The Red-footed Booby chase to Victoria

On Sunday Sept 6-2026, Nathan Hentze found a second cycle dark morph Red-Footed Booby on Race Rocks in Victoria. This was during an Eagle Wing x Rocky Point Bird Observatory trip. I used to take the young birders on trips to Race Rocks. One of the first ever pelagic trips I did with them was to there and we had a Red Phalarope and all 3 species of Jaegers. You can read about that trip here.

I went along with some friends and chartered a boat and we saw the bird. The weather was gorgeous and the seas were flat calm. I missed the only other rare birds on the trip, some Sabine’s Gulls but all of my focus was on the Red-footed Booby (RFBO). I have seen thousands of these birds before in Hawaii but I never tire of them. Hawaii has mostly white morphs but you do see dark morphs there too. There are more dark morphs in Mexico and the Galapagos. This bird likely came from Mexico due to the El Niño that is currently happening. We have had a huge influx of Sulids in BC and WA because of it including Nazca, Cocos, Masked and Red-footeds. We have also had the same effect with Elegant Terns, which I hope soon to connect with. These birds are all searching for food.

The Red-footed Booby was #466 for me for BC and #501 for Canada.

This Red-footed Booby is the second record for BC and third for Canada and the first chase-able one in Canada. I went and saw a Red-footed Booby that my friend Steve Hampton found 2 years ago in Port Townsend and WA currently has one now in Westport.

Ever since that first RFBO showed up off Haida Gwaii on a fishing vessel in 2018 it’s been one of my most wanted birds for the province, so it was so cool to finally get it!

It is really nice to see so many birders getting this bird in Victoria. Birders from Ontario and AB have been out to see it and the longer it stays the more will come. The cool thing is even whale watching boats are making stops to see this bird and doing dedicated trips so chartering a boat isn’t even necessary. 

Red-footed Booby in Victoria - Photos: Melissa Hafting




 

Comments

  1. JimSeptember 12, 2026 at 8:09 AM

    Congratulations, Mel. I think I saw a photo or two of the one in Washington. I don't comment often but I do read all of your trip reports and see your awesome photos.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Quentin BrownSeptember 12, 2026 at 8:27 PM

    Well done, Mel. Lovely photos!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Hawk Identification Tips from every angle (Sharpie vs Cooper and Red-tailed Subspecies)

Image
I get several questions about the difference between accipiters. The most common ones are between Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper's Hawks and between Cooper's Hawks vs Northern Goshawks (to a lesser degree). Next, I get many questions dealing with a certain race of buteos the Western Red-tailed Hawk and Harlan's. So I thought I would do a post on these to help answer those questions. I will deal with Cooper's and Sharpies and not Goshawks because they are much more common here and look much more alike. My friend John Reynolds inspired me to write this up. COOPER'S AND SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS EYE COLOUR - YELLOW OR ORANGE? RED? Normally a juvenile Cooper's hawk has a bright yellow eye and a Juvie Sharpie has a orange eye but some cooper's can have a dull yellow eye that looks a bit orangish. Cooper's Hawks usually only transition to the orange eye colour when they are sub adults, so in good light, it's a very very reliable feature. However you ...
Read more

Dowitcher Identification

Image
Birders notoriously find it difficult to tell Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers apart. I have got a request to do an identification explanation on them so here goes, I hope it will be helpful. Short-billed Dowitchers and Long-billed look so similar. Using their habitat is helpful but not diagnostic. Short-billed Dowitchers tend to prefer Salt water and brackish water and Long-billed Dowitchers tend to prefer fresh water. However, I have OFTEN seen Short-billeds in freshwater and Long-billeds in brackish and salt water. Therefore, DO NOT rely on habitat. Another feature many people will tell you to rely on is spotting on the side of the flanks of Short-billeds and barring on the side of Long-billeds. Usually this is a mark that you can use but it is not always as distinct as you like. I have seen Short-billeds with a barred appearance to the flanks. It is only at the side of the breast where you have to look for this diagnostic feature for the spots on a Short-billed and t...
Read more

STINT IDENTIFICATION

Image
As per request, here are some tips that I hope will be helpful in identifying and differentiating Red-necked Stint from Little Stint. I will also do a brief intro on Long-toed and Temminck's Stint... if you build it they will come right?😉 Red-necked and Little Stints look very much alike in worn breeding plumage. The amount of Red on the face, throat and breast in Red-necked Stint is vary variable). They look even more alike in non-breeding plumage, that is why it is essential to learn structural differences to separate the two. They are similar to Semipalmated Sandpipers as well as Sanderlings. Both species are often confused for Red-necked Stints. Little Stints rarely get confused with Sanderling because they have a hind toe which helps differentiate it from this species. Sanderlings in breeding or worn breeding are usually confused with Red-necked Stints but they are much larger than Red-necked Stints. Let's first start with Bills in this complicated ID proces...
Read more

*Updated - The most famous Red-tailed Hawk is eating fish on the ground just like a Bald Eagle!

Image
Update - There are plans in the works to make a documentary film on this young Red-tailed Hawk who thinks he's an Eagle. You can read the latest news about that on CBC HERE . Watch this incredible footage of the little Red-tailed Hawk who grew up in a family of three Eaglets and 2 Bald Eagle Parents. He is imprinted now on Bald Eagles. He looks and acts just like one, as you can see here in the video below. He is standing over a large salmon carcass, just like a Bald Eagle would and he's eating the decaying flesh. Red-tailed Hawks like to eat voles and rabbits etc. not fish! Imprinting is usually irreversible according to raptor expert David Bird. However, I hope it's reversible so that he doesn't attempt to mate with a Bald Eagle, as the Eagle would kill him because it would view him as a Hawk. Eagle expert David Hancock said that the bird will likely starve and get killed by an eagle. He said this possibly can be prevented if someone grabs it and takes it to O...
Read more

1 year since I lost my father

Image
My dad and I whom I miss terribly. One year on since I lost him. Today would have been my mother's bday. Her name was Valerie and it is also the first year anniversary of the death of my beloved father, Arne. There is not a day that goes by where I don't think of them. Now for ever more the day of his death will be connected to her birthday, a very sad day but in a way that connection is beautiful to tie them together. My beautiful family before we lost both parents. I put flowers down at their grave to celebrate them both today. I hate that it is one year since I told him I loved him and hugged him. I miss him so very much. I miss his voice, his love and guidance and support. The ground for me feels shakier without his guidance and safety. I hate I will never see him again or talk to him again. Can't believe how quick time passes. This is why it is so important we treasure every single day to the fullest and tell those we love them. I will never forget the day he passed aw...
Read more