There are a number of reasons why I decided to take on this project. My first reason has to do with my interest in birds. This began shortly after moving to Victoria ten and a half years ago. With our house backing onto a wooded area, the chirping of birds is a familiar sound all year long. I often glance out the window to see birds of all forms in the yard throughout the day. Frequently I will pull out the Birds of Victoria or Birds of North America reference guides we have on hand. Unfortunately, the drawings in the first aren’t overly helpful for identification and the number of entries in the second is overwhelming. My second reason has to do with a photography course I took a number of years ago. Since that time I have been trying to think of a practical reason to buy a new camera. Taking pictures of birds requires a powerful zoom lens which my previous point-and-shoot camera could not accommodate. Perfect! My final reason was my desire to take on a new project to welcome in 2011. Hence, bird of the day was born.



Monday, October 31, 2011

Cinnamon Teal

Anas cyanoptera

Appearance:
Small dabbling duck
Long, dark bill
Light blue wing-patch with white border
Male:
   Red-brown head and body
   Dark rump, tail and undertail
   Iridescent green on back of wing
   Red eye
Female: (not photographed)                          Listen to its call.
   Gray-brown overall
   Brown wing
   White at base of bill

While looking through photographs I'd taken earlier in the year, I realized that I hadn't posted the pictures I took of this bird back in May. Not surprisingly, I don't remember much about that day. I do know that I was at Panama Flats and, therefore, this duck must have been swimming in the flood plains. I discovered that these ducks, which are commonly found in shallow water, use their wide bills to filter food from the mud. Yummy!

Learn more about the Cinnamon Teal.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Ruddy Duck

Oxyura jamaicensis
 
Appearance:
Small duck
Long tail, often held up
Dark wings
Large, flat bill

Male:
  Dark head
  White cheeks
   Breeding:                                        Non-breeding: (photographed)
      Blue bill                                         Gray-brown body
      Rusty brown body                         Dark bill                                         

Female:
  Gray-brown body
  Dark top of head
  Grayish white face
  Dark cheek stripe
  Dark bill

Listen to its call.

According to the rare bird alert transcript, there have been a number of sightings of these ducks around Victoria recently. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find any around here. However, I did manage to  photograph this one in Walla Walla, Washington, a few days ago. I think it may have been the dark bill that was throwing me off. I was looking for a bright blue one.

Learn more about the Ruddy Duck.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Barred Owl

Strix varia

Appearance:
Medium-sized owl
Round head with no ear tufts
Dark-bordered facial disc
Large, brown eyes
Yellow, hooked bill
Brown upperparts with white markings
White underparts with brown markings
Horizontal bars on chest
Vertical stripes on belly

Listen to its call.

Today was a monumental day; I finally got an owl for my blog. This bird was snoozing in the forested area next to the Swan Lake parking lot this morning. Although it did open its eyes briefly once or twice, the number of people in the area didn't seem to disturb its day-time sleep. I guess that is something that all noctural animals in the city must learn to adapt to. (According to Grammar Girl, it’s okay to end a sentence with a preposition).

Apparently, the Barred Owl's ability to adapt has resulting in it being the most common owl on Southern Vancouver Island.







Learn more about the Barred Owl.


Friday, October 21, 2011

Thayer's Gull

Larus thayeri

Appearance:
  • Middle to large gull
  • White head and underparts
  • Gray back
  • Black wing tips
  • Yellow bill with red spot on lower mandible
  • Bright pink legs
  • Brown eye with purple-red eye ring (photo below)
Listen to its call.  

Although the rocky shores of Clover Point are a hotspot for gulls all year round, on a less than perfect day (like today) the wind off the ocean tends to cut right through you. Thankfully, I ventured down there last Friday when it was sunny and warm: a perfect day for visting the area.  

I saw a number of these gulls interspersed with Heerman's Gulls, which were of relatively the same size. After studying the pictures and characteristics of all the adult gulls in Victoria, I concluded that this was a Thayer's Gull. And then I started to second guess myself. Its coloring seems to be correct and I think the bill is shorter than that of a Herring Gull. However, although the wing tips have larger white windows than the Herring Gull's, I'm not sure about the color of the underside of the wings.  Any thoughts?

Learn more about the Thayer's Gull.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Appearance:
  • Medium-sized shorebird
  • Medium-sized, slightly drooping, dark bill
  • Yellowish legs
  • Black patch on rump extending onto tail
  • Thin, white wing stripe  
Adult:
  • Brown head with dark streaks
  • Pale supercilium
  • Black back feathers and wing coverts with brown edges
  • Brown breast with fine streaks ending abruptly and contrasting with white underparts
Juvenile:
  • Similar to adult
  • Back feathers and wing coverts with pale brown, rust, or golden edges
  • White 'V's on back
  • Dark rusty crown

Listen to its call.
 
And now for a couple of definitions. The supercilium is the eyebrow region.  Wing coverts are the feathers that cover the base of quill feathers.


I saw these two shorebirds at McIntyre Reservoir, in the Martindale area, a few days ago. Although this is private property, the land owner kindly allows birders access to view the reservoir from the dike surrounding it. I wasn't able to get too close to these birds but you can still get a clear picture of the sharp border between the dark breast and the white belly. The legs in these photos look quite dark but I think it is just the lighting, or quite possibly mud.  It's curious how their bellies remain so white. 

Learn more about the Pectoral Sandpiper.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Appearance:
Tiny songbird
Short, notched tail
Thin, black bill
Olive-grey above
Greyish-white below
Two white wing-bars
Dark flight feathers with golden edging
Broad, white eyebrow
Black-striped crown
Yellow crown center (female)
Orange crown center (male)
Black legs
Yellow feet

Listen to its call.

This "little king" was foraging in the evergreen trees across from the nursery in the Martindale area this afternoon. Although it was hard to follow its rapid movements in the dense growth, at least it remained low in the trees which made photographing it easier than has been my experience with past sightings of these birds.

This bird had the oddest feet; at least they struck me that way. The black legs ended abruptly in bright, yellowish-orange feet. It reminded me of a repair my husband made to the arm of his sunglasses a number of years ago. Maybe they've been using the same plastic-coated paint.

Learn more about the Golden-crowned Kinglet

Additional photos:
juvenile female

juvenile male





Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bonaparte's Gull

Larus philadelphia

Appearance:
Small gull
Thin, short, black bill
Pinkish-orange legs
Light slate-gray back
Black wing-tips
Non-breeding adult:
     White head
     Dark ear-spot
Breeding adult: (not photographed)
     Black head
     Incomplete white eye-ring

Listen to its call.

It was rather blustery at Cattle Point this afternoon but that didn't stop these little gulls from enjoying themselves. A large number of them were flying just off the shore, floating gracefully in the wind.  They were  smaller and more delicate than any of the other gulls I've seen so far.  

Incidentally, this gull was not named after Napoleon but after his nephew, Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who was a leading ornithologist in the 1800s. I guess its diminutive stature is just a coincidence.




Learn more about the Bonaparte's Gull.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Cackling Goose

Branta hutchinsii

Appearance:
Small goose
Black head
Short, stubby bill
Long, black neck
White chinstrap
Light gray to brown breast 
Brownish back
White undertail
Black legs and feet

Listen to its call.


On a number of occasions recently, I've seen what I thought were small Canada Geese. It wasn't until today, when I saw a group of them next to the larger birds, that I realized the extent of the size discrepancy. These birds were about the size of a Mallard Duck. However, it was their call that convinced me that I was actually looking at a different species. Instead of the deep honking of the Canada Goose, this call was a high-pitched, squealing honk.

Canada Geese with Cackling Goose (front right)

In addition to their smaller size and distinctive cackle, these birds can be distinguished from the Canada Goose by their shorter bill length and shorter neck.

Learn more about the Cackling Goose.


Friday, October 7, 2011

American Bittern

Botaurus lentiginosus

Appearance:
  • Medium, heron-like wading bird
  • Stout body and neck
  • Relatively short legs
  • Dark brown upperparts
  • Underparts streaked brown and white
  • Black slashes on sides of neck
  • Yellow bill with dark upper ridge 

Listen to its call.


I'm very excited about today's bird. For those of you who have been following my blog from the beginning, you may remember my disappointment last January at not being able to locate this bird in the reed beds at Swan Lake.  On a number of occasions, I heard its distinctive call but it always managed to keep itself well hidden. Today, thankfully, it wasn't able to blend in quite as well with its surroundings, not that it didn't try.  As soon as it caught sight of me, it ducked its head into the reeds.


Learn more about the American Bittern.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis


Appearance:
Small gull
Yellow bill with black ring at tip
Pale eye
White head and underparts
Light gray back
White spots on black wingtips
Yellow legs

Listen to its call.

Size difference  between California Gull (on left) and Ring-billed Gull (on right)
 It was just by accident that I captured this bird on film.  In fact, I didn't even realized I had until today when I was looking through some photos I took on Sidney Spit in late August.  There were lots of shorebirds that day, as well as herons and what seemed like hundreds of gulls.  This one stood out because of its small size. It was only on closer inspection that I noticed the pale eye and black ring near the tip of its short, yellow bill.  It wonder how many other little gems I might have hidden in my computer files.

Learn more about the Ring-billed Gull.

Additional photos:





Saturday, October 1, 2011

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Dendroica nigrescens  

female
Appearance:
Small songbird
Black-marked, gray upperparts
White face and underparts
Black streaks on flanks
Black mask and crown
Male has black throat
Dark wings with two white wingbars
Small yellow spot in front of eye
Black bill and legs

Listen to its call.
immature

I have to admit, the bird to the left really had me stumped. I couldn't find anything like it in the bird books. So, as usual, I contacted a birding authority for advice. She identified it as a young Black-throated Gray Warbler; apparently only the adults have black throats. In spite her expertise, I'm still a bit hesitant about this identification because of its yellow-tinged underparts. So, please feel free to correct (or confirm) this classification.

Learn more about the Black-throated Gray Warbler.