Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Appearance:

Small sandpiper

Short, dark bill, drooping at tip

Yellowish legs

Brown head

White underparts

Adult:

• Whitish supercilium with darker crown and eyeline
• Gray-brown to black back feathers and wing coverts with brown edges
• Thin, white wing stripe
• Brown breast with black spotting
• Gray-brown breast band usually present
• Black line on rump extending onto tail

Juvenile:

• Pale supercilium with rusty crown
• Black back feathers and wing coverts with bright rusty edges
• White "V" on back
• Breast with golden cast and fine streaking

Listen to its call.

Dozen of these birds were foraging at the upper edge of the mudflats when I visited Panama Flats last week. These birds may be the smallest shorebirds in the world, but what they lack in size they certainly make up for in number.   

Learn more about the Least Sandpiper.

Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater

 
Appearance:
Small blackbird
Short, conical bill
Dark eyes
Male: (above)
   Iridescent black body, wings and tail
   Brown head and neck
Female:
   Greyish-brown plumage, lightest on the head and underparts
   Fine streaking on belly

Listen to its call.

If you believe all of the greeting cards, Mother's Day should be spend taking it easy, perhaps sleeping late and enjoying a relaxing breakfast in bed. So, why then was I already out at Michell's Farm Market by 7:30 this morning? Generally, the best time for bird watching is early in the morning when most birds are wide awake and active. Since early morning isn't the best time to find teenagers awake and active (at least not in my house), I decided to join the birds. I saw a group of these birds on Dooley Road foraging for seeds under a bird feeder.

Learn more about the Brown-headed Cowbird.

More photos:
 

female

male

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Appearance:
Small, stocky swallow
Dull brown head and upperparts
Pale brown throat and breast
White belly
Long, pointed wings
White undertail coverts
Small bill

Listen to its call.

At the end of Gladiola Avenue, there is a short path that takes you to the south end of Panama Flats. Three of these birds were perched in a tree along that path when I visited the area earlier this week. I originally thought they were young Tree Swallows but later discovered that it is too early in the year to be seeing juvenile swallows. Although there were a lot of swallows flying over the flooded land, I didn't see any more of this type.

Named for the tiny hooks found on the outer feathers of the wings, the Greek/Latin name of this bird literally means 'scraper wing saw feather'. It reminds me of something out of one of Dave Pilkey's books (for those of you who have children of the Captain Underpants' era).


Learn more about the Northern Rough-winged Swallow.

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Description:

• Medium-sized, slender shorebird
• Moderately long legs
• Thin, straight bill
• White eye-ring
• Brown back with white spotting
• Brown and white streaking on head, neck and sides
• White belly
• Black tail with barred edges

Listen to its call.

According to the Webster's New World College Dictionary, the word 'solitary' is from the Latin sōlitārius meaning alone or by itself.  Hmmm.... just as I thought! Why then did I see three of these birds together at Panama Flats yesterday afternoon?  Apparently they are not truly solitary. However, unlike other shore birds, they do not migrate in large flocks.

Learn more about the Solitary Sandpiper.

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

Appearance:

Steel blue upper parts

Long, forked tail with white spots

Dark orange forehead and throat

Pale orange underparts

Tiny bill

Listen to its call.

Having had difficulty photographing swallows in the past, I was delighted to find a group of these birds sitting on the ground at Panana Flats this afternoon. 

Unfortunately, it wasn't until I had walked all around the area trying to get photos of them in the air that I noticed these ones.  Luckily, they don't flit around as much as some of the other types of swallows I've seen, so it wasn't a complete loss.

Learn more about the Barn Swallow.

Additional photos:

Juvenile



nestlings

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

male

Description:

Large bird of prey

White chest and belly

Dark back and wings

Dark tail with white bands

White head with black face stripe

Short, hooked beak

Dark streaking on throat (female)

Listen to its call.




If you happen to be driving past the University of Victoria in the near future, take a look at the lights over the playing fields off Sinclair Road. This bird has built a nest on the top of one of them. Pretty strange place to build a nest, if you ask me, right out in the open like that.  Apparently, this is quite common though; Osprey readily build their nests on man-made structures. Since their diet consists almost entirely of fish, I guess the lack of rabbits on campus this spring didn't discourage these birds from moving into the neighbourhood.

female

Learn more about the Osprey.

Additional photos:

Eurasian Collared-Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

 

• Appearance:
• Greyish-tan to pinkish-grey body and head
• Black half-collar on back of neck
• Dark primaries
• Long, squared tail; undersurface with black base and white tip / uppersurface gray with white outer tips  

Listen to its call.

 

I saw a pair of these birds perched side by side on a wire on Martindale Road this afternoon.  At the time, it didn't occur to me to get a photograph of them from the back as well as from the front. However, in spite of that as well as the poor lighting, I'm pretty sure that I've identified this bird correctly. Of course, it helps that sightings of a pair of Eurasian Collared-Dove have been reported in the Martindale area recently.  Okay, so I might not be a bird expert yet, but at least I'm honest. 

 

Learn more about the Eurasian Collared-Dove.