Post by Dave on Sept 2, 2012 20:43:46 GMT -8
Greetings Birders,
On Friday afternoon I headed down to Boundary Bay in search of the reported Ruff. Actually a Reeve, the name of a female Ruff. I enjoy Boundary Bay at anytime and rarely make it down there since it is an hour and a half drive away. Currently, it is the best time for rarities and they were certainly being seen. In the past days Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Ruff, Stilt Sandpiper, and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper have all been reported from the Boundary Bay area. My focus was on the Ruff, having seen the other 3 before, but I would have liked any of the 4 to make the trip a success
I started at 72nd with quick scans for the report Buff-breasted Sandpiper, but it was not showing. I do not think it has been reported since, so may be gone.
I then parked at 104th street and walked west to the area of pilings. THere were plenty of yellowlegs, including this Lesser Yellowlegs.
I met a Vancouver birder, Tak Shibata, who is also a great photographer and a very helpful local. He was also looking for the Reeve and we exchanged cell numbers before heading in different directions. He went to go check out the area west of 96th street and I headed out to the tide line with a few goals in mind. I wanted to experience the 1000s of sandpipers out there and just really enjoy the feeling of the huge flocks flying around you. I also wanted to stay fairly close to the area of pilings in case the Reeve flew in.
A couple minute walk brought me to the tide line where there were around 1000 ducks that I never looked through. Most seemed to be Northern Pintail. There were at least 5000 Western Sandpipers and in total around 15000 peeps in several large groups. The tide was moving in, so I waited and the peeps came to me. Here are a few shots.
Incoming flock of Western Sandpipers!
One of a number of Least Sandpipers mixed in.
2 Sanderlings were around. (Probably more, but the number of birds are a bit overwhelming....)
Just when the flocks would settle down and I could start searching through them, in would come this hunter and stir up the entire group!
Peregrine Falcon preparing for an attack....
Closer to the dyke were a number of Semipalmated Plovers
I then got a call from Tak Shibata who said he had just met a group of birders who had seen the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Ruff a few minutes earlier but a Peregrine Falcon had came in and scattered the flock of birds. That was the key to head back to the pilings area and see if the Ruff (Reeve) had taken refuge there.
Success! Lifebird was waiting there with 50+ Yellowlegs.
Soon a number of birders came down the dyke to join including Jason and Denis, 2 Chilliwack birders. We watched the Reeve for a good hour or more, also enjoying 2 Stilt Sandpipers that were mixed in the newly arrived flock.
Can you spot the Stilt Sandpiper??
Here is a closer picture.
Stilt Sandpiper.
The tide was rapidly rising and we knew it was only a matter of time before it would be too deep for the sandpipers. More and more shorebirds flew in to the area and eventually the flock decided it was getting too deep to hang around. I was waiting for the moment and here is a flight shot of the Ruff in the lead, followed by a Lesser Yellowlegs and then a Short-billed Dowitcher. Unfortunately the lighting was slightly backlit, but I was pleased with the photo of this rare bird nonetheless.
Here is the Reeve taking off...
All for now,
On Friday afternoon I headed down to Boundary Bay in search of the reported Ruff. Actually a Reeve, the name of a female Ruff. I enjoy Boundary Bay at anytime and rarely make it down there since it is an hour and a half drive away. Currently, it is the best time for rarities and they were certainly being seen. In the past days Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Ruff, Stilt Sandpiper, and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper have all been reported from the Boundary Bay area. My focus was on the Ruff, having seen the other 3 before, but I would have liked any of the 4 to make the trip a success
I started at 72nd with quick scans for the report Buff-breasted Sandpiper, but it was not showing. I do not think it has been reported since, so may be gone.
I then parked at 104th street and walked west to the area of pilings. THere were plenty of yellowlegs, including this Lesser Yellowlegs.
I met a Vancouver birder, Tak Shibata, who is also a great photographer and a very helpful local. He was also looking for the Reeve and we exchanged cell numbers before heading in different directions. He went to go check out the area west of 96th street and I headed out to the tide line with a few goals in mind. I wanted to experience the 1000s of sandpipers out there and just really enjoy the feeling of the huge flocks flying around you. I also wanted to stay fairly close to the area of pilings in case the Reeve flew in.
A couple minute walk brought me to the tide line where there were around 1000 ducks that I never looked through. Most seemed to be Northern Pintail. There were at least 5000 Western Sandpipers and in total around 15000 peeps in several large groups. The tide was moving in, so I waited and the peeps came to me. Here are a few shots.
Incoming flock of Western Sandpipers!
One of a number of Least Sandpipers mixed in.
2 Sanderlings were around. (Probably more, but the number of birds are a bit overwhelming....)
Just when the flocks would settle down and I could start searching through them, in would come this hunter and stir up the entire group!
Peregrine Falcon preparing for an attack....
Closer to the dyke were a number of Semipalmated Plovers
I then got a call from Tak Shibata who said he had just met a group of birders who had seen the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and Ruff a few minutes earlier but a Peregrine Falcon had came in and scattered the flock of birds. That was the key to head back to the pilings area and see if the Ruff (Reeve) had taken refuge there.
Success! Lifebird was waiting there with 50+ Yellowlegs.
Soon a number of birders came down the dyke to join including Jason and Denis, 2 Chilliwack birders. We watched the Reeve for a good hour or more, also enjoying 2 Stilt Sandpipers that were mixed in the newly arrived flock.
Can you spot the Stilt Sandpiper??
Here is a closer picture.
Stilt Sandpiper.
The tide was rapidly rising and we knew it was only a matter of time before it would be too deep for the sandpipers. More and more shorebirds flew in to the area and eventually the flock decided it was getting too deep to hang around. I was waiting for the moment and here is a flight shot of the Ruff in the lead, followed by a Lesser Yellowlegs and then a Short-billed Dowitcher. Unfortunately the lighting was slightly backlit, but I was pleased with the photo of this rare bird nonetheless.
Here is the Reeve taking off...
All for now,
