Spring might be near????

I have grown a little tired of writing "went looking for Hutton's Vireo. As usual, didn't find it".

On Sunday, finally, I did locate one visually. I had decided to spend the morning walking around Royal Roads University in search of it, as well as any other migrants that may have shown up. There were lots of Ruby-crowned Kinglets singing from nearly every branch of every tree and bush, a noisy flock of Pine Siskins, a calling Pileated Woodpecker, and a calling Cooper's Hawk, plus the bonus Red Crossbill flock overhead. As I was about to give up, I noticed what I took at first for a kinglet on Ritalin, calmly preening in a shrub. Upon closer examination, it turned out to be my long-sought Big Year Nemesis, in the feather! The bird quietly worked through the shrub and a nearby tree, affording incredible views (and me with my camera in it's usual place, at home).

The past few days have been spent looking for arrivals at a few key locations. Observatory Hill has been my first stop on the way into the office every day this week, and after Monday's snow and Tuesday's wind, I had almost given up. This morning was calm and warm, but despite a thorough search, I only turned up my first Checklist Area Rufous Hummingbird of the year, plus a singing Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Afterward, a quick jaunt down to Viaduct Flats yielded two more species for my Big Year total in the form of 4 Northern Rough-winged Swallows and a male Common Yellowthroat. Up to 148, only 104 species and eight and a half months left!

All of the usual spots have failed to turn up a migrant teal, though there are still 8 or so representatives of the Green-winged variety at the pond at the corner of Burnside and Charlton. This afternoon, none of them seemed to mind the Red-tailed Hawk that was gathering nesting material on the edge of the pond 10ft away.

Still awaiting the arrival of Townsend's Solitaire........

Good birding,