DARE TO BIRD

On Saturday after looking at two Say's Phoebes at the same time in Vancouver (which we have never seen before as they usually come through solitary) we decided to head down to Washington to photograph Long-tailed Ducks and Eared Grebes which had been hanging around Blaine Harbor for months. As we were crossing the border and told the Border Guard where we were going and what we were doing. He asked me what my favourite bird was and I proceeded to tell him it was a Rough-Legged Hawk. He then asked for the Latin name of the bird and I had no idea. I told him I honestly don't know and he remarked it probably wasn't your favorite bird and laughed and said have a good trip. After we were on the highway I asked Ilya if he knew the latin name of the bird and he said. I said what why didn't you tell me/him?!!. He said I didn't want to look like a geek... Guess Ilya liked seeing me squirm.  Honestly it's my favorite bird I tell you!! - Photo: Melissa Hafting ...

For Ilya's birthday present I promised I would take him to Sechelt to see the Rock Sandpipers and shorebirds. We were so busy so didn't get there until months after his birthday but sure glad we made it.We have always wanted to get good shots of Rock Sandpipers and it is hard to do anywhere but we tried our luck in a more reliable spot. Rock Sandpipers rarely come into the Vancouver area but are sometimes seen at Kloochman and Whytecliff Park in West Vancouver. I met up with Arnold Skei who was birding the area and we went on his property to bird. We birded and had a delicious fish and chips lunch in Gibsons and then went back when the tide was low and like a miracle it was full of shorebirds. Arnold screamed to us from his property that he had a Rock Sandpiper we got to him but at that time he had lost it and it had flown across the channel. We walked around as it was too deep to cross and were greeted by Surfbirds, Black Turnstones and Black Oystercatchers. There was no si...

I went 3 times to see this mega rarity, a female type Red-flanked Bluetail and I saw it 2 times. The first view was so brief I was unsatisfied and decided to return. I was glad I did because I had the bird in the open for a full 5 mins! I took young birder Liam Singh and Camille Faubert and Janice Melendez. It was excited to see Liam so happy after getting this awesome lifer.  This bird was a very painful twitch for me. I saw it first with Ilya when we went over on December 30th. At the time I had her in partial view for a total of 2-4 seconds! This was the toughest twitch I've ever been on. It is one expensive ferry ride and a long drive each attempt. It was freezing cold and the first day we stood outside for 6 hours straight. The second day, another 6 hrs and yesterday only a short 4 hours! The bird follows no real pattern and is unpredictable and skulky.  I have spent 16 hours on this bird and only came away with this poor record shot. I worked so bloody hard for it that ...

I went to Abbotsford to twitch the male Lesser Goldfinch at the Brookside Inn. This is the second year a Lesser Goldfinch has returned to that feeder. Last year they had a female though. When I arrived I spotted it right away in a large flock of American Goldfinches at the feeder by the parking lot. Young birder Katya Kondratyuk pulled up shortly after and I helped her get on the bird and she was thrilled. Male Lesser Goldfinch in Abbotsford, BC - Photo: Melissa Hafting You can read more about this sighting at my other blog the BC RBA HERE

Mike Tabak, Ilya Povalyaev, Quentin Brow, Peter Candido and I went over to Victoria BC to get BC's first Purple Sandpiper. This bird was my favorite twitch of 2017. Jeremy Gatten found this bird on Dec 30th and identified it as a Purple Sandpiper. The bird was around before he found it but thought to be an aberrant Rock Sandpiper. Kudos to Jeremy Gatten for thinking outside of the box. I sent flight shots of photos of this bird from several individuals to shorebird experts including Kevin Karlson, Peter Pyle, Michael O'brien and it was concluded that this bird was a Purple Sandpiper. It still needs to be reviewed by the BC Bird Records Committee to be accepted to the official BC list but there is no doubt that this is a Purple Sandpiper after speaking to experts. Our group was lucky that when we went the Sandpiper approached the rocks we were sitting on at Kitty Islet. This bird became difficult later on with distant scope views only on little Trial Island. This bird was las...

At sunset this 3rd winter Golden Eagle flew right over my head! What a stunning bird and lucky moment for me. Flight shots are my weak point so I always try to practice when I can. This is the third winter that this beautiful bird has returned to Boundary Bay. Mike Tabak was the first to find him this winter on Dec 13th. This was a special day as earlier in the day I had seen the 1st winter Black-headed Gull that Ilya Povalyaev found in the same spot. See that post HERE Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! Golden Eagle in flight over Delta - Photo: Melissa Hafting

I twitched 2 different Black-headed Gulls (BHGU) in 3 different locations this year. There were 3 different birds in the province this year one in Vancouver, Delta and Sayward. The first one I twitched was an adult found by Edward Nygren at Trout Lake. I successfully found him right at the lake as he sat on the water. I then saw him at the Cardero Sea Wall where it had been relocated by James Palmer on Feb 6th. The Gull was at Cardero Rd and Beach Ave at English Bay in Vancouver, BC. This gull appears to be the same adult gull that was first seen at Trout Lake between Jan 25th-31st, 2016. He is currently in winter plumage. In nearby WA state they have had 2 different BHGU's this February in Monroe! It is an incredibly rare phenomenon in the Pacific Coast! The last Black-headed Gull before this in BC was in 2001 and in WA the last BHGU before this year was I believe 1993. After that I didn't chase it to Spanish Banks or Iona where it was subsequently sighted. I did however ...

This bird was found today by visiting Washington State birders Andy and Ellen Stepniewski. The bird was at Esquimalt Lagoon in Colwood, BC on Vancouver Island. This bird moved fast and jumped around like a little mouse. He was not easy to photograph during my visit (hence my record shot) but I sure was happy to see him. This bird unfortunately had 2 ticks on the left side of his face which you cannot see in this photo. Many are wondering if this is the same bird seen recently in Neah Bay, WA. This is the second time BC birders got to see BC's second record of a bird after missing the single observer sighting the year before. Recently the same thing happened with a Lucy's Warbler. Field Sparrow in Colwood - Photo: Melissa Hafting You can read more about this sighting at my other blog the BC RBA HERE

Ilya and I went up to Kelowna, BC to twitch the Lucy's Warbler that Michelle Lamberson originally found the September 25th at Sunset Park a few months before. During the 5 hour drive we were getting anxious. It had just been relocated at the same location on November 12th by Chris Charlesworth, Chris Siddle, Ann Gibson and Michael Force. When we got there we got great views of the bird after Mike Toochin heard it calling.  This was the second record for the province. The first record was a single observer sighting in Castlegar a few months before in May. We never thought we would get the chance to see one again so quickly! We also saw a rare for the area Green Heron and a late Least Flycatcher. Later on we travelled to Vernon and twitched Chris Siddle's good looking adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Female Lucy's Warbler in Kelowna, BC - Photo: Melissa Hafting  You can read more about this sighting at my other blog HERE

Since I was a little girl my dad would take me to view the large flocks of Snow Geese that pass through every winter in the lower mainland. Some farmers hate them and want to shoot them as they eat up the crops like tubers along with the swans. The Geese are voracious eaters and noisy too but I love the noise they make. Ilya and I were driving to Brunswick Point for sunset when we saw a large field full of Snow Geese along with some Blue Geese. It was amazing to see over the 150,000 estimated Snow Geese in the fields. There was 3 Blue Geese present in the flock that we could see. We looked for an Emperor and Ross's Goose but to no avail. I am always eager to pratice flight shots so did that when the flock took up. Here is a video Ilya Povalyaev made of the geese taking flight it was so moving to watch. I am still in awe everytime I see large Snow Geese flocks taking flight. They are so beautiful with their white and black tipped wings. For this reason I get several re...