Martindale Flats

Located in Central Saanich, just off the Pat Bay Highway by Michell's Market, this farming region is a great place for birdwatching. Earlier this year, Tundra and Trumpeter Swans were regularly seen in the fields along Island View Road. I've photographed birds of prey there: an immature Bald Eagle and a Cooper's Hawk. I've seen Mourning Doves and Belted Kingfisher on Dooley Road and singing Meadowlark on Lochside Drive. It is almost always mentioned in the weekly Rare Bird Alert Transcript. In fact, I'm hoping the rain holds off this weekend as some good birds have been reported in the area recently.



Belted Kingfisher



Cooper's Hawk















 



Immature Bald Eagle in flight

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Appearance:
Medium-sized goose
Mostly brown plumage
Long neck
Orange or pink bill
White band around base of bill
Irregular black spots on belly
White line separating belly from wings
White under and uppertail coverts
Dark tail
Orange legs and feet

Listen to its call.

Thanks to a kind gentleman who pointed me in the right direction, I saw these geese in a field off Lochside Trail just north of Blenkinsop Lake earlier today. Their size made them stand out from the larger Canada Geese, which are plentiful in the area. The irregular black spots on the belly, noticable in flight, and the white patch at the base of the bill are the field markings that distinguish them from other geese.

Learn more about the Greater White-fronted Goose.

Oak Bay Marina

To the immediate north of the Oak Bay Marina, there is a little park.  A rocky outcrop connects this park to the adjacent beach. This is a great place to see shorebirds: Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Black-oystercatcher.  There always seems to be something interesting there. 





Greater Yellowlegs

 

Killdeer



 



Dunlins in flight













Learn more about the Oak Bay Marina.

King's Pond

Located on the north side of Cedar Hill golf course, this fresh-water pond is remarkable for the sheer volume of ducks present. Mallards are by far the largest group, but you'll also regularly see Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads and Woodducks there, as well as the occasional Northern Shoveler.

People frequently scatter seed for the hordes, which invariably causes a small stampede.

This male Ring-necked was having trouble holding his own against the larger ducks during this feeding frenzy.

Purple Finch

Carpodacus purpureus

Appearance:
Medium-sized finch

Large, conical bill

Short, forked tail

Male:

Purplish-red head, breast, back and rump

Streaked back
Brown wings and tail

Whitish belly

Female:
Brown upperparts

Heavily streaked underparts

Dark whisker
Whitish eyebrow

Listen to its song.

A number of times in the past, I have taken photos of a House Finch thinking it was a Purple Finch. Someone told me that the bill was the key field marker; the upper mandible of the former curves downward while the latter has a conical bill. Apparently, it isn't that difficult to tell them apart. Well, I'm not sure if that is entirely true (at least not for me) but, when I saw this bird at my feeder this morning, I was pretty sure I had a winner. The head and foreparts are more uniformly washed with red than the ones I've seen in the past anyway.

Learn more about the Purple Finch.

Esquimalt Lagoon

As you've probably guessed, I've been having a little difficulty finding new birds to photograph lately. So, instead of giving up on my blogging altogether, I've decided to start highlighting some of the good birding locations around Victoria. 



Great Blue Heron



Although I've only been there a few times, I opted to start with Esquimalt Lagoon because of the large number of birds you can see in a relatively small area.

You will find it close to Fort Rodd Park and Fisgard Lighthouse in Colwood. It is a migratory bird sanctuary that is frequented by a variety of gulls,ducks, swans, herons and much more. 

  




Male Common Goldeneye

  

Family of Mute Swans



Learn more about Esquimalt Lagoon.







Gadwall

Anas strepera

Appearance:
Medium-sized dabbling duck
Finely barred gray body
Rust-brown shoulders
Black rump
White belly
Gray-brown head and neck
Gray bill
White patch in wing

Listen to its call.

I took this photograph at few weeks ago at Viaduct Flats. Unfortunately, although there were a fair number of these ducks in the pond, none of them seemed to favour the shore line. As the signage in the area asks visitors to stay on the designated trails and much of the area was flooded at the time of my visit, it wasn't possible for me to get close enough to take a decent photo. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Learn more about the Gadwall.

Additional photo:

Marsh Wren

Cistothorus palusris

Appearance:

• Small bird
• Lightly barred, warm brown upperparts
• Black-and-white triangular patch on back
• Whitish underparts
• Pale brown flanks
• Long, thin black bill
• White eyebrown
• Dark crown
• Short tail, barred with black

Listen to its song.

I saw a number of these birds in the reeds at Swan Lake this afternoon. They appeared to be building their nests in the marshy area at the side of the lake. Flitting in and out of the reeds, they surreptitiously collected bits of grass and fluff for their homes. Then, suddenly, one would burst into song, which seemed at odds with their furtive behaviour. 

Here's a question for you -- what is the difference between a bulrush and a cattail?

Learn more about the Marsh Wren.

Pacific Wren (formerly Winter Wren)

Troglodytes pacificus

Appearance:
Very small songbird
Dark brown upperparts
Buffy-brown breast
Buff eyebrows
Wings and tail barred with black
Short tail, frequently held upright
Short, thin bill

Listen to its song.


This little bird was playing hide-and-seek with me on the grounds of Goward House. I initially saw it out of the corner of my eye as it darted about on the forest floor. I would have lost sight of it had it not started singing energetically. (Their songs have about 36 notes per second on average). Having caught my attention, the bird immediately hid under a pile of brush leading me to search about for it.  I was about to give up hope of finding it and was moving down the path when the bird darted out of its hiding place and began singing again. As before, I approached with my camera raised only to have it dart back into hiding. This went on for quite some time. I swear it was playing some sort of game with me.

 

  

Learn more about the Pacific Wren.

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Appearance:
Chunky, aquatic songbird

Slate gray body with browner head

Dark, slender bill
Dark eyes

White eyelids

Very short tail

Listen to its song.

Sometimes a bird's behaviour is more important than its appearance when it comes to identification. That was certainly the case in this instance. I saw this rather plain, drab looking bird at Goldstream Provincial Park this afternoon. I probably wouldn't have paid it much attention except that it was standing in the fast moving, but shallow, water. I was watching it stick its head in and out of the water when suddenly it went under. I thought it was drowning, being swept away by the rushing water. I was trying to decide what action to take to save the poor thing when it suddenly popped up again. The bird showed no distress and proceded to repeat this behaviour numerous times, which led me to conclude that it was in no danger afterall. Apparently,  it catches its food underwater by walking on the stream bottom.  

going under




 

Learn more about the American Dipper.

Pelagic Cormorant

Phalacrocorax pelagicus

Appearance:
Small cormorant
Small head
Thin bill
Adult:
   Glossy black body
   Patches of white on flanks (breeding plumage)
   Dark red on face is hard to see
Immature:
   Very plain dark brown

Listen to its call.






Whenever I visit Cattle Point, one of these birds always seems to be roosting on top of the large navigational marker in the channel. They appear to be solitary birds, unlike the majority of the others around the area who can be quite gregarious. Sometimes I have seen them in a small group though, perched on the bottom of the marker. 

 

 Learn more about the Pelagic Cormorant.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Dendroica coronata

Audubon's Warbler - spring male

Appearance:
Small, active bird
Thin, pointed bill (sturdier than most warblers)
Broken eye ring
Yellow rump patch
Small yellow patch at side of chest
White spots in tail
Myrtle:  White throat (may be dull buff in some young birds)

Audubon's:  Yellow throat
Male:

    Dark gray head and back

    Small, yellow, crown patch

    Black patches on upper breast extend as streaks onto flanks

    White underparts

    White wing patch
Female: 
    Brownish-gray head
    Brownish-gray back with black streaks
    Indistinct to absent yellow patch on side of breast
    Blurry dark streaking on breast and flanks
    White wing bars

Listen to its song.

My avian quest took me to Blenkinsop Lake today just as a storm rolled in. Fortunately, I was able to get a couple of photos of this bird before the rain really hit. Although the pictures are pretty blurry due to the poor lighting, the brilliant yellow throat and sides are striking. I didn't notice a yellow rump, but it was probably obscured by the wings in its perched position.

Learn more about the Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Additional photos:

Myrtle Warbler

Audubon Warbler - winter

Hybrid Ducks

Ducks hybridise readily, both in captivity and in the wild. Sometimes wild ducks even crossbreed with escaped domestic ducks. Identifying hybrids is challenging because of the wide variations in colour and markings. Here are a few hybrid ducks I photographed in Beacon Hill Park. Each of them appears to be a cross between a Mallard and a different species. 

 

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

Appearance:
Large, plump dove
Long, pointed tail
Small head
Gray-brown to buff-tan
Black spots on wings
Small, dark bill
Male:
   Pinkish chest
   Blue-gray crown

Listen to its song.
 





There had been numerous sightings of these birds on Dooley Road and Lochside Drive recently. After a number of misses, our visits to the area finally coincided.  I found these two birds perched on a telephone wire by the side of the road. 

All my life, I thought these birds were Morning Doves. Maybe they like to come out in the early part of the day. Apparently, it gets its name from its mournful song. Boy, do I feel silly. Stupid homonyms!

Learn more about the Mourning Dove.

Black-bellied Plover

Pluvialis squatarola

Description:

Medium-sized shorebird
Short, thick black bill
Short neck
Dark legs
Dark wing tips

Winter adult:

    Gray head 

    White underparts

    Gray, mottled back

Breeding plumage:
    Black from face to belly 

Listen to its call. 

I saw a group of these birds on the rocks at Clover Point yesterday afternoon. They were bigger than the Dunlin feeding close by. The tide was low and they were having quite a feast until three Black Oystercatchers came along and frightened them all away.

No wonder I had difficulty identifying this bird.  There wasn't a black-belly to be seen.  However, in breeding plumage (pictured below), it is black from the face to the belly. 

Learn more about the Black-bellied Plover.