[Smithers]

169A1065-Golden Eagle by Patrick Covello, on Flickr

A Golden Eagle at Serpentine Fen in Surrey...

Pat

[Steely]

Our first mid March outing above Osoyoos and despite the snow, we were rewarded with sightings of our first Williamson's of the year. He was less than cooperative but the season is young and we hope to get further opportunities...


Williamson's Sapsucker

[stumblingpiper]

Nice adds, Pat, Ian, and GMcD! I'm starting to see the migratory birds and the goldfinches getting their color now. I missed two birds earlier this year (Townsend's Solitaire and the Bohemian Waxwing) because we've had several different hawks hanging around this winter. Here's an example of one sitting in the backyard tree waiting for a tasty morsel! A very small Sharp-shinned Hawk. Sorry it's a little blurry -- I had to shoot it through the window before it swooped down for lunch. haha. These hawks have played havoc with the birds I see in the backyard.

[GMcD]

The miserable weather the last few days provided a bright break this afternoon (Tuesday March 25) so I took a walk at Terra Nova park in Richmond. The Red Currant and Salmonberry bushes were blooming, and I figured a few Rufous Hummingbirds might be around. Alas, after staking out a Red Currant bush for an hour, no visitors, so time for a walk to unstiffen my legs. Brown Creeper on a Pine tree, a Bewick's Wren gathering nesting materials, and I saw and heard a couple of Hermit Thrushes in the dense underbrush. Tree Swallows were back checking out the nesting boxes, and we don't have them on the List yet, so some shots were taken. On the way out I spotted a few Yellow Rumped Warblers flitting around, and one posed long enough for a couple of photos. I'll post it here with the Tree Swallows since the earlier Yellow Rumped Warbler I posted was a juvenile female, so this nice adult male Warbler is more representative. Here's the Tree Swallows and the YR Warbler (Audubon):

Tree Swallow pair by GMcD2008, on Flickr

Yellow Rumped Warbler Audubon by GMcD2008, on Flickr

[NewWestBirder]

White-winged Dove (Zenaida asiatica) by Randy, on Flickr

Great picture of the Williamson's earlier. Would love to see one on my next trip to the interior.

Happy to add this rarity to our collection.

[BillGyles]

Here is a Sage Thrasher that visited Nanaimo Estuary at the end of March. Not really sagebrush country. I hope it found its way home.
Sage Thrasher by Bill Gyles, on Flickr

[GMcD]

London's Landing pier always provides a little surprise from time to time. This morning had glimmers of brightness with fast moving clouds moving in, but it wasn't raining, so a quick walk down to the pier yielded a surprise - a pair of Ruddy Ducks gliding along the channel. Fun! They stayed relatively far off ,so low light, aggressive crop, and a noisy photo taken. So we can add the Ruddy Ducks to the list:

Ruddy Duck pair by GMcD2008, on Flickr

[GMcD]

After a brief time away, I was ready for some West Dyke action in Richmond with a bright sunny dawn patrol.

Savannah Sparrows are returning for the summer as well as a lot of Common Yellowthroats. Sitting at the end of Williams Road provided plenty of photo opportunities for these two birds to add to the list:

Savannah Sparrow by GMcD2008, on Flickr

Common Yellowthroat male by GMcD2008, on Flickr

[GMcD]

A nice bright morning down at the London's Landing pier, and there was a mixed flock of shorebirds across the channel moving back and forth. Among the group were some Long Billed Dowitchers, mixed in with Least Sandpipers and Dunlins. Also, the local swallows are all coming back and I was lucky to catch a Violet Green Swallow flying low over the glassy water.

We can add the Long Billed Dowitcher and the Violet Green Swallow to the list:

Long Billed Dowitcher by GMcD2008, on Flickr

Violet Green Swallow by GMcD2008, on Flickr

[GMcD]

Another beautiful clear sunny morning so a visit to Iona Park was in order. I was hoping the Yellow Headed Blackbirds may be showing up, as well as any shorebird action. Unfortunately the tide was out so most flocks of shorebirds were heading over to the north side of the Fraser River to dine on the tidal flats over there. A Yellow Headed Blackbird was seen by a person first thing in the morning near the parking lot by the washrooms, but alas, nowhere to be found by the time I got there at 7:20AM.

I consoled myself with a view of a few Caspian Terns that had shown up this week, as well as (finally) a Rufous Hummingbird surveying his domain. So we can add the Rufous Hummingbird and the Caspian Tern to the list now:

Rufous Hummingbird male by GMcD2008, on Flickr

Caspian Tern by GMcD2008, on Flickr

[GMcD]

Another bright morning and more shorebirds are showing up along Steveston Channel near the London's Landing pier. I wandered down early this morning to see what's happening, a few mixed flocks of Dunlins, Least Sandpipers, many Greater Yellowlegs, and even a Lesser Yellowlegs that mixed in to the group. I was watching a small flock of Least Sandpipers on one of the exposed mud flats and noted a slightly brighter sandpiper - fun - a Western Sandpiper trying to blend in with the gang. The Least Sandpiper has already been tagged to the list, but now we can add the Western Sandpiper to the growing list:

Western Sandpiper by GMcD2008, on Flickr