, that should be a very high priority). With a few weeks away during key owl season in February and March, the imposing summer smoke, ongoing house repairs, and a summer bout of Covid, this wasn’t the birdiest of years for me. But I had some great highlights.
A photogenic Red Crossbill
One of many Cassin's Finches
April brings some of the more ocean-going waterfowl 1species inland, so I always make a trip or two to Green Lake, which is a spring hotspot as soon as the water thaws. This year I counted 254 Long-tailed Duck! A Cariboo record, technically speaking, though there were more recorded once from the Thompson side of the same lake.
An unusual Red-tailed Hawk. A hawk expert contacted me, thinking it was maybe a hybrid with Rough-legged, but could not confirm.
In summer I made a couple of trips to the Hendrix Lake area, one with the visiting brothers Pap and another with a group from the BC Field Ornithologists. It’s the closest eastern warbler area, and it is often full of surprises. This year there was a Red-breasted Sapsucker (they have a weird breeding range to the north of us, and in the right habitats), a Broad-winged Hawk (during breeding season!), Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and many Magnolia Warblers and Alder Flycatchers. Sadly, no Blackpoll or Tennessee in that area this year, though I did manage to see two Tennessee warblers elsewhere.
The gang's getting back together.
A Myrtle warbler. I see a good number every year, plus some intergrades.
I also had my first (and second) Veery in my local patch on my Breeding Bird Survey route. In July, I counted more than 100 Bobolinks at Mission Road in 150 Mile House, apparently gathering as they prepared to migrate. It looks like the highest count in BC on eBird. They were all gone a week later.
I spend some time in my nearby hotspots, especially Walker Valley. There I has my first California Gulls and Stilt Sandpipers on the same day in July. In September I found a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher, my first for an inland location.
In August I spent a lot of time doing some home repairs. One day I was making some wood cuts while my uncle was giving me a hand framing for a new room, when I heard a familiar but unusual sound. I said to my uncle, “I’ll be back in 5 minutes.” I ran and grabbed my binoculars and camera and followed a White-breasted Nuthatch around the neighbourhood (no photo, though). This was a personal Cariboo first. It pays to be responsible, kids.
A Long-billed Dowitcher at Sepa Lake
Other fall highlights include a juvenile Northern American Goshawk and Gray-crowned Rosy Finches at Big Timothy Mountain, a Common Tern in September at 108 Mile Lake, and a November Pacific Loon at the same lake.
A hungry Townsend's Solitaire at the old ski hill in town.
A warm December yielded a great Christmas Bird Count (47 species, which is our highest for count day). I had many highlights, including my first 100 Mile area Black-billed Magpie, a late Mourning Dove (unusual even in summer), a large flock of Sharp-tailed Grouse, a late Brewer’s Blackbird, and some overwintering sparrows (White-throated and White-crowned among them). Other observers saw some waterfowl species, which is never guaranteed.
A pygmy owl in December
Black-Backed Woodpecker on the Christmas Bird Count
In late December, I took a long walk around Walker Valley north, with a sighting that should probably win me some kind of birding award: a Three-toed Woodpecker and a Black-backed Woodpecker pecking away at opposite sides of the same tree.
On another long walk on Christmas Day, I stopped for a bird sound that turned out to be a squeaking fence. But there were three nearby redpolls, and one was unusual. With some input it is unclear if it is a Hoary Redpoll or a hybrid within the very hybridizing redpoll complex (there were 5 undertail covert streaks, which is outside the usual range for Hoary). I also saw my first local-patch-area Goshawk chasing a very late Mallard (I think she escaped).
The possible Hoary Redpoll
I missed some species I usually manage to see this year (some owls, raptors and warblers). But let’s talk lists:
My year’s Cariboo total is 209 (210 if that Redpoll is a Hoary). My average has been about 220. I added two new Cariboo birds and one to my life list. I also raised my local patch total to 211, and the Walker Valley hotspot list to 188 (with a new Black-backed Woodpecker, Cassin’s Finch, and the shorebirds and gulls mentioned above).
I also keep a non-motorized transport bird list. This year I took a bike ride around the old 2017 burn area nearby, which had a rare House Wren, nearly every local sparrow species, and my first non-motorized Sharp-tailed Grouse (I added a few others to that list too). I’m up to 193 this year from 186.
Overwintering Short-eared Owls stayed in the area nearby until March. I saw at least three. I had two sightings of Snow Buntings, one flock in 150 Mile House and a couple local. Lots of Cassin’s Finches came through in March (they don’t breed locally).
One of many Cassin's Finches
April brings some of the more ocean-going waterfowl 1species inland, so I always make a trip or two to Green Lake, which is a spring hotspot as soon as the water thaws. This year I counted 254 Long-tailed Duck! A Cariboo record, technically speaking, though there were more recorded once from the Thompson side of the same lake.
An unusual Red-tailed Hawk. A hawk expert contacted me, thinking it was maybe a hybrid with Rough-legged, but could not confirm.
In summer I made a couple of trips to the Hendrix Lake area, one with the visiting brothers Pap and another with a group from the BC Field Ornithologists. It’s the closest eastern warbler area, and it is often full of surprises. This year there was a Red-breasted Sapsucker (they have a weird breeding range to the north of us, and in the right habitats), a Broad-winged Hawk (during breeding season!), Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and many Magnolia Warblers and Alder Flycatchers. Sadly, no Blackpoll or Tennessee in that area this year, though I did manage to see two Tennessee warblers elsewhere.
With the Pap brothers, I saw lots of Long-billed Curlews at Mission Road in 150 Mile House.
The gang's getting back together.
A Myrtle warbler. I see a good number every year, plus some intergrades.
I also had my first (and second) Veery in my local patch on my Breeding Bird Survey route. In July, I counted more than 100 Bobolinks at Mission Road in 150 Mile House, apparently gathering as they prepared to migrate. It looks like the highest count in BC on eBird. They were all gone a week later.
I spend some time in my nearby hotspots, especially Walker Valley. There I has my first California Gulls and Stilt Sandpipers on the same day in July. In September I found a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher, my first for an inland location.
In August I spent a lot of time doing some home repairs. One day I was making some wood cuts while my uncle was giving me a hand framing for a new room, when I heard a familiar but unusual sound. I said to my uncle, “I’ll be back in 5 minutes.” I ran and grabbed my binoculars and camera and followed a White-breasted Nuthatch around the neighbourhood (no photo, though). This was a personal Cariboo first. It pays to be responsible, kids.
A Long-billed Dowitcher at Sepa Lake
Other fall highlights include a juvenile Northern American Goshawk and Gray-crowned Rosy Finches at Big Timothy Mountain, a Common Tern in September at 108 Mile Lake, and a November Pacific Loon at the same lake.
A hungry Townsend's Solitaire at the old ski hill in town.
A warm December yielded a great Christmas Bird Count (47 species, which is our highest for count day). I had many highlights, including my first 100 Mile area Black-billed Magpie, a late Mourning Dove (unusual even in summer), a large flock of Sharp-tailed Grouse, a late Brewer’s Blackbird, and some overwintering sparrows (White-throated and White-crowned among them). Other observers saw some waterfowl species, which is never guaranteed.
A pygmy owl in December
Black-Backed Woodpecker on the Christmas Bird Count
In late December, I took a long walk around Walker Valley north, with a sighting that should probably win me some kind of birding award: a Three-toed Woodpecker and a Black-backed Woodpecker pecking away at opposite sides of the same tree.
On another long walk on Christmas Day, I stopped for a bird sound that turned out to be a squeaking fence. But there were three nearby redpolls, and one was unusual. With some input it is unclear if it is a Hoary Redpoll or a hybrid within the very hybridizing redpoll complex (there were 5 undertail covert streaks, which is outside the usual range for Hoary). I also saw my first local-patch-area Goshawk chasing a very late Mallard (I think she escaped).
The possible Hoary Redpoll
I missed some species I usually manage to see this year (some owls, raptors and warblers). But let’s talk lists:
My year’s Cariboo total is 209 (210 if that Redpoll is a Hoary). My average has been about 220. I added two new Cariboo birds and one to my life list. I also raised my local patch total to 211, and the Walker Valley hotspot list to 188 (with a new Black-backed Woodpecker, Cassin’s Finch, and the shorebirds and gulls mentioned above).
I also keep a non-motorized transport bird list. This year I took a bike ride around the old 2017 burn area nearby, which had a rare House Wren, nearly every local sparrow species, and my first non-motorized Sharp-tailed Grouse (I added a few others to that list too). I’m up to 193 this year from 186.
My year Cariboo birds:
Snow Goose
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ruffed Grouse
Dusky Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Spruce Grouse
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk
Common Poorwill
Black Swift
White-throated Swift
Calliope Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
American Avocet
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Long-billed Curlew
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Stilt Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
California Gull
Black Tern
Common Tern
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
American Goshawk
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Flammulated Owl
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Barred Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-naped Sapsucker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher
Say's Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Northern Shrike
Canada Jay
Steller's Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Boreal Chickadee
Horned Lark
Bank Swallow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Pacific Wren
Marsh Wren
American Dipper
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
Varied Thrush
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
American Pipit
Evening Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeak
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
House Finch
Purple Finch
Cassin's Finch
Common Redpoll
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Bobolink
Western Meadowlark
Bullock's Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Northern Waterthrush
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
Lazuli Bunting
Cackling Goose
Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Tundra Swan
Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Eurasian Wigeon
American Wigeon
Mallard
Northern Pintail
Green-winged Teal
Canvasback
Redhead
Ring-necked Duck
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Ruffed Grouse
Dusky Grouse
Sharp-tailed Grouse
Spruce Grouse
Pied-billed Grebe
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Mourning Dove
Common Nighthawk
Common Poorwill
Black Swift
White-throated Swift
Calliope Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Virginia Rail
Sora
American Coot
Sandhill Crane
American Avocet
Killdeer
Semipalmated Plover
Long-billed Curlew
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Wilson's Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Stilt Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Bonaparte's Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
California Gull
Black Tern
Common Tern
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Golden Eagle
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
American Goshawk
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Flammulated Owl
Great Horned Owl
Northern Pygmy-Owl
Barred Owl
Short-eared Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Belted Kingfisher
Red-naped Sapsucker
Red-breasted Sapsucker
American Three-toed Woodpecker
Black-backed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Western Wood-Pewee
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Dusky Flycatcher
Western Flycatcher
Say's Phoebe
Western Kingbird
Eastern Kingbird
Cassin's Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Northern Shrike
Canada Jay
Steller's Jay
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Boreal Chickadee
Horned Lark
Bank Swallow
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swallow
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
White-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
House Wren
Pacific Wren
Marsh Wren
American Dipper
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Mountain Bluebird
Townsend's Solitaire
Varied Thrush
Veery
Swainson's Thrush
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
House Sparrow
American Pipit
Evening Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeak
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
House Finch
Purple Finch
Cassin's Finch
Common Redpoll
Red Crossbill
White-winged Crossbill
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
Lapland Longspur
Snow Bunting
Chipping Sparrow
Clay-colored Sparrow
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Bobolink
Western Meadowlark
Bullock's Oriole
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Northern Waterthrush
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
MacGillivray's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Magnolia Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Western Tanager
Lazuli Bunting
I also added a lot to my Thompson-Nicola list, bringing it to 206. Highlights include Long-tailed Ducks (on that other side of Green Lake), a Sage Thrasher and several Williamson’s Sapsuckers.
