This afternoons walk along the tidal flats of Boundary Bay was not turning up too much.
American Pipit
There were still some American Pipits frequenting the beach,
Pectoral Sandpiper
… along with a few dozen Pectoral Sandpipers.
Pectoral Sandpiper
So I spent a little time with them while they foraged for food on my way back.
Pectoral Sandpiper
I finished with this shot of a Pectoral Sandpiper in one of the tidal pools. I was back up on the dyke when the tide and Black-bellied Plover flock came in. Near the air park I also managed another look at the Ash-throated Flycatcher to end the days walk.
Another beautiful afternoon and a half decent crowd at Reifel when I showed up to help out on the trails. On the birding front there were 57 Sandhill Cranes that showed up in the sanctuary late yesterday to roost for the evening. The highlight from the morning walk were the Sora and Virginia Rail showing well at the north corner of the west pond. Also of note was another sighting of a Hudsonian Godwit yesterday. With this in mind I started my walk around the outer ponds. The only shorebirds were Yellowlegs and Dowitchers. On reaching the northwest corner,
Sora
… the Sora (I saw two) were active and making brief appearances. While I did also manage to see one of the Virginia Rail, it was not cooperating for photos. I then spent some time checking the east dyke and inner trails seeing my first Dark-eyed Junco of the fall. It was after 3:30 pm and I decided to make one last pass of the west field. Things had changed since earlier with greater numbers and variety of shorebirds present. Then about half way along,
Hudsonian Godwit
… the Hudsonian Godwit had shown up. It was hanging around with the Dowitchers and Yelllowlegs. A rare visitor to this area,
Hudsonian Godwit
… but what made it even more interesting was the plumage. It was closer to breeding plumage instead of the plainer grey you would expect to see at this time of year.
Hudsonian Godwit
It has been a few years since I have seen one, so this was a pleasant end to the day.
After being reported a couple of days ago, I managed to get out to Boundary Bay this morning to look for the Ash-throated Flycatcher. A fairly rare visitor to this area, usually not venturing further north than southern Washington State. On arriving I heard that it had been seen early in the morning, but not in the last few hours. There were a handful other birders present and we were spread out along the dyke watching for it. After a couple of hours everyone else had left and I was beginning to wonder if it would reappear. As I was contemplating leaving myself, I noticed something different in a tree to the west of me near the end of the hangers in the air field. On getting closer,
Ash-throated Flycatcher
… I found the Ash-throated Flycatcher tucked away in the branches. It was busy preening and stretching.
Ash-throated Flycatcher
It was difficult trying to get a decent shot shooting between the branches. Then it promptly disappeared down in behind the trees. Not long after this more birders and photographers showed up. I pointed out where I had last seen the bird and the watch began again. About an hour later it was spotted in the same area with a dragonfly. Unfortunately I missed that part,
Ash-throated Flycatcher
… but did get another photo. Then it popped down into the trees out of sight again. While a little closer and/or more in the open would have been nice, I’m not going to complain. This is the first Ash-throated Flycatcher I have seen and another addition to my life photo list.
