Post by Gord on Feb 1, 2009 23:33:45 GMT -8
2008 in Review
I thought it would be fun, but much less work, to put together some of the highlights of the year. I soon found that a project such as this would be much easier if done at the end of each month as I will do for 2009. I might have missed some things so no offence if it was a cool sighting or photo of yours.
As we kept track of what we saw over the year, I was able to tabulate how many species we saw in the year. We totaled 236 species! I plan to have the data online tomorrow so we can start to compare 2009 with 2008.
Anyway, enjoy!
January 2008
Ed got the year off well with a Palm Warbler in his backyard on the 3rd. A first documented sighting for our checklist area of this rare species to our area.
Eurasian Collared-Doves hit the radar fast and furious with fifteen being counted in Sumas Prairie on the 17th. Before this sighting, a pair in East Chilliwack late in the previous year were the only reports of this seemingly rapidly expanding species to new locations in North America. By the end of the year, they would be regularly sighted in both Sumas Prairie and East Chilliwack.
A Harris’s Sparrow arrived at Island 22 also on the 17th and would be a frequent sight for over a month.
January, a fairly snowy month especially towards the end had a Prairie Falcon seen near the Chilliwack Airport on the 31st.
February 2008
February got off to a snowy start and on the 2nd Sardis Pond in Chilliwack had a beautiful Iceland Gull that brought many members of the local birding community and not a few from afar to view this rarity. As the snow melted the gulls returned to the fields and it was last seen on the 5th.
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i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee144/oldfulica/Iceland-with-Glaucous-winge.jpg[/img]
A very intriguing report of a Swainson’s Hawk seen in Matsqui Prairie was received on the 11th. A species generally restricted to the Interior but even then usually long gone south by winter. Unfortunately it was never sighted again.
Swans were in huge numbers during February in a potato field in Sumas Prairie. They could easily be seen from the highway. Upwards of 700 were counted in one field among thousands of ducks and a young Snow Goose who was enjoying blending in with his cousins.
Northern Saw-whet Owls were heard by several members this month calling.
A hybrid between a scaup (Greater Scaup?) and Ring-necked Duck was photographed in Chilliwack
Swallows arrived on the 25th this year with both Tree and Violet-green Swallows being spotted at Eagle Point in Harrison Mills.
The first Rufous Hummingbirds were also reported on the 25th.
March 2008
A nice Rusty Blackbird female was spotted at Thacker Marsh in Hope on the 7th.
The 19th had a Western Bluebird in Agassiz. While once common in the area, they have become very uncommon over the years.
Turkey Vultures were spotted for the first time this spring on the 28th.
April 2008
Weather was certainly of note for this month being cooler and wet. On the 18th, it snowed in the morning for a short time!
Not surprisingly, birders noted huge flocks of swallows heading in a southerly direction that day.
Murray Brown and his wife were fortunate to watch a Golden Eagle capture a duck in Agassiz on the 18th.
Members located what seems to be a beginning of a new colony of Great Blue Herons at McDonald Park in Abbotsford. Over the summer six nests had activity with young herons. It is hopeful they will return next year.
Common Yellowthroats were spotted on the 12th as a first of the year sighting.
A Red-throated Loon was discovered by Stan Olson on Mill Lake in Abbotsford. It stayed around for several days.
Mountain Bluebirds arrived in force with four pairs at Harrison Hotsprings.
Townsends Solitaires were very numerous with over 20 being counted in Hope alone one day. The cool and wet weather was blamed for the unusually high numbers who were assumedly stalled in their migration.
Three drake Mandarin Ducks in the Miami River at Harrison Hot Springs were a surprising find. Their origins were never known but likely had escaped from captivity.
One of the more exciting birds of April was a Costa’s Hummingbird that arrived at feeders in Abbotsford. Remaining until May 6th, the generous property owners allowed birders to come and view this rare southern States rarity.
April ended with a Harris’s Sparrow at a feeder in Greendale. What was most interesting about this sighting was that it was almost in breeding plumage and also much later than the usual wintertime sightings for this rare species.
May 2008
This month almost started the same as January with a Palm Warbler sighting; this time at Eagle Point in Harrison Mills. It was spotted on the 2nd and also the 3rd.
A Cassin’s Finch male spent a couple days at a feeder in Agassiz starting on the 1st.
Again in Agassiz on the 2nd was a beautiful White-throated Sparrow. Several were reported from throughout the checklist area over the last few days.
While during the winter months Glaucous Gulls were unusually frequently encountered, it only made sense to see one a little later in the season. The 8th provided a surprise of one in Salish Pond in downtown Chilliwack. One had spent most of the winter here but it had been a few months since the last sighting and this bird was a different individual as well.
A Lewis’s Woodpecker was a nice rare bird seen at Cheam Lake Wetlands on the 27th.
Nashville Warblers were sighted all over Chilliwack and Agassiz in April and May; possibly the result of being slowed down by unseasonably cool and wet weather that plagued a lot of spring and early summer this year.
The Tree Swallow that grabs feathers for his nestbox was back and as entertaining as ever.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxBWrYClz54
June 2008
Grey Catbirds were spotted at Cheam Lake Wetlands after several years absence. Several birders were able to find them as they sang near the parking lot.
Easily the highlight bird of the summer was the Lesser Goldfinch that came to the Olson’s backyard on the 10th and remained until middle August. Birders from all over B.C., and even further took advantage of the warm hospitality to view this amazing bird most common in areas such as California.
One cannot forget this pair at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve!!
August 2008
Grey Catbirds were confirmed to have bred at both Cheam Lake Wetlands and Maria Slough.
This guy from Deb was a great sight on a trip to Manning Park.
September 2008
Sparrows got off to a great start with a beautiful White-throated Sparrow being photographed at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve in Chilliwack on the 8th.
Lewis’s Woodpeckers were certainly the story for September. One yard in Chilliwack and three at once and another in Agassiz had two. A couple other scattered reports were also received.
Tennessee Warblers were reported on several different days at Island 22 in Chilliwack.
October 2008
Trumpeter Swans made an early arrival with three adults spending the day on the 1st at Cheam Lake Wetlands.
A Blue Jay visited a feeder in Hope daily for a good part of the month.
The Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve in Chilliwack had a beautiful Swamp Sparrow discovered on the 10th and seen again on the morning of the 11th in a mixed flock of sparrows that also included two White-throated Sparrows.
The 19th had a White-winged Scoter on Cheam Lake Wetlands. A very uncommon species for our inland area even though hundreds can be found in the Pacific off Vancouver.
Birders in the Agassiz area found this stunning white phase Gyrfalcon. It turns out to have been an escapee from a local falconer but it was still quite the sight all the same.
November 2008
November began with a White-breasted Nuthatch in Garrison Crossing in Chilliwack on the 7th. It was looked for the next day briefly but not relocated.
A Gyrfalcon, a rare but usual winter visitor for the last few years in east Chilliwack put on a heck of a show to announce his arrival to the area.
www.bcbirding.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=rarebirds&action=display&thread=1861
The 26th had a great sighting and photographs of a Northern Hawk Owl on Ledgeview in Abbotsford. Subsequent efforts to relocate the bird were not successful.
Late November had infrequent visits from a Black-headed Grosbeak to a feeder in Ryder Lake. While a common species during the summer, sightings of this bird in the winter are extremely rare as they are a migratory species that are fairly strict in their migration routines to warmer climates each winter.
December 2008
The Black-headed Grosbeak continued to infrequently visit a feeder in Ryder Lake. Despite its unpredictable habits, it was counted on the Chilliwack Christmas Bird Count on the 21st and not reported since.
A Turkey Vulture, another migratory species that prefers a warmer winter was spotted in east Chilliwack on the 18th.
The Chilliwack Christmas Bird Count was held on the 21st. The weather was icy and windy with a few inches of snow on the ground. Despite the poor weather, birders braved the elements and tallied 84 species. Snow Goose, Redhead, Northern Goshawk, Dunlin, Eurasian Collared-Dove (five birds from four locations) two Barn Owls, Bohemian Waxwing, Harris's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow and the Black-headed Grosbeak were highlight species.
The Abbotsford/Mission Count was postponed due to the weather for January 3, 2009 and will be included in next year’s review!
Whew, that's all for now! Thanks for reading and for all your contributions!
I thought it would be fun, but much less work, to put together some of the highlights of the year. I soon found that a project such as this would be much easier if done at the end of each month as I will do for 2009. I might have missed some things so no offence if it was a cool sighting or photo of yours.
As we kept track of what we saw over the year, I was able to tabulate how many species we saw in the year. We totaled 236 species! I plan to have the data online tomorrow so we can start to compare 2009 with 2008.
Anyway, enjoy!
January 2008
Ed got the year off well with a Palm Warbler in his backyard on the 3rd. A first documented sighting for our checklist area of this rare species to our area.
Eurasian Collared-Doves hit the radar fast and furious with fifteen being counted in Sumas Prairie on the 17th. Before this sighting, a pair in East Chilliwack late in the previous year were the only reports of this seemingly rapidly expanding species to new locations in North America. By the end of the year, they would be regularly sighted in both Sumas Prairie and East Chilliwack.
A Harris’s Sparrow arrived at Island 22 also on the 17th and would be a frequent sight for over a month.
January, a fairly snowy month especially towards the end had a Prairie Falcon seen near the Chilliwack Airport on the 31st.
February 2008
February got off to a snowy start and on the 2nd Sardis Pond in Chilliwack had a beautiful Iceland Gull that brought many members of the local birding community and not a few from afar to view this rarity. As the snow melted the gulls returned to the fields and it was last seen on the 5th.
A very intriguing report of a Swainson’s Hawk seen in Matsqui Prairie was received on the 11th. A species generally restricted to the Interior but even then usually long gone south by winter. Unfortunately it was never sighted again.
Swans were in huge numbers during February in a potato field in Sumas Prairie. They could easily be seen from the highway. Upwards of 700 were counted in one field among thousands of ducks and a young Snow Goose who was enjoying blending in with his cousins.
Northern Saw-whet Owls were heard by several members this month calling.
A hybrid between a scaup (Greater Scaup?) and Ring-necked Duck was photographed in Chilliwack
Swallows arrived on the 25th this year with both Tree and Violet-green Swallows being spotted at Eagle Point in Harrison Mills.
The first Rufous Hummingbirds were also reported on the 25th.
March 2008
A nice Rusty Blackbird female was spotted at Thacker Marsh in Hope on the 7th.
The 19th had a Western Bluebird in Agassiz. While once common in the area, they have become very uncommon over the years.
Turkey Vultures were spotted for the first time this spring on the 28th.
April 2008
Weather was certainly of note for this month being cooler and wet. On the 18th, it snowed in the morning for a short time!
Not surprisingly, birders noted huge flocks of swallows heading in a southerly direction that day.
Murray Brown and his wife were fortunate to watch a Golden Eagle capture a duck in Agassiz on the 18th.
Members located what seems to be a beginning of a new colony of Great Blue Herons at McDonald Park in Abbotsford. Over the summer six nests had activity with young herons. It is hopeful they will return next year.
Common Yellowthroats were spotted on the 12th as a first of the year sighting.
A Red-throated Loon was discovered by Stan Olson on Mill Lake in Abbotsford. It stayed around for several days.
Mountain Bluebirds arrived in force with four pairs at Harrison Hotsprings.
Townsends Solitaires were very numerous with over 20 being counted in Hope alone one day. The cool and wet weather was blamed for the unusually high numbers who were assumedly stalled in their migration.
Three drake Mandarin Ducks in the Miami River at Harrison Hot Springs were a surprising find. Their origins were never known but likely had escaped from captivity.
One of the more exciting birds of April was a Costa’s Hummingbird that arrived at feeders in Abbotsford. Remaining until May 6th, the generous property owners allowed birders to come and view this rare southern States rarity.
April ended with a Harris’s Sparrow at a feeder in Greendale. What was most interesting about this sighting was that it was almost in breeding plumage and also much later than the usual wintertime sightings for this rare species.
May 2008
This month almost started the same as January with a Palm Warbler sighting; this time at Eagle Point in Harrison Mills. It was spotted on the 2nd and also the 3rd.
A Cassin’s Finch male spent a couple days at a feeder in Agassiz starting on the 1st.
Again in Agassiz on the 2nd was a beautiful White-throated Sparrow. Several were reported from throughout the checklist area over the last few days.
While during the winter months Glaucous Gulls were unusually frequently encountered, it only made sense to see one a little later in the season. The 8th provided a surprise of one in Salish Pond in downtown Chilliwack. One had spent most of the winter here but it had been a few months since the last sighting and this bird was a different individual as well.
A Lewis’s Woodpecker was a nice rare bird seen at Cheam Lake Wetlands on the 27th.
Nashville Warblers were sighted all over Chilliwack and Agassiz in April and May; possibly the result of being slowed down by unseasonably cool and wet weather that plagued a lot of spring and early summer this year.
The Tree Swallow that grabs feathers for his nestbox was back and as entertaining as ever.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxBWrYClz54
June 2008
Grey Catbirds were spotted at Cheam Lake Wetlands after several years absence. Several birders were able to find them as they sang near the parking lot.
Easily the highlight bird of the summer was the Lesser Goldfinch that came to the Olson’s backyard on the 10th and remained until middle August. Birders from all over B.C., and even further took advantage of the warm hospitality to view this amazing bird most common in areas such as California.
One cannot forget this pair at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve!!
August 2008
Grey Catbirds were confirmed to have bred at both Cheam Lake Wetlands and Maria Slough.
This guy from Deb was a great sight on a trip to Manning Park.
September 2008
Sparrows got off to a great start with a beautiful White-throated Sparrow being photographed at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve in Chilliwack on the 8th.
Lewis’s Woodpeckers were certainly the story for September. One yard in Chilliwack and three at once and another in Agassiz had two. A couple other scattered reports were also received.
Tennessee Warblers were reported on several different days at Island 22 in Chilliwack.
October 2008
Trumpeter Swans made an early arrival with three adults spending the day on the 1st at Cheam Lake Wetlands.
A Blue Jay visited a feeder in Hope daily for a good part of the month.
The Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve in Chilliwack had a beautiful Swamp Sparrow discovered on the 10th and seen again on the morning of the 11th in a mixed flock of sparrows that also included two White-throated Sparrows.
The 19th had a White-winged Scoter on Cheam Lake Wetlands. A very uncommon species for our inland area even though hundreds can be found in the Pacific off Vancouver.
Birders in the Agassiz area found this stunning white phase Gyrfalcon. It turns out to have been an escapee from a local falconer but it was still quite the sight all the same.
November 2008
November began with a White-breasted Nuthatch in Garrison Crossing in Chilliwack on the 7th. It was looked for the next day briefly but not relocated.
A Gyrfalcon, a rare but usual winter visitor for the last few years in east Chilliwack put on a heck of a show to announce his arrival to the area.
www.bcbirding.proboards3.com/index.cgi?board=rarebirds&action=display&thread=1861
The 26th had a great sighting and photographs of a Northern Hawk Owl on Ledgeview in Abbotsford. Subsequent efforts to relocate the bird were not successful.
Late November had infrequent visits from a Black-headed Grosbeak to a feeder in Ryder Lake. While a common species during the summer, sightings of this bird in the winter are extremely rare as they are a migratory species that are fairly strict in their migration routines to warmer climates each winter.
December 2008
The Black-headed Grosbeak continued to infrequently visit a feeder in Ryder Lake. Despite its unpredictable habits, it was counted on the Chilliwack Christmas Bird Count on the 21st and not reported since.
A Turkey Vulture, another migratory species that prefers a warmer winter was spotted in east Chilliwack on the 18th.
The Chilliwack Christmas Bird Count was held on the 21st. The weather was icy and windy with a few inches of snow on the ground. Despite the poor weather, birders braved the elements and tallied 84 species. Snow Goose, Redhead, Northern Goshawk, Dunlin, Eurasian Collared-Dove (five birds from four locations) two Barn Owls, Bohemian Waxwing, Harris's Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow and the Black-headed Grosbeak were highlight species.
The Abbotsford/Mission Count was postponed due to the weather for January 3, 2009 and will be included in next year’s review!
Whew, that's all for now! Thanks for reading and for all your contributions!
