British Columbia Birds
Winter Summary 2002-2003

Compiled by Michael G. Shepard

-Click HERE for the index of observation summaries

• After the middle of December, Pacific Loons are very rare in the interior.  Single birds were at the Maude Roxby Sanctuary, Kelowna February 22 (Chris Charlesworth) and on Okanagan Lake near Vernon February 23 (Calvin Gehlen, Phil Gehlen).  Yellow-billed Loons were scarcer than usual, with only four reports received.
• Rare in winter, a Brown Pelican was at Race Rocks, reported December 16 (fide Victoria RBA) and February 20 (fide David Allinson).  A gathering of 54 Great Blue Herons at Duck Lake, Creston on January 29 (Michael McMann) provided a rather high interior tally.

• A female Blue-winged Teal, parked at Boundary Bay until at least December 1 provided an exceptionally late record for the province (Rick Toochin et al.).  Also on the late side for the interior were 6 Northern Shovelers at Riverside Park, Kamloops December 29 (Wayne Weber).
• Rare on the west side of the Vancouver Island Mountains, 3 Redheads were at the Port Alberni sewage lagoons January 4 (Guy Monty, Lindsay Jones).  A White-winged Scoter on Belgo Pond, Kelowna December 14 (Chris Charlesworth, Robin Yellowlees, Wilf Akerlund) was a first for that CBC.  Somewhat more widespread than usual, Long-tailed Ducks were reported from a number of locations in the southern interior throughout the winter.  In the interior, the high count of Red-breasted Mergansers was three, at the head of Okanagan Lake December 22 (Chris Siddle).

• Although not unprecedented, a couple of Ospreys were found in the Victoria area in late January.  One was in Colwood January 27 and another over Blenkinsop Lake January 28 (fide David Allinson).

SHOREBIRDS

• An American Avocet overwintered in the Boundary Bay area, spending most of its time at Beach Grove Lagoon.
• A Wandering Tattler at Ogden Point throughout the period provided the first January record of the species for the Victoria area.  Unusual in winter on Vancouver Island, a Marbled Godwit was at the foot of  Rutland Road, Oak Bay on December 14 (fide David Allinson) and on the Chain Islets January 18 (fide David Allinson).
• Very rare in winter away from the coast, individual Dunlin were at the north end of Osoyoos Lake December 27-29 (Doug Brown et al.) and at the head of Okanagan Lake near Vernon from February 13 onwards (Bill Cutfield et al.).
• During the winter months, small numbers of Red Phalaropes occur in Juan de Fuca Strait - they are rarely reported elsewhere at this season.  In mid-December, a major "wreck" of  phalaropes occurred along coast from BC to California, with several individuals turning up as far inshore as the Strait of Georgia, and even into the Willamette Valley in Oregon.  Quite a few were still present in early January.  Particularly impressive tallies included the 253 observed between Victoria and Port Angeles December 17 (Nathan Hentze et al.), and the 560 recorded on the Sooke CBC December 21 (fide Jack McLeod).

GULLS, ALCIDS

• Amazingly high numbers of California Gulls remained in the Strait of Georgia this winter.  Guy Monty tallied 871 birds between Nile Creek and Rathtrevor Beach February 7.  Iceland Gulls were well reported this winter.  An adult was in Delta December 22 to February 2 (Rick Toochin et al.), a second winter bird at Lost Lagoon, Stanley Park December 26 (Trent Glukler), a second winter bird at Todd Creek Flats, Saanich January 3 (fide David Allinson), and a juvenile along the Victoria Waterfront January 5 to February 25 (Michael Shepard et al.), and a first year bird at the Delta Landfill February 22 (Rick Toochin, Jukka Jantunen).  In the interior, an adult was at Vernon February 16 (Mike Tabak).
• LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were reported again from the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan.  Don Cecile located an immature bird at the mouth of Vernon Creek December 8.  It was tallied on the December 15 CBC (Chris Charlesworth et al.), providing the first provincial CBC record for the species.  The bird was last reported February 26 (Calvin Gehlen, Phil Gehlen).  Photos by Calvin Gehlen and Don Cecile have been posted.  Rick Toochin et al. located an adult in Delta on December 8.  It was re-found January 31 (Rick Toochin, Jamie Fenneman, by which time it had acquired alternate plumage.  An adult Slaty-backed Gull was along Burns Drive, Delta December 5 (Rick Toochin).  This species is now of annual occurrence on the south coast. 
• Huge numbers of Glaucous-winged Gulls were counted at the Delta Landfill and vicinity.  Rick Toochin et al estimated that upwards of 110,000 individuals were present.  Yet another spectacular find was the adult RED-LEGGED KITTIWAKE at Amphitrite Point January 2 (Mitch Meredith).
• Ancient Murrelet flights were sparsely reported this winter.  Jukka Jantunen noted 1,115 off Roberts Creek February 21.

HUMMINGBIRDS, WOODPECKERS

• The Anna's Hummingbird at Smithers was last reported January 14 (Jane Hoek et al.).  Coinciding with the first salmonberry blooms, an exceptionally early male Rufous Hummingbird was near Botanical Beach February 8 (Michael Shepard, Chris Shepard).
• Not often found on the coast, an immature Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was discovered in the Morgan Creek area of Surrey on December 29 (Randy Findlay, Jess Findlay, Liz Walker).

• Barn Swallows put on a tremendous winter showing, with regional high counts of 22 at Reifel Island January 28, 20-30 at Iona Island January 31 (fide Mitch Meredith) and 4 at Cattle Point, Oak Bay January 20.  Three Barn Swallows near the head of Ucluelet Inlet January 21 (Brian Slater) provided the first winter record for the outer west coast, and even more surprising was the single bird at Osoyoos January 27 (Doug Brown), a first for winter in  the interior.  Three other swallow species put in unseasonable appearances.  Three Tree Swallows were at Anderson Hill, Oak Bay on January 16 (fide David Allinson) and two Violet-Green Swallows along Dallas Road, Victoria January 9 & 22.  A Cliff Swallow was at Iona Island January 31 (fide Mitch Meredith).
• The fall Blue Jay invasion had more or less fizzled out by mid-December, with a only a smattering of birds reported this winter.
• A Rock Wren was at French Creek February 9-23 (Guy Monty, Heather Pratt et al.).  Rare on the coast, most Vancouver Island records of this species have been during the winter.
• A stunning tally of 149 American Dippers was made on the Lillooet CBC December 29 (fide Ken Wright).
• Perhaps attempting to repeat last years overwintering feat, three Ruby-crowned Kinglets were along the Waldie Island Trail, Castlegar on February 2 (Linda Van Damme).  
• Eclipsing its own Canadian record, the Penticton CBC tallied over 100 Western Bluebirds December 15 (fide Chris Charlesworth).
• North America's Crested Myna population is now extirpated.  The two birds that had been frequenting the vicinity of 1st Avenue and Wylie Street in Vancouver were last reported January 31 (fide Mitch Meredith).  The two birds were reportedly found dead nearby in February (fide Mark Wynja), and none has been seen recently despite active search by Vancouver birders. 
• It was an excellent early winter for warbler observations, with most of the regular species being recorded as well as some real rarities.  Following a typical pattern of vagrancy for this part of the world, a male BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER was at Kimberley December 11 (Ruth Goodwin et al.).  Individual Common Yellowthroats were reported from Sumas Prairie December 28 (Daniel Bastaja, Henry Savard), Blackie Spit January 16 to February 1 (fide Mitch Meredith), near the Boundary Bay Airport February 1 (Rob Worona) and in Central Saanich February 13 (fide David Allinson).  A HOODED WARBLER was tallied on the Duncan CBC December 28 and remained until at least December 31 (fide Derrick Marven).  This is one of the very few provincial records for this species.  In recent years, there have been quite few late fall and early winter reports of Wilson's Warblers.  Two were at Waldie Island, Castlegar as late as December 21 (Ed Beynon et al.).
• Spotted Towhees made a good winter showing in the Okanagan with 14 tallied on the Lake Country CBC December 29 (fide Chris Charlesworth).  The Savannah Sparrow found on the Penticton CBC December 15 (Doug Brown) provided an unusual winter record for the Okanagan.  The 80 Song Sparrows found near Thomson-Brook Pond, Kelowna on December 22 (Chris Charlesworth) constituted a very high tally for a single location.  Swamp Sparrows are now well-entrenched as a wintering species in southern BC.  High counts included the 3 on the Okanagan's Lake Country CBC December 29 (fide Chris Charlesworth), and at least 5 on the Port Alberni CBC January 4 (Guy Monty, Lindsay Jones).
• Unusually far north for this time of year, individual Western Meadowlarks were in the Kitseguecla Valley near Smithers December 21-26 (fide Rosamund Pojar) and in Mackenzie December 15 to January 7 (John A. Lambie et al.).  Yellow-headed Blackbirds were observed in a couple of locations in Delta the second half of December (fide Rick Toochin), and a male was at Chilliwack February 17 (fide Calvin Gehlen).  The Kelowna GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE, unreported since the spring, reappeared November 23 to February 27 (Ryan Tomlinson et al.).  A first winter male Baltimore Oriole was at a feeder in Port Alberni November 26 to December 7 (Sally Anderson).  This species is exceptionally rare west of the Rockies.

Click HERE for the index of observation summaries