More Dogs than Birds, and "Mini Pelagic" Take 2

The weather gods were kind to us this weekend, and I decided to thank them in my own way, by spending the entire weekend birding.

Saturday was supposed to be a cleanup run, to pick up those residents (Golden Eagle, Pileated Woodpecker, Purple Finch, Barred Owl, etc) that have eluded me so far. Alas, it was not to be. My first couple of stops of the day, at the group campsite at Goldstream Park, followed by the Goldstream Park day use area, yielded only one of the three park targets, in the form of a Golden Eagle which was sharing the skies around Mt. Finlayson with 5 Bald Eagles, a Merlin, and a Red-tailed Hawk. I was also treated to 2 Red-breasted Sapsuckers sharing a tree with a male Downy Woodpecker and a male Hairy Woodpecker. No Pileated in sight.

The next few stops were dismal. A journey to Whiffin Spit had me dodging dogs every 10ft, much the same situation I encountered at Albert Head Lagoon, another of my favourite spots. I really should have cut my losses at that point, but I carried on to Esquimalt Lagoon and Swan Lake, both of which were quiet on the bird front. My last stop of the day was Cuthbert Holmes Park, for the resident Barred Owl. Turns out the bird is seen regularly, and I encountered a dog-walker who had seen it the day before. No go on Saturday.

Sunday was Take Two on the MV Coho, still hoping for winter pelagics. The weather was much more birder-friendly than it was last weekend, but the trip yielded the same species, with higher numbers of Pigeon Guillemot and Rhinoceros Auklet showing well. The one cause for celebration was the seen-again Cassin's Auklet, which this time was accommodating to the point of being well inside Canadian waters. The other treat was seeing a flock of 500+ Mew Gulls with others about 750m SE of the Ogden Point Breakwater, presumably feeding on a bait ball.

My guess is this will be my last MV Coho trip for a few months, as pelagics will be sparse, and the migrants will be showing up soon, but June or July will undoubtedly find me out there again.

Good Birding!