Ann Nightingale's Baillie Birdathon 2014



Ann’s Big Day – Baillie Birdathon, 2014 

It may come as a surprise to some that prior to my Baillie Birdathon weekend, I had never done a 24 hour “Big Day”. For the non-birders who might be reading this, a “Big” day or year is one where a birder sets out to see as many species as possible in the relevant time frame.  Bird Studies Canada uses the Baillie Birdathon as a major fundraiser each year.  Birders can pick any 24 hour period during the month of May to complete their birdathons, and location is flexible.  I have completed prior birdathon days in Texas, Ontario, and Arkansas, but my 2014 was destined to be closer to home, so I decided to make it a true “Big Day” and go birding from 6 am Saturday, May 17 to 6 am Sunday, May 18. 

There is a strategy to doing a Big Day; you want to use your time efficiently, and want to maximize the number of species you might see. This means you want to cover as many different habitats as you can, and ensure that you are in the right places at the right time.  My 6 am start gave me two shots at or near dawn, when land birds are at their noisiest, a strategy that proved valuable for my total.

The day started at Francis King Park with Rick Schortinghuis and Jannaca Chick. We got our first Swainson’s Thrushes, Golden-crowned Kinglets, American Robins, Townsend’s Warblers and about a dozen other species before most sane people were up. Rick heard a Black-throated Gray Warbler, but I missed it. I also opted not to go after a Cassin’s Vireo that Jannaca and Rick had heard before I arrived, but I was confident that I’d come across those species later in the day. We moved on to Pike Lake where the bird numbers were low, but there were at least three beavers in the lake! That was a big treat for me. Born and raised in Victoria, beavers were mythological creatures—never to be found locally. Beavers are rebounding on southern Vancouver Island and may now be seen on a regular basis on small lakes and ponds in the region. I was pleased to find some Cedar Waxwings there, a species that can be found in Victoria all year round, but not usually when you are looking for them. Other birds added by the end of this portion of the day included both Anna’s and Rufous Hummingbirds, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, and Western Tanager.

At 7:30 am, we met up with the Victoria Natural History Society’s Saturday morning birding group for a walk along the trails at Stewart Mountain Rd and Scafe Hill. We added several new species, including Turkey Vulture, MacGillivray’s Warbler (great looks), Chipping Sparrow, Bewick’s Wren, Red-tailed Hawk, and the season’s first Willow Flycatcher. The Cassin’s Vireo I was hoping for put in an appearance while we were all enjoying looks at the Willow Flycatcher. I now had 7 of the 8 warbler species, just missing that Black-throated Gray that Rick had heard earlier. At 46 species, Jannaca and I left the group and headed for my first (of many) Tim Horton’s tea of the day and a hope for Golden Eagle. No such luck. Since we were so close, we checked a couple of spots at Goldstream for American Dipper, and again left empty-handed.

En route to our next stop at Royal Roads University, I picked up House Sparrow and Rock Pigeon. The thing about a big day is that every species counts as exactly 1, no matter how common or rare. The RRU/Esquimalt Lagoon loop routinely turns up more than 70 species in early May, but just a few weeks on the calendar can make a big difference, particularly in terms of waterfowl, seabirds, and shorebirds. My target birds at RRU included two species of owl, the Trumpeter Swan that has been hanging around with Mute Swans at the lagoon, and possible sweeps of woodpeckers and swallows. Purple Martins, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Barred Owls, Hutton’s and Warbling Vireos, and a surprise Golden-crowned Sparrow cooperated; Red-breasted Sapsucker, Trumpeter Swan and Cliff Swallow did not. At this point, Rick caught up with us, and helped with spotting on campus and at Esquimalt Lagoon. We were remarking on how we were still missing a good number of common birds, so Rick went ahead to scout out the south end of the lagoon. Jannaca and I gave one more try for a couple of woodpeckers, but came back with only a second Barred Owl. 

On the ocean side of the lagoon, Rick was keeping a close eye on two birds we were looking for: Brewer’s Blackbird and Northwestern Crow. Yes, that’s right. We did not see a single crow between 6 am and 11 am. Perhaps just as surprising, we did not have Great Blue Heron, and driving the length of the lagoon didn’t change that. Our only gull was the ubiquitous Glaucous-winged, and no terns graced us with their presence. Things were going much slower than hoped, but there was still lots of light left in the day—I hoped.

Rick and Jannaca were off to other things after this part of the adventure, so after a quick stop for lunch at—where else?—Tim’s, I headed west with 67 species on the list, on to the Metchosin gravel pit (Savannah Sparrow, Killdeer) and Albert Head Lagoon. At the lagoon, I found a surprise—a female Common Goldeneye. There were a few other ducks, including Gadwall, so I felt like things were back on track. Next stop: Witty’s Lagoon.

At Witty’s Lagoon, my hopes were high for shorebirds and a few other common birds that I was missing. It’s quite a long walk to the mud flats, so I hoped the time would be well spent. Along the way, I heard the robins declaring that an owl was in the area, so with visions of a Great Horned, I followed their calls. It was my third Barred Owl for the day, and in the nearby teaching shelter (built by the Victoria Natural History Society), was a group of 4H kids and their families, oblivious to the drama just a few metres away. I told them about the owl, and put my scope on it so everyone could have a good look. We talked about owls and robins, and how you could learn the different calls of birds to understand what was going on. Then I headed to the mudflats to discover—nothing. A Mallard family, a Belted Kingfisher, and a few Mute Swans—all species already on my list. In fact, in stops all along William Head Rd (Taylor Rd, Weir’s Beach, Swanwick Rd), the only new addition were Surf Scoters seen offshore. I had time for one more Metchosin stop, so I headed up, way up, to the top of Leefield Rd, where I routinely find Steller’s Jays and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, and had hopes for a Northern Pygmy Owl or a Hammond’s Flycatcher. I tooted away on a whistle to simulate the Pygmy Owl and drew in quite a crowd. This is a good sign that they know about Pygmy Owls, but none saw fit to show up. Unfortunately, none of the birds who responded to my call were the species I was looking for. A Cassin’s Vireo came in for a close look, which is always appreciated.

It was time to head east to the Saanich Peninsula, including another drive-by of Esquimalt Lagoon. En route, a Cooper’s Hawk flew across Metchosin Rd, and finally Great Blue Herons were in the lagoon. Yes, I grabbed another cup of tea long the way, and then made a stop at Panama Flats. Rick had scouted it out and advised me that there were potentially 8 new species for me there, and indeed there were, including three species of teal, a surprise Snow Goose, and Greater White-fronted Geese. I also added two more birders to my day list, spending a few minutes with Don and Vanessa Kramer. Continuing along the peninsula, I missed the birds I wanted at Viaduct Flats.  No sign of the Great Horned Owl family or the Pied-billed Grebe that were there on Thursday. Big days can seem very small at times! At Maber Flats, I added Virginia Rail, but not Sora, then a quick trip home to “tick” the Black-throated Gray Warbler that I had been missing the whole day. Thankfully, one or two pairs breed in my yard. The Central Saanich Rd fields yielded one singing Sky Lark, and then it was off to the airport in hopes of an American Kestrel. Sadly, those hopes were quickly dashed.

It was clear at that point that I could not get to Jordan River before dark, so I decided to stay outside until sundown. Pigeon Guillemots were numerous off the Sidney fishing pier, and a single Rhinoceros Auklet and an unexpected Western Grebe added to the day’s total. I headed back to Maber Flats near dusk to watch for a Barn Owl flyby.  Owls are known to hunt over the flats, but you have to be lucky to see one. I wasn’t lucky for owl that night, but I did add one new bird to my list when a Sora called. I made one last stop before heading home for supper, and parked near a “known” Barn Owl nest, hoping that I might hear one out hunting.  No such luck.  I headed home, happy with a total of 94 and optimistic that I would add to that in the morning.

My Birdathon strategy included time for travel after dark. After a quick bite to eat and a few minutes to answer some emails, I changed vehicles and set out on the road in a camper van I bought last fall for just such purposes. My goal was to get to Jordan River and find a place to park around midnight. One last stop for gas and two(!) cups of Tim’s tea for the road, and I was on my way for my first overnight run in the van.

There is an advantage to driving late at night—the traffic is a lot lighter.  I made it to Jordan River shortly after midnight and found a somewhat secluded spot to park in a new residential development in the forest—stealth camping!  My bed was already made, and getting ready was a breeze.  I kind of liked this totally self-contained “instant” camping.  I set my alarm for 3:30 am and waited for the owls to start calling.  However, I can’t tell you if they did, as I was deep asleep within minutes.  At 3:30, so was everything else in the forest.  Silence! The same situation at 4 am.  At home, the Violet-green Swallows are up and hunting well before dawn, but not so here. Finally at 4:30, the first American Robin started to sing.  It was quickly joined by Hermit, Varied and Swainson’s Thrushes—two more ticks!  Nothing new started up, so I headed toward the beach, stopping long enough to pick up Hairy Woodpecker en route.  The water was beautifully calm—and dark, too shaded to make out the details of the floating shapes in the distance.  Time was ticking, but I wasn’t!  I only had until 6 am to get more species.  Finally, around 5:30, the light was good enough to pick out Common Loons and Marbled Murrelets.  A walk to the bridge over the river finished off the list with Cliff Swallow and Fox Sparrow, and a very surprised mink.  It had been sleeping under the deck of the bridge and appeared quite startled to find a human up so early.  I ended my 24 hour birdathon with a respectful total of 101 species!

The trip back to Victoria was stress-free and allowed for reflection on the events of the previous 24 hours.  We are so fortunate to live in this beautiful part of the world and to get to share it with so many amazing creatures. That a person can see more than a hundred species within a day, spend time with others of like interests, share their experiences, and help a worthy cause all at the same time is such a privilege.  The competition aspect was fun and provided incentive to get out there and do it.  I already have ideas for how I might attempt to break my own record next year! Money raised during the Baillie Birdathon is used to support Bird Studies Canada and nature organizations across Canada.  My quest was in support of Rocky Point Bird Observatory.  If you are able to help advance these organizations, please click this link to be directed to my birdathon page.

My list:

Greater White-fronted Goose

Snow Goose

Canada Goose

Mute Swan

Wood Duck

Gadwall

American Wigeon

Mallard

Blue-winged Teal

Cinnamon Teal

Northern Shoveler

Green-winged Teal

Surf Scoter

Common Goldeneye

Hooded Merganser

California Quail

Common Loon

Western Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

Great Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Virginia Rail

Sora

Killdeer

Black Oystercatcher

Spotted Sandpiper

Glaucous-winged Gull

Pigeon Guillemot

Marbled Murrelet

Rhinoceros Auklet

Rock Pigeon

Band-tailed Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-dove

Barred Owl

Anna’s Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbird

Belted Kingfisher

Downy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker

Northern Flicker

Pileated Woodpecker

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Willow Flycatcher

Pacific-slope Flycatcher

Cassin’s Vireo

Hutton’s Vireo

Warbling Vireo

Northwestern Crow

Common Raven

Sky Lark

Purple Martin

Tree Swallow

Violet-green Swallow

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Cliff Swallow

Barn Swallow

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Bushtit

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Brown Creeper

House Wren

Pacific Wren

Marsh Wren

Bewick’s Wren

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Swainson’s Thrush

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

Varied Thrush

European Starling

Cedar Waxwing

Orange-crowned Warbler

MacGillivray’s Warbler

Common Yellowthroat

Yellow Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Townsend’s Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Spotted Towhee

Chipping Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

Western Tanager

Black-headed Grosbeak

Red-winged Blackbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Purple Finch

House Finch

American Goldfinch

House Sparrow