Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Warblers














At one point yesterday from the kitchen I could see the following species in the yard.
-American Robin
-White-crowned Sparrow
-Yellow-rumped Warbler
-Yellow Warbler
-Wilson's Warbler
-Pine Siskin
-American Crow
-Anna's Hummingbird
-Rufous Hummingbird
-European Starling
It was the first time all year that I'd seen those warbler species and the first time ever that I'd seen a Wilson's warbler from home. Shane was chasing the siskins who were mating while the single Yellow-rumped warbler foraged in the driveway. The hummingbirds only just began feeding at the feeder again. It was the first day I had seen rufous feeding at the feeder all year. Both males and females of both species were seen. The female Anna's dominated the feeder.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Shane

During the first spring living here I was surprised to see white-crowned sparrows in and around the yard as most field guides show their distribution to end about half way up Vancouver Island. While watching them one day the name Shane popped into my head and it seemed a fitting match for them. I had only ever known 2 Shane's in my life as a boy and they were both really nice kids. Later that same day I found out that one of the Shane's that I had known so many years previous had just been killed in a motorcycle accident.

Shane's Life



Shane continues to come back to the yard every spring after being absent from late summer onwards. He becomes increasingly tame as time goes on. Last year, Shane and Shane nested in the hedge next to the fence and had 2 broods. The first was fledged on May 29th and the second on July 28th. On one occasion I was able to watch from 10 feet away as Shane gathered insects from the garden and fed them to a fledging hiding amongst the plants. If you closely in the photos you can see Shane with insects in his beak in one frame and the gape of fledgling with adult Shane off to the side in the next frame.


This year, Shane returned on April 24th along with some Golden-crowned sparrows who did not stay for too long. Sightings were sporadic until just recently when yesterday I witnessed Shane gathering nesting material in the backyard. Today, Shane and Shane were mating in the front yard. (see photos) It is interesting to note that things are happening much later for them this year likely in relation to the cooler weather than usual that we've been having here. As the Pugetensis sub-species of White-crowned Sparrow affectionately referred to as Shane is a common sight from home I expect more blogs on the topic will be published in the future.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Whimbrels


2 Whimbrels flew past today and then landed on the beach out front. They got chased by some crows then landed again. 1 foraged while the other watched the sky nervously. They then flew off to the north. This is the first time I have seen Whimbrels from home. They have been added to the list below. (Photo from past sighting off Stephenson Islands)

Monday, May 2, 2011

Spring Migration


During the last week of April many migrants returned to their summer home and/or passed by mine on the way. Species seen for the first time this year during the last week were:

White-crowned Sparrow (Pugetensis)
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
House Finch
Orange-crowned Warbler
Minke Whale

Other migratory species seen near home but not from home include:

Rufous Hummingbird
Violet-green Swallow
Bonaparte's Gull
Humpback Whale