Lazuli Bunting

Passerina amoena 

Appearance: 

Small, finch-like songbird 

Coned shaped bill

Gently sloping forehead 

Male (breeding): 

     Bright blue above 

     Pumpkin-colored breast 

     White belly and shoulder patch 

Juvenile / Male (non-breeding):

     Mottled blue and tan above 

     Pumpkin-coloured breast 

Female: 

     Grayish-brown above 

     Blue tinge to wings and tail 

     Two buffy wing bars 

     Pale cinnamon or tan breast

This gorgeous bird has been frequenting Beckwith Park for the last few days. And he’s certainly been attracting a lot of attention singing from exposed branches in his bright breeding plumage.  Unfortunately, as Lazuli Buntings are a rarity in the area, it was from birders and not females of his own species. 

Listen to it’s call. 

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

Appearance:

Large, crested songbird

Blue upper parts, with black and white markings

White underparts

Black necklace

Rounded tail

Listen to it’s call.

Growing up in Ontario, I was used to seeing Blue Jays year-round. However, this is the first time I’ve seen one in Victoria. Although scarce, there always seem to be a few reports every Winter.  Better photos to follow, hopefully. 

Learn more about the Blue Jay. 

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Appearance:
Medium-sized songbird
Long tail
Grey-brown upperparts
Whitish-grey underparts
Two white wingbars
White patches on wing seen in flight
Black bill with slight downward curve
Yellow to greenish-yellow eyes


I would never have noticed this bird if it weren't for someone else drawing it to my attention.  It effectively blended into its surroundings, its drab plumage acting as camouflage.

Learn more about the Northern Mockingbird.

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi 

Appearance:
Bulky flycatcher
Short tail
Large head
Dark olive face, upperparts and flanks
Light underparts
Dark bill

Listen to its call. 

This flycatcher was perched at the top of a tall tree waiting to catch insects as they flew by.  Its distinctive "quick-three-beers" song made identification easy for a change.

Learn more about the Olive-sided Flycatcher. 

Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendi

Appearance:
Slim, medium-sized songbird
Short bill
Small, round head
Long tail
Grey overall
Prominent white eye-ring
White outer tail feathers
Buff wing patches 

Listen to its call.

We spotted this bird in the Garry oak meadow in Mount Tolmie Park this morning. Cleverly camouflaged, its plain grey plumage blended so well with the trees that it was difficult to keep in our sights. 

Learn more about the Townsend's Solitaire.

Black Phoebe

Sayornis nigricans

Appearance:
Medium-sized flycatcher
Large head
Medium-long, squared tail
Slight peak at rear of crown
Straight, thin bill
Dark charcoal gray upperparts and chest
Darker black head
White belly
Pale grey edges on wing feathers

Listen to its call. 

A rarity for Victoria, one of these birds has been hanging around Maber Flats lately. Unfortunately, I needed a scope to see that bird making it impossible to take a decent photo. Luckily, I did have this one in my photo library taken a few years ago in San Diego. 

Learn more about the Black Phoebe.

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus 

Appearance:
Large flycatcher
Heavy gray bill
Gray head
Darker eye mask
Grayish-green back
Brown wings and  tail
Pale throat
Bright yellow underparts

Listen to its call.

This photogenic bird was hanging out in Ten Mile Point last weekend. Although a rarity to the area, records of Tropical Kingbird sightings occur annually in southwestern BC.

Learn more about the Tropical Kingbird.

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Appearance:
Medium-sized sparrow
Rusty-brown striped upperparts
Two white wing-bars 
Grayish underparts
White throat 
Black and white striped crown
Black eye line
Yellow lores (spot between eye and bill)

Listen to its call.

The White-throated Sparrow comes in two forms: white-crowned and tan-crowned. On tan-striped birds, the white and black crown is replaced with tan and brown. In addition, the white throat is split in three sections by dark streaks descending from the bill.

Here's an interesting fact that I came across in my reading -- males of both morphs prefer females with white stripes and both morphs of females prefer tan-striped males.

Learn more about the White-throated Sparrow. 

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Appearance:
Medium-sized thrush
Brown upperparts
Brown spots on buff throat and breast
White belly
Dark mustache stripe
Pale buff eye-ring

Listen to its call.

Although similar in appearance, the Swainson's Thrush and Hermit Thrush can be differentiated by their eye-ring, as well as their plumage. The Swainson’s Thrush has uniformly brown upperparts, whereas the rufous tail of the Hermit Thrush contrasts with its brown back.

Learn more about the Swainson's Thrush.

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Appearance:
Small songbird
Olive upperparts
Grey wings with two white wing bars
Yellow breast with streaks on flanks
Yellow face with dark cheek patch and stripe across eye
Yellow crescent below eye
Thin, pointed bill
White outer tail feathers
Male: (photographed)
     Black cap, cheek patch, eye stripe and throat
Female & Immature:
     Olive cap, cheek patch and eye stripe
     Yellow throat
 
Listen to its call.

This handsome bird stopped into the Pedder Bay banding station on the weekend, along with a variety of other warblers. Migration is in full swing as these birds head south to winter in Mexico and Central America.

Learn more about the Townsend's Warbler. 

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Appearance:
Small sparrow
Brown crown with gray central stripe
Gray face and eyebrow
Brown line extending behind eye
Pale eye-ring
Grayish-brown upperparts with darker streaking
Buff breast and flanks with fine streaking
White throat and belly

Although very similar in appearance, the buff upper breast with its fine streaking distinguish the Lincoln's Sparrow from the Song Sparrow. Other differences include its smaller size and the lack of a spot in the center of its breast.

Listen to its call.

Learn more about the Lincoln's Sparrow. 

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Appearance:
Small flycatcher
Broad bill
Grey upper mandible / pale lower mandible
Minimal (or absent) eye-ring
Olive-brown upperparts
White throat
Whitish underparts
Dark wings with two white wing bars
Immature: (photographed)
     Yellower underparts
     Buff coloured wing bars

Listen to its call.

My first year birding, I took a picture of a Empidonax flycatcher that I wasn't able to identify. Although I felt discouraged by this at the time, I have now learned that their identification is among the most difficult for birders. It is so difficult, in fact, that the bander of this bird had to use a mathematical formula to confirm its identity. This involved comparison of the ratios of and differences between measurements of the bird’s body parts (bill length and width, wing length, tail length, etc). 

Learn more about the Willow Flycatcher. 

MacGillivray's Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei 

Appearance:
Stocky, sluggish warbler
Olive upperparts
Yellow underparts
White crescent above and below eye
Full gray hood, covering head, nape and throat
Male:
     Dark, charcoal gray hood
     Black area in front of eyes
Female:
     Paler gray hood
Immature: (photographed)
     Whitish-gray chin and throat

Listen to its call.

I haven't read anywhere that MacGillivray's Warblers have particularly short tails but this little one sure did. In fact, it was almost non-existent as can be seen in the picture below.  Anyone have any insight on this?

UPDATE:  Since my original post, I have discovered that this hatch year bird was probably going through its preformative molt. Typically during this molt, not all of the feathers are replaced.  However, I read that juveniles sometimes lose their entire tail prematurely and when it regrows it features adult rectrices.

Learn more about the MacGillivray's Warbler. 

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Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Appearance:
Small songbird
Yellow underparts and face
Olive green back
Dark wings and tail
Male:
     Black cap

 Listen to its call. 

Day two of banding turned up a number of new birds for me, including this hatch year, male Wilson's Warbler.  What a handsome bird! It's not surprising they call a group of warblers a 'bouquet'.

Learn more about the Wilson's Warbler.

House Wren

Troglodytes aedon 

Appearance:
Small, compact bird
Fairly long, curved bill
Longish tail
Gray-brown upperparts
Dull, grayish-white underparts, including sides of head
Dark barring on wings and tail
Juvenile:
     Blackish mottling on breast

Listen to its call.

This is another hatch year bird that we banded last weekend.

Most wrens are small and brown with short wings and tails which they often hold upright. So, how do you tell them apart? Well, here are a few distinguishing features that help with wren identification.

• House Wren -- curved bill, faint eyebrow, fairly long tail and dingy breast
• Bewick's Wren -- straight bills, bold eyebrow and white breast
• Pacific Wren -- almost no tail, bold eyebrow, smaller and darker than House Wren 

Learn more about the House Wren.

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilis

Appearance: 
Small flycatcher 
Pale yellow to white, teardropped shaped eye-ring
Two white wingbars 
Greenish-brown back 
Yellowish underparts 
Yellow lower mandible
Immature:
     Wingbars buffy in colour

Listen to its song.

This weekend, I had the pleasure of volunteering at RPBO's banding site for the first time.  I thoroughly enjoyed the experience with one exception.  The 5 am start time was for the birds!

Not only is the experience helping with my bird identification, I'm also learning a lot about aging the birds.  This little flycatcher was one of the many birds that stopped in for a visit. Its buffy wingbars identify it as a juvenile. 

Learn more about the Pacific-slope Flycatcher. 

Additional pictures:

very young juvenile; still covered in down

Say's Phoebe

Sayornis saya

Appearance:

Medium-sized flycatcher
Pale brownish-gray upperparts
Pale rufous belly and undertail
Long, black tail

Listen to its call.

This bird was spotted yesterday on Mount Tolmie in a Garry Oak meadow. I love the fact that the Rare Bird Alert on eBird indicates where interesting birds have been sighted. Whenever I see a report of one that's not on my blog yet, I rush right over hoping to snap a picture. Of course, I'm not always successful in my quest but it does make things a lot easier.



Learn more about the Say's Phoebe.

Harris's Sparrow

Zonotrichia querula

Appearance:
Large sparrow
Pink bill
Black bib, forehead and crown
Brown back with dark streaks
Underparts white with some streaks along side
Two white wing bars
Breeding plumage:
    Grey cheeks
Non-breeding plumage:
     Brown cheeks
Juveniles:
    Similar in appearance to non-breeding adults but lack the black face and head

Listen to its call.

The Harris's Sparrow is rarely found east or west of the middle of North America. So, I have to wonder what this foolhardy one was doing in a garden in Oak Bay. He appears to be overwintering in Victoria, having joined a flock of Golden-crowned Sparrows. Apparently, it is not uncommon for smaller birds to form mixed-species flocks in winter. The benefits? It both improves foraging and reduces the risk of becoming prey.  hmmm .... Maybe this little one isn't featherbrained after all.

Learn more about the Harris's Sparrow.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria virens

Appearance:
Medium-sized songbird
Thick bill
Long tail
Bright yellow chest and throat
Olive-green back
White spectacles
White belly and undertail

Listen to its call.

This bird, a rarity for Victoria, has been sighted many times in the last week feeding on suet in a private yard in Gordon Head. I had the good fortune to catch sight of it on my first visit to the residence today, which was a relief. It felt rather odd to be loitering in a stranger's driveway, camera in hand, waiting for the bird's appearance. Some of the neighbours must have thought so as well as we were getting some funny looks from people in the cars passing by.

Learn more about the Yellow-breasted Chat.

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Appearance:

Medium-sized songbird

Two wingbars

Male: (not photographed)

   Orange-red head

   Bright yellow body

   Black wings

   One white and one yellow wingbar

Female and young:

   Dull yellow

   Grey back and wings

   White or pale yellow wingbars

Listen to its call.

As a volunteer at a wild animal rehabilitation centre, I get to see a lot of birds up-close while feeding them and cleaning their cages.  Unfortunately for me (but fortunately for the animals), there is a very strict 'no picture' rule.  When I encountered this beauty, I asked if they could make an exception. Although they wouldn't bend the rules for me, one of the rehabilitators very kindly took these great photos for me. The bird had already been banded and was released back into the wild the next day. 


Learn more about the Western Tanager.

Additional photos: