With my previous two Birdathons falling in mid and late May I decided to experiment by running my big day on June 3rd. I hoped that the cool and wet spring that we have been experiencing in my region would mean that there were still a few lingering migrants about, which could help to add colour to the suite of species whom have settled in and started to breed in the Kootenays. Differing from past years I also decided to utilize my car in place of my trusty two-wheeled steed which would change my strategy somewhat as the day progressed. With more range available to me due to my motor vehicle but less ability to detect species between stops I went to bed to attain what rest I could, hoping that the rain in the forecast would fall later on in the day.
My slumber was fitful, no doubt due in large part to the excitement and anticipation of how the day would unfold. At 0230 I awoke to the melodic “wren-like” song of one of my favourite songsters of the Melospiza clan as its bubbling notes drifted in through my open window. After a moment’s brief and bleary consideration I decided that if my local Lincoln’s Sparrow was up and singing then I may as well be too. It was fitting that two of our most highly banded species at the Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory (TLBO), Lincoln’s Sparrow and Swainson’s Thrush were the first two species to usher me from my bed at an hour that only a lunatic would deem appropriate.
First light atop the mountains at the 12 km marker
After some coffee and the TLBO’s signature granola I loaded up the car whilst listening for the next cohort of songsters to begin their daily routine. Two of my local breeding Flycatcher species, Pacific-slope and Hammond’s along with a Chipping Sparrow, American Robins, MacGillivray’s and Yellow-rumped Warblers as well as a lone Black-headed Grosbeak would join the chorus. With more range and the possibility of a high snowline I set out with the aim of seeing how far I could make it up the Kokanee Glacier Forestry road in search of higher elevation breeders. Crawling up the road with all my windows down I was treated to the chorus of the forest. Pacific Wrens, Varied Thrush, Evening Grosbeak and both Townsend’s (in the forest) and Nashville Warbler (in more open scrub) were some of my immediate additions as I climbed up the rutted dirt. Singing Hermit Thrushes were the most reasonable goal and it wasn’t until the 10km mark, just before the entrance to the Old Grown Trail (for those that are familiar) that I heard my first one. Picking a favourite thrush song is like splitting hairs, but if I were forced to in that particular moment it would certainly be that of the Hermit. I would run into snow on the road two kilometres further which would force me to flip around and head to Kokanee Creek Park, my next stop.
As soon as I got out of the car I heard the ethereal yet seductive song of a Veery singing from the same little wetland where they tend to be found year after year. The high water from the spring freshet meant that walking the beach wasn’t an option so I opted instead for the woodland trails picking up a pair of Wood Ducks, two more flycatcher species, Willow and Western Wood-Pewee, a Spotted Sandpiper, a lucky Marsh Wren along with several more Warblers with the emphasis on American Redstarts followed by Common Yellowthroats and Yellow’s.
With my wet and seasonably marshy loop complete I was back in the car and heading east and then south to one of my favourite local migration spots, the Harrop wetlands at the western end of Sunshine Bay. As always this little gem comprised of old cottonwoods, wet pasture, hawthorn and willow scrub nestled amidst residential lots and agricultural fields did not disappoint for as I exited the car I was greeted by the winner of “Best Dressed” in the woodpecker category, a Lewis’s. A couple singing Clay-colored Sparrows along with the resident Black-billed Magpies who for some time now have called this area home, along with four species of Swallows (Barn, Violet-green, Tree and Northern Rough-winged) were all tidy additions to the day’s list.
Lewis’s Woodpecker hanging out up an old Cottonwood
Out of habit I counted birds as I sat watching the ferry’s progress towards me. A few Violet-greens cavorted overhead, a Yellow Warbler sweetly sang from a hawthorn, my first Bufflehead, a male cruised by, and then a gull came into view, rather boyant in flight and on the smaller side in non breeding plumage, and then I saw that lovely white leading edge to the primaries, ah what a delight, a Bonaparte’s Gull!
It was almost 0900 when I arrived at Balfour and I was starting to flag. A cliff bar whilst I looked for the semi regular feral Rock Pigeons was a welcome pick me up. Scanning I took in the usual Mallards and heard the Song Sparrows and Pacific-slope Flycatchers, the latter being in abundance in this particular location at this time of year. A flash of grey and white and there it was my Rock Pigeon, where its two friends were was anyone’s guess but I didn’t wait around to find out. The wind was blowing the the rain began to come down in large gobstopper sized droplets. Rounding a corner I beheld a single flock of roughly 60 Cedar Waxwings whom had found an ornamental tree with some sort of berry on which to feed and roost. It was my good fortune that three Eastern Kingbirds had decided that it wasn’t such a bad spot to wait out the storm and thus another new species for the day. This late in the season duck diversity in my neck of the woods is low so I was very pleased to see a male Northern Shoveler working the ponds near the old ferry landing partially obscured by the tall canary grass. As I drove the three and a half minutes from Balfour back to my abode on the cliff I was a bit disappointed to see that my tally sat at 77 species on the day.
After a brief lunch and then a much needed power nap I began to strategize how I could obtain some more species. My best bet for new additions was to drive a short ways north and hike up to Loon Lake which is a favoured spot for fishermen and ATV enthusiasts and has become one of my top spots due to its outrageous views and varied habitat. The climb began with my first new additions of singing Dusky Flycatchers and calling Spotted Towhees in the scrubby slope beneath the transmission lines. As I ascended up the steep service track I encountered multiple male Calliope Hummingbirds on territory with a lone Orange-crowned still stinging from atop a Saskatoon. A big grey flycatcher caught my eye as it quickly invited me to have a “quick, three beers“, which I grudgingly took a rain check on, an Olive-sided, another new bird on the day. The expected Northern Waterthrushes were singing around the lake whilst two pairs of Barrow’s Goldeneyes fished for a late lunch. On the descent I flushed a largish sparrow with a white throat and crown bordered by black with a smart yellow spot above its eye for good measure. This was the only truly “rare” bird of the day and only because of the date as this species (White-throated Sparrow) should be up in the boreal forest breeding by now. During my descent I had eBird do my tallying for me and found that I was sitting at 89 which meant that Loon lake had come through with 12 new species on the day!
“quick, three beers” – Olive-sided Flycatcher
There was one more spot that was worth checking especially since I had four wheels which would mean less time investment and that was only a few kilometres up my local forest service road. Up I went and not 100m from the turn off there perched atop a blooming Saskatoon was an adult male Black-chinned Hummingbird! This is perhaps the only species of hummingbird that we have for which you could reasonably use the descriptor “svelte”. At the height of land (~3.5km) I exited my car and took a trail through the woods. Sure enough the inquisitive pair of Canada Jays that I had encountered several days earlier came out for a look before losing interest and heading off, 91! Further along the trail I heard the whistled song a Fox Sparrow, another high elevation breeder and number 92. Moments later the high-pitched metallic “ti-ti-ti” paired with the “chut-chut-chut-chut” of a group of White-winged Crossbills caught my ear as they cruised overhead.
A very “rare” selfie on my descent from Loon Lake.
That would be my final addition of the day leaving my total at 93 which incidentally is a tie with 2021 when I conducted my Birdathon on May 14th. Perhaps next year I can finally break my 2020 record of 99 and get into triple-digits. Stay Tuned for the final chapter of our team – “The Wandering Tatlers” – this time from Nova Scotia by Dominic.
To repeat what Avery already said, our goal is to raise $4500 in total as a team. There are two ways to make donations to the TLBO: for donations under $250 we ask that you donate via this Birdathon and these funds will go towards our 2023 program. For larger donations please consider contacting us by email at tatlayokobirds@hotmail.com for instructions on how to donate directly (via cheque or etransfer) to the Tatlayoko Field Station Society as these funds will be immediately available for use in 2022. All donations will receive a tax receipt and are of course deeply appreciated.
To make a donation via the Birdathon you can visit our team page at: https://www.canadahelps.org/s/ncgDGR
If you want to see the eBird trip report for my big day which lists all the species that I saw follow the link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/62226
Tatlayoko Lake Bird Observatory 