A Mad, Mad Twitch..Twice!

Panama Flats

 Victoria 

Mon Oct 20/21 2019

 Murphy's Law Strikes Yet Again

On this occasion I was headed out of Vancouver to Squamish when an ABA Code 4 MEGA was found by Victoria birders Jeff Gaskin and Geoffrey Newell. The bird, a Yellow-browed Warbler, is a relatively common and native of Asia but very rare in N.America, it even drew a TV crew and journalists to a muddy Victoria hillside. Three days later the bird was still around drawing a steady stream of birders from across Canada and the USA, some travelling thousands of kilometres just to catch a glimpse.

CTV News

The Twitch #1 Oct 20 2019

On Saturday morning determined not to miss a once in a life opportunity I drove (mostly at the speed of sound/limit) from Squamish through Vancouver to Tsawwassen to catch the 1 p.m. ferry to Vancouver Island. At 3.05 I arrived at Panama Flats where a small flock of assorted birders were looking. At dusk the bird still hadn't shown and as the sun set I made my way back to the ferry and Vancouver, disappointed and tired from the long day, a feeling I am sure every birder can sympathize with. I decided then and there to return next day. I just didn't want to spend my life's savings again so I texted Mel and asked her help to find me others who would share the cost of the ferry. Ten minutes later I had four takers for Monday morning. Carpooling also reduces the carbon footprint us birders contribute to the climate crisis.



If At First You Don't Succeed
Twitch #2 Oct 21 2019

Monday morning the alarm went off at 4:45 a.m. It was dark and raining. Soon I was on the way back to Vancouver Island but this time with a carload of birders. Onboard was one Larry, the two Marilyn's and one Mike. 

When we arrived there were fifteen or more birders on site including one of the original finders Geoffrey Newell who was kindly pointing out the bird to anyone interested. The tiny warbler was travelling with a Yellow-rumped Warbler and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. The kinglet being the same shape and size added to the fun of trying to figure out which one to photograph. Despite the overcast skies and rain I was able to get a few shots through the foliage. I cranked up the ISO to 1250 and over exposed a stop and half and was able get a couple of frames before it was time to return to the ferry and make it home to vote. Mission accomplished. 

Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus)

As twitches go the second attempt was a resounding success making the journey home that much sweeter. Read more about it in the Victoria Times

Birders Flocking to view rare warbler

 Yellow-browed Warbler facts




Misc bird links

Loudest-bird-meet-the-white-bellbird

Magpie shot dead

"It's never too late to start twitching"

John Gordon
Langley/Cloverdale
BC Canada

Louth and Lincolnshire 2019

THE UK
Lincolnshire

Aug 2019

 I arrived on the hottest day ever recorded in the UK (38.7C or 101.66F) and the same day Boris Johnson became prime minister.
My first night was spent at the White Hart Hotel St Albans built circa 1470, unfortunately the only hotel in town without air-conditioning. Next mornings newspaper headlines included "roads melt like chocolate and tracks buckle"
Experts say that Britain can expect more and more erratic weather systems, as if it wasn't cloudy and wet enough already!


Before I go on any overseas trip I try to contact some of the birding friends most of who I have met through the online group Birding Pals. It might be the best $10 you'll ever spend.
 See link for more info
 Birding Pals
Before I leave I check Facebook and especially Twitter feeds as they provide plenty of good information about local bird sightings. Also most counties have bird clubs who are also a valuable source of information.

 This time I touched bases with Steve and John to see if they had any ideas about what birds might be around. Last year they generously introduced me to a number of their local hotspots. The other thing I decided to do was go with just one bag of clothes, one bridge camera and a toothbrush. I took the Nikon P1000 24mm-3000mm.

My UK life list is a modest 167 so with a possible 500 plus species it stood to reasons there should be plenty of opportunity to pick-up a lifer or two.

Both John and Steve have 500 plus UK life lists and many amazing stories about chasing birds. Last year on the way to Spurn Point National Nature Reserve near Hull I sat in the backseat listening to epic twitches to the Channel and the Orkney Islands.

 I knew I wouldn't have time to bird much and as it turned out I hardly birded at all. Family always takes precedent, Dad is 93 so precious moments spent with him are all important. One day we drove to seaside and parked overlooking the North Sea, drank tea, read the newspaper and watched the birds on the beach. Offshore a few Northern Gannets flew past while on the shore Oystercatchers dodged holiday makers and their pesky dogs.
 On one cloudy morning on the way to pick-up the newspaper the sky was dotted with Swifts. The Goldfinche, my favourite bird flitted along the hedgerows, two great sightings before breakfast.

Goldfinch
Nikon P1000

***

After shaking off the effects of jet lag my younger brother Roger took me out to Red Hill Nature Reserve, a small tract of land left to its own design. I spend a blissful afternoon there listening to the  Yellowhammers calling and a Common Whitethroat collecting food for her brood. It was a perfect English afternoon.



More about the Lincolnshire Wolds

A few miles out of town is Red Hill Nature Reserve a chalky outcrop with a unique display of flowers and butterflies.

The area comprises 1.6 hectares (4 acres) of steep chalk escarpment grassland with some scrub and 1.6 hectares of old plateau grassland, and a disused quarry with a famous exposure of Red Chalk which is rich in fossils, particularly belemnites and brachiopods. Below the Red Chalk there is a considerable thickness of Carstone, here a coarse, pebbly sandstone, and above it a thin capping of the white Lower Chalk.

                                                                            Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

Large Heath (Coenonympha tullia)

View from Red Hill
 Lincolnshire Wolds
Nikon P1000

Common Knapweed
(Centaurea nigra)

Peacock (Aglais io)

Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)

Dad lives on the edge of town where there are a good number of Wood Pigeons, where Blackbirds sing all night long and Rooks sits atop chimney pots. Any of those birds would set off a stampede were they to turn up in Vancouver.
 Around Louth's church were the unmistakable sounds of Swifts (Apus apus) At first the birds were scattered across the sky, flying low as the church's spire became enveloped in mist. Eventually twenty of more flew in perfect formation before splaying out in all directions. Their calls rang out louder than ever as they skimmed over the row houses. What an amazing spectacle, indelibly etched in my birding memory bank. My guess is most were recently fledged, fattening up for the long migration to Central Africa.

View from Red Hill

Common Whitethroat

It is a summer visitor and passage migrant, with birds breeding widely, although it avoids urban and mountainous areas. It winters in Africa, south of the Sahara.

Yellowhammer

Previously widespread across Britain, yellowhammers are now on the "red list" of birds who are now a "conservation concern"


Finally I visited Frampton RSVP and spotted a Ringed Plover, a cousin of the Little Ringed Plover, which until I entered it into eBird didn't realize was a lifer. The other life was the Turtle Dove, the second of the trip.
Familiarity is the word here, I marvel at all the birds whenever I visit somewhere new and there really is something magical about that.
So until next time.. good birding.

"Better late than never"
John Gordon
Langley/Cloverdale
BC Canada

Before and After

Before heading toward Golden and the annual British Columbia Federation of Ornithologists (BCFO) conference fellow birder George Clulow and myself took the opportunity to visit a few select locations on the way. Golden is a long drive from Langley so we decided to take our time. It not only broke up the driving but provided us with a variety habitats to explore at a leisurely pace.

Cheam Lake near Chilliwack was the first stop followed by an amazing mornings birding with Alan Bergen. The lakes around Merrit and Creston's Duck Lake were just a few of the places we visited. George's finely tuned ear also got me onto numerous species especially my nemesis the Veery, a bird we heard but was yet to see. A secretive species at the best of times it remained off my life list until one turned up in Fort Langley July 14. I was my 400th Canadian species and therefore a special bird, especially as they are not often encountered in the Lower Mainland.

Day 1 

Cheam Lake 

Our first stop was at Cheam Lake near Chilliwack. We had great views of an Osprey fishing, a Black-headed Grosbeak collecting grubs as well as an interesting selection of dragonflies.

Black-headed Grosbeak picking up grubs
 P1000

Osprey  P1000

Marsh Marigold leaf pattern
P1000

Eight-spotted Skimmer
P1000

Kane Valley

After Hope and an early start we made our way up the Kane Valley. We met up with a local birder who generously showed us one of his favourite spots. We walked through pastureland, flowering meadows, a small marsh and an aspen forest. There were plenty of decaying trees for cavity nesters like Mountain Bluebirds, Red-naped and Williamson's Sapsuckers. The wild grasses and open spaces were perfect for Vesper, Lincoln's and Savannah Sparrows. At the time of our visit no cattle had been sent out to graze so hopefully the ground nesters will have fledged by that time. Our almost four hour walk produced forty-seven species. 

Spotted Sandpiper

Dusky Flycatcher

Mountain Bluebird

Williamson's Sapsucker (Male)

Williamson's Sapsucker (Female)

Williamson's Sapsucker brings food to the nest.
D500 and 200mm-500mm

Merritt

We had another two stops near Merrit. First the Laurie Guichon Memorial Grasslands Interpretive Site where the usual Ruddy ducks were absent. We were however rewarded have excellent views of the resident Osprey which has been provided with a platform to nest on. There are a number of world class fly fishing lakes close by which I am sure raises the ire of every angler when they see the Osprey flying away with a fat trout. No catch and release for the avian fisher.

Osprey
 P1000

                                   Guichon Ranch - Beaver Ranch Flats

Yellow-headed Blackbird
P1000

 Logan Lake

A flat tire at Tunkwa Lake saw us making a detour to Logan Lake. Following repairs we went for lunch at the local lake where we had some really good birding along the riparian area and again in the lake itself where George spotted a Canvasback with a brood, something I might have easily overlooked.

Canvasback with some of her brood.
Nikon D500 and 200mm-500mm

They eventually got so close we both sat and enjoyed their presence.

Hybrid Red-naped Red Breasted Sapsucker
D500 Nikon 200mm-500mm

Salmon Arm

We broke the journey at Salmon Arm which gave the opportunity to bird three separate locations. We picked up new trip species at most all of them. The highlight for me a least were the two-hundred or so Black Swifts that were feeding over the lake and above our heads. I had never seen so many, the low cloud and drizzle had kept the insect hatch low enough for us to observe the birds and even grab a few pictures. Note the bird in the photograph below is an immature. 

Black Swift
Nikon D500 Nikon 200mm-500mm f5.6 

Return journey via Creston

Who could miss a big white American White Pelican. A small flock of Ring-billed Gulls and a pair of  Forster's Terns and numerous Eastern Kingbirds were just a few of the species added to our lengthy list now topping 100 species.

American White-Pelican
Not as sharp an image as I would like but handheld at 3000mm works well enough for an ID shot.

The wide angle of the P1000 at 24mm make capturing scenics a breeze. 

'Sweet Light' pours through the folds of mountains to the west. On closer inspection were various species of ducks including Blue-winged Teal were found foraging round the lake edges. 

Blue-winged Teal

The afternoon winds subsided leaving Duck Lake a millpond.

A great Blue Heron hunts in the food rich waters of Duck Lake.

Eastern Kingbird
 Duck Lake
 P1000

"It's never too late to post another blog"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale 

BC Canada

BCFO Conference Golden BC

 Moberly Marsh Survey Route.

Golden BC

After some excellent birding on the first day of the June BCFO Golden Conference those birders that had signed up for the Moberly Marsh Sunday morning walk were well prepared with rain gear and gumboots. 

Despite rain and grey skies the morning immediately kicked off with a great find all thanks to the finely tuned ear of Adrian Leather. We hadn't gone more than a few hundred metres when he was quickly onto a pair of Le Conte’s Sparrows. We eventually heard a total of five and that was just along our pathway. How many others were spread out over the many acres of fields would be interesting. 

Le Conte's sparrow

Not much further along from the Le Conte's our group were lucky enough to observe a small colony of Bobolinks.

 Such a treat for the Lower Mainland birders who would normally have to visit the Okanagan for any type of view. The long uncut meadow grasses harboured numerous species of flowers and an incredible amount of insect life.

A female Bobolink perches on long grasses.

The owner of the field who we eventually met at the end of out walk has the insight not to mow his fields until after the nestlings have fledged. I hope a letter of appreciation from BCFO goes to him.

Male Bobolink

As the group walked on I became distracted by a movement on the bushes, it was soon obvious that a pair of Bobolink were courting. Although I missed the birds passing food to each other it does show an interesting interaction nethertheless. 

The Courtship

Female Bobolink

All images D500 and  Nikon 200mm-500mm F5.6

The Nikon D500 and the comparatively lightweight Nikon 200mm-500mm F5.6 is the perfect set-up for a birder on the move. It allows for long distance hikes, composing on the fly and the capture of a wider variety of images than carrying a fixed 500mm or 600mm with gimbal head and tripod. It's also far easier to travel on planes and so far I haven't noticed much if any difference in image quality. Where the more "professional" set-up wins is when the photographer goes after a specific subject matter and there may be much standing around waiting for the quarry.

Already LeConte’s and Bobolinks and we had only been birding thirty minutes. More great sighting were to come including a nest with a Western Wood Pewee and a squabble between a crow and a pair of Bullock’s Orioles which led to some interesting interactions. No one seemed to worse for the fracas.

Nest building

A Western Wood-Pewee weaves a nest.

 Sixty-five species later a soggy but contented group of birders returned to our cars but not before spotting a pair of Sandhill Cranes, a highlight for many in the group.

A big thanks goes out to our guide Verena Shaw for arranging permission to access the private property and the BCFO for making it a memorable convention.

American Redstart

"It's never too late to post a blog"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale 

BC Canada

Upcoming Talk

Mountain Bluebird
Centennial Park
Tsawwassen 

Birding in the Lower Mainland. 

The Fraser Valley Regional has graciously asked me to put on a presentation at the Muriel Arnason Library in the Township of Langley. The library is behind London drugs off of 64th Ave. I am including some newer images for those who may have seen previous incarnations.

Northern Hawk Owl
Pitt Meadows

Osprey
 Pitt River

Orange-crowned Warbler
 Joe Brown Park
Surrey

. I'll be talking about how I found places to bird, how to photography birds and any others questions that might arise. No charge. Hope to see you there

John Gordon

"It's never too late to start birding"

Nikon P1000 Field Test

A number of birders have been asking me how well the Nikon P1000 Coolpix works for birding. 

Rather than go through the Nikon P1000 online manual, I have been experimenting with the camera out in the field under real life conditions. Prior to the P1000's release I had traveled to the UK with the Nikon P900. I really enjoyed the P900 but it didn't offer me 4k video and a microphone jack for better sound recording. Those posts were the most popular I ever posted.  

This year I have shifted my focus away from bird photography to videography, scoping and listing. I am beginning to see birds in a completely different way especially those offshore which the scope brings into full view.

Sometimes I arrive home after severals hours of birding having never taking the camera out of the bag. 

***

Normally I don't  photograph at high noon as the contrast can be tricky to deal with but with the emphasis on ticking as many birds as is possible in the calendar year lighting and time of day becomes a secondary consideration. Besides I already have numerous pictures of most BC birds so I can afford the luxury of using the P1000 purely for ID purposes and for blogging.
Here a some examples
       

Chipping Sparrow

I literally stepped on this Chipping Sparrow while on my way out of the Iona Inner ponds. It was feeding with a mixed flock of White and Golden-crowned Sparrows. Shot from about fifteen metres.

Greater Yellowlegs at 50 metres
Blackie Spit

Same bird shot in the P1000 Birdwatching mode.

Horned Lark

Another middle of the day shot that the P1000 handles very well considering the contrast.
This image captured from about 20 metres.

Hutton's Vireo nestlings
Semiahmoo Fish and Game Club

The articulated screen on the P1000 allowed me to hold the camera over my head and shoot the nest which was about three metres off the ground.

Is it a Lesser or Greater Yellowlegs way off in the corner of the settling ponds? I took this ID shot to check later. My initial instincts were correct that it was indeed a Lesser Yellowlegs and another year bird.

Lesser Yellowlegs
Iona Inner Ponds

         (Below) This long distance shot of a House Wren was needed to verify the species. There are a number of reasons  that make this a very poor picture that I would normally publish but in this case it didn't matter. Because it was possibly a very early house Wren (April 23/19) I needed to verify the species before posting it on eBird and possibly sending other birders on a wild goose chase. I've not encountered enough HOWR to be sure except that it was on a nest box which gave me a clue.

House Wren
Campbell Valley Park Vernal Ponds

A few seconds after finding this Yellow-headed Blackbird (Below) at Brydon Lagoon two Green Herons flew past me chased by a crow, not the kind of situation the P1000 handles very well. If you want to capture birds in flight you really need a DSLR.

Yellow-headed Blackbird and Brown-headed Cowbird
Brydon Lagoon
Langley City

A few days later I was on the Iona Jetty photographing a Horned Lark when on my way back to the car I found this brilliant coloured Yellow-headed Blackbird. I adjusted my height to include as much sky a possible to complement the black and yellow of the bird, the trees in the bottom of the picture add complimentary colours and depth to the scene.

Yellow-headed Blackbird
Iona South Jetty

I often visit my son in Squamish and always stop off at Porteau Cove to break my journey.  Mostly I find sea ducks, oystercatchers and cormorants but this time a number warblers were moving through the trees. Just because the camera has a 24mm-3000mm doesn't mean one can't back off a little and include some habitat to give context.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubons)
Porteau Cove
Sea to Sky Hwy

Finally I went to Reifel to search for migrating shorebirds and was fortunate enough to find this Great Egret, a bird not often seen in the Lower Mainland although one spent almost a month in the Aldergrove area and one was seen in mid-May in Langley City. It is likely that this is the same bird but there is no way of really knowing. 

Great Egret

   After photographing the bird feeding in a side channel it eventually flew into a nearby tree where a number of us were able to capture it preening. I took more than a few pictures but this is the only one I really like, a gust of wind splayed out the birds feathers. All but four of the other sixty files I took were deleted later, no need to keep them. Culling is like de-cluttering, hard to do at first but as you learn how to edit your own work the process becomes easier. I was taught to edit by a very good newspaper editor when I first began photographing for a living. These days I try to edit in the camera as much as possible so I can spend more time either out in the field, reading or watching Footy.

To conclude I have to say that after a year of use I still really enjoy using the P1000 to ID birds especially from a great distance. The wide angle end of the zoom is great for scenics, the macro is easy to use, and the scenery modes including the Birdwatching Mode are fool proof and easily overridden. The rapid bursts are useful, the many scene modes are easy to use.

The camera is not a substitute for a full blown DSLR like my D500 and 200mm-500mm but for the birder who wants to photograph birds and wants to go light either the P900 or the P1000 are good choices. Canon, Sony and Lumix all have options worth looking into but being a Nikon user I tend to stick with same operating systems.

Finally for those who like to shoot video and record bird sounds the P1000 has 4k and a mic output. The video can be handheld but a solid tripod is needed for the longer lengths. The video quality is more than the most discerning photographer will ever need. 

"It's never to late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale 

BC Canada