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Fledgling Anna's
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýI¡¯m attaching two photos of what appears to be a very newly fledged Anna¡¯s, which came to my feeder at about 8:30 am when the temperature was zero to minus one, and just sat there shivering with its eyes mostly closed.? When the sun started shining on the feeder it clearly perked up and started feeding occasionally, but it stayed there for about four hours and finally disappeared about 12:30 pm.? Its back was the usual iridescent green, and its bill was very small and thin (not immediately obvious in these telephoto shots). ? I know that Anna¡¯s nest very early, but this is January 17!? I would not have been surprised if it had been late February or early March. ? Comments? ? Bob Dyer |
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FW: ?HUMMINGBIRDS NEED YOUR HELP??
From: Coleen Doucette, Wildlife Rescue Association of BC [mailto:c.doucette@...]
Sent: January-15-20 11:49 AM To: Colin Subject: ?HUMMINGBIRDS NEED YOUR HELP?? ?
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Re: FW: [CALBIRDS] Alternatives to the Perpetual Big Year
This is a good question Wayne and one we definitely struggle with. On the one hand we try to do everything at home in an environmentally friendly way whether it¡¯s the electric car or the way in which we shop and try to put back with the educational work we do at VARC but on the other hand we continue to travel the world to see birds ¨C it¡¯s definitely a conflict!
We all draw the line where it best suits us but the one thing we can all do I suppose, is to at least be aware that all of our actions have consequences for the environment and try to mitigate them wherever we can.
I was advised to pick something you care about. It can be local or global, reducing racism or fighting climate change. Educate yourself, make close friends with others who are different from you, volunteer at the hospital, work for a political cause, or help plant a garden. Lower your carbon footprint. Add your voice and energy. Plant seeds for a more compassionate future. You can¡¯t change it all, but your freedom empowers you to contribute to the world. I thought this was good advice.
Thanks for posting!
Derek Matthews (VARC)
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Re: [CALBIRDS] Alternatives to the Perpetual Big Year
Thanks for sharing that Wayne. Very good food for thought. Listing and twitching can be such fun¡. I know because I have done enough of it¡. but I have always felt that, from a larger viewpoint, it is a bit meaningless. I guess you could say that about anything in life, but we need stuff to keep us occupied. And if we enjoy that stuff, so much the better. :)
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Justin didn¡¯t reference one other environmental impact. The extra emissions from all that flying and driving that you would not otherwise do if you weren¡¯t doing a Big Year or twitching all the rarities. It may not seem like much for one individual, but if you multiply that by the hundreds of thousands of hardcore birders the world over, and over many years, it is not an insignificant amount. He talks about something that for me has always been my peak birding experience. Going some place where nobody goes and finding an unexpected super rarity that nobody knew was there. For me this beats all other birding experiences hands down! D Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@... On Jan 13, 2020, at 8:21 AM, Wayne Weber <contopus@...> wrote: |
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FW: [CALBIRDS] Alternatives to the Perpetual Big Year
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýVancouver birders, ? I am forwarding, with permission, this message from Justyn Stahl of San Diego, sent to several California birding groups. It suggests a different approach to birding from the never-ending cycle of ¡°Big Years¡± that some of us seem to be trapped in. Although written for a Southern California audience, it is quite relevant for many of us in BC as well. ? Food for thought! ? Wayne C. Weber Delta, BC ? ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Justyn Stahl
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2019 11:16 AM To: SanDiegoRegionBirding; [email protected]; LACoBirding; [email protected] Subject: [CALBIRDS] Alternatives to the Perpetual Big Year ? Birders, As the final days of 2019 pass, and January 1st looms, many organizations (eBird, BirdsEye, etc.) are promoting more and bigger birding in 2020, often with a ¡°How to Do a Big Year¡± theme. Meanwhile, I had been contemplating writing an email proposing a different strategy: ?one discouraging the seemingly perpetual county year listing habit that has developed in San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. Granted, we all bird for different reasons, with different styles. However, while some think of Big Years as primarily exploratory (and perhaps they are in less populated areas), long year lists are usually comprised of large numbers of species found by other observers that required chasing, often with few rarities or unexpected birds actually found by the owner of the list. Big Years on any scale have increasingly become? a product of how successful a person is at chasing birds found by other people, with little time devoted to exploration and a great deal of time earmarked for running after reported rarities. Clearly birding with this approach is satisfactory for many, but there are other, potentially more gratifying ways to bird than just being caught in an empty, unending cycle of chasing year birds. Admittedly, year listing has a long tradition. However, since the inception of the Top 100 in eBird, the ephemeral year list has taken on a life of its own.? Chasing rarities has always been a part of birding, but chasing the rarity du jour is now repeated every year by everyone scrambling up the Top 100 until falling back to zero on January 1st. ?(Clearly Sisyphus kept a year list.) A major downside to this is increased visitation to sensitive or restricted areas, with many eBird users not plugged into local listservs simply setting their maps app to direct them to the coordinates of the rarity, with no understanding of access restrictions.? Behind the scenes, eBird reviewers are cringing, dreading the onslaught of all of the known winter rarities being reported again and again the first week of January by dozens of birders anxious to get all the known rarities out of the way. So, as January 1st approaches, I¡¯d ask that people reflect on how much Needs Alerts from eBird drive your behavior? Are they set to Hourly for Year Needs? How much time do you spend going to look for birds found by other people for your year list? Does that bring you the same satisfaction as unexpected discoveries or birding in new areas? Are public data displays like Top 100 your primary motivation? Late last year, after learning about the 5-mile radius (5MR - ) approach to birding, I encouraged many birders to try it out, and several did. (Missed out? It¡¯s not too late! Draw your circle with this tool: ) This has been a very successful style of birding for a lot of people, a new way for folks with limited time or money to stay active and engaged, and a number of new local hotspots have been found. Many folks have told me it has rejuvenated their interest in birding! The main point of this challenge was (and is) to encourage exploring the local nooks and crannies around your neighborhood. (I, for one, largely ignored Point Loma this fall as it fell outside my circle.) ?Not all circles are equal, and the competition was really just intended to be with yourself ¨C how many can you find, regardless of what others (in perhaps better locations) are finding? Where to get shorebirds if you¡¯re land-locked? Checking that golf course pond repeatedly in hopes of a snipe or Spotted Sandpiper. Scouring small parks or residential streets for a rare warbler or vireo versus visiting the same famous hotspots every day. And so on. Exploration and discovery is major part of learning the status and distribution of birds in your neighborhood, your county, or your state. What is expected and not expected, when and where. Let¡¯s do it again next year. It need not be a year listing approach, but simply adding to your cumulative patch total. Or ¨C just throw the list out the window and bird with a sense of discovery and contribute to the ever-changing status and distribution of our local or state species. Yes, one is allowed to travel outside your circle, and visit famous sites, and chase rare birds, but I encourage you to spend more of your time exploring under-visited areas of the county or state. Will you consider making a detour to check a park on your return from a (un)successful chase across the county? Large gaps in coverage are evident from looking at eBird maps ¨C how much of this is being driven through without checking? Take a look at this map of House Finch observations in San Diego, for example: This species likely occurs across nearly all of empty space on this map, but they¡¯ve not yet been recorded there by eBird users, almost certainly due to poor coverage. If the eBird coverage of something as ubiquitous as House Finches is incomplete, just think of what the situation is for species of local and conservation interest like California Gnatcatcher or Cactus Wren. And how many rarities are hiding out there awaiting discovery? I get it, many people have stated that they don¡¯t want to bird in residential areas or business parks. (However, many of these areas are certainly visited by folks when rarities are reported from there!) But what about the large swath of rural and undeveloped habitat in east San Diego County? Or any number of the more aesthetic state and county parks? Not all of these unexplored areas are public, and most of them will not turn up anything ¡°rare¡± on the first visit. But they may after multiple visits at different times of year. More importantly, however, by simply birding these hinterlands, you are updating and expanding our combined knowledge of status and distribution. By submitting eBird checklists from these areas, we fill in gaps on the maps. We all, well most of us at least, enjoy listing. I¡¯ll be on my way as soon as possible to see a new county bird, and given the distance, a state or life bird, but in the mean time I¡¯ll try to focus on finding one on my own, or trying to familiarize myself with some new part of our vast county and state. Hopefully, by foregoing a list driven by Year Needs Alerts from eBird (Unsubscribe! As noted 5MR birder Karl Marx said, ¡°You have nothing to lose but your chains!¡±), you¡¯ll reduce stress in your life, explore parts of the county or state you¡¯ve never heard of or been to, and, with luck, build a more satisfying list of ¡°self-found¡± species of your own discovery. And, yes, reduce the workload of your poor eBird reviewers! By all means, bird more in 2020, but bird differently! ? Best birding in 2020, regardless of your approach. Justyn Stahl San Clemente Island _._,_._,_ |
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Re: White Rock fish kill
I saw the media down there reporting on this extraordinary sight. I've seen a similar spectacle like this around 10 years ago but nothing on this kind of scale. Counted at least a dozen sea lions herding the fish. I've attached a photo of the mounds of fish strewn along the beach.
Mike Newey? South Surrey |
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Re: White Rock fish kill
I saw the media down there reporting on this extraordinary sight. I've seen a similar spectacle like this around 10 years ago but nothing on this kind of scale. Counted at least a dozen sea lions herding the fish. I've attached a photo of the mounds of fish strewn along the beach.
Mike Newey? South Surrey? |
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Re: White Rock fish kill
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýRob and Vancouver birders, ? The White Rock fish and bird spectacle received some coverage on the CTV television news yesterday evening. ? There most definitely was a fish kill, as observed by me and as reported on the TV news. That said, there may still be huge numbers of live anchovies in the area. The TV station interviewed one person (I neglected to make a note of his name) who speculated on the cause of the fish kill; low oxygen levels, which could have been caused by the presence of huge numbers of fish in a small area of shallow water, was mentioned as a possibility. ? It seems likely that this spectacle of fish and fish-eating birds may continue for several days more if not longer, and local birders may want to visit White Rock to? observe it. ? Wayne C. Weber Delta, BC ? ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Rob Alexander via Groups.Io
Sent: Friday, December 27, 2019 9:27 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [vanbcbirds] White Rock fish kill ? Hi Wayne, ? I learned the the forage fish is Northern Anchovy, and have been in large numbers at White Rock Pier for weeks now! ? There wasn't a fish kill, but new Moon tides pushed massive amounts of the Northern Anchovy onto the beach, I've seen video where the fish were wriggling with the tide, so many forage fish! ? ? Rob Alexander ? ? On Thursday, December 26, 2019, 3:33:23 PM PST, Wayne Weber <contopus@...> wrote: ? ? Birders, ? I visited the White Rock Pier this morning, and was treated to a spectacle I have never seen there before. There appears to have been a huge fish kill there, with small dead fish littering the sandy ocean bottom, and in some cases washed up on the beach. In response, great numbers of fish-eating birds have congregated on the site. I estimated at least 4000 Glaucous-winged Gulls, which covered the water for a sizable distance just east of the pier. Also in the area were at least 1000 Pacific Loons, 300 Red-throated Loons, 300 Red-breasted Mergansers, 50 Common Mergansers, and smaller numbers of other species. Most of the loons and mergansers were in large flocks just beyond the breakwater, but about 150 mergansers were in a large group close to shore just west of the pier. Also in the area were at least 8 California Sea Lions and 15 Harbour Seals. ? I¡¯d like to know what caused this fish kill, and whether it is likely to have serious consequences. I took photos of some of the dead fish and requested ID help (I¡¯m not a fish expert!). I hope that someone will be investigating this incident. ? Wayne Weber ? |
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Re: White Rock fish kill
Hi Wayne, I learned the the forage fish is Northern Anchovy, and have been in large numbers at White Rock Pier for weeks now! There wasn't a fish kill, but new Moon tides pushed massive amounts of the Northern Anchovy onto the beach, I've seen video where the fish were wriggling with the tide, so many forage fish! Rob Alexander North Vancouver http://www.flickr.com/photos/northvanrob/
On Thursday, December 26, 2019, 3:33:23 PM PST, Wayne Weber <contopus@...> wrote:
Birders, ? I visited the White Rock Pier this morning, and was treated to a spectacle I have never seen there before. There appears to have been a huge fish kill there, with small dead fish littering the sandy ocean bottom, and in some cases washed up on the beach. In response, great numbers of fish-eating birds have congregated on the site. I estimated at least 4000 Glaucous-winged Gulls, which covered the water for a sizable distance just east of the pier. Also in the area were at least 1000 Pacific Loons, 300 Red-throated Loons, 300 Red-breasted Mergansers, 50 Common Mergansers, and smaller numbers of other species. Most of the loons and mergansers were in large flocks just beyond the breakwater, but about 150 mergansers were in a large group close to shore just west of the pier. Also in the area were at least 8 California Sea Lions and 15 Harbour Seals. ? I¡¯d like to know what caused this fish kill, and whether it is likely to have serious consequences. I took photos of some of the dead fish and requested ID help (I¡¯m not a fish expert!). I hope that someone will be investigating this incident. ? Wayne Weber ? |
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White Rock fish kill
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýBirders, ? I visited the White Rock Pier this morning, and was treated to a spectacle I have never seen there before. There appears to have been a huge fish kill there, with small dead fish littering the sandy ocean bottom, and in some cases washed up on the beach. In response, great numbers of fish-eating birds have congregated on the site. I estimated at least 4000 Glaucous-winged Gulls, which covered the water for a sizable distance just east of the pier. Also in the area were at least 1000 Pacific Loons, 300 Red-throated Loons, 300 Red-breasted Mergansers, 50 Common Mergansers, and smaller numbers of other species. Most of the loons and mergansers were in large flocks just beyond the breakwater, but about 150 mergansers were in a large group close to shore just west of the pier. Also in the area were at least 8 California Sea Lions and 15 Harbour Seals. ? I¡¯d like to know what caused this fish kill, and whether it is likely to have serious consequences. I took photos of some of the dead fish and requested ID help (I¡¯m not a fish expert!). I hope that someone will be investigating this incident. ? Wayne Weber ? |
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Re: MERRY CHRISTMAS !!
Tsuru
Merry Christmas to BC, from southern California! Monte Taylor Tustin Ranch, CA On Tue, Dec 24, 2019, 8:59 PM Colin Clasen <colinclasen@...> wrote:
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BC Bird of the Year 2019
It never ceases to amaze me what shows up in our province from one year to the next, and that someone not only finds them, but usually manages to get skookum photos of them as well. Here is a shortened list of some of the goodies that showed in BC in 2019. As always, if a bird that you feel is "your" bird of the year, and it is not on this list feel free to vote for it anyway.?
Fieldfare?- Jan to Feb - Salmon Arm? Dusky Thrush?- Jan to Feb - Nanaimo -? 3rd BC Record Short-tailed Albatross?- Mar - Off Tofino Rustic Bunting?- Jan to Mar - Bull River? Great Black-backed Gull?- Kelowna - 2nd BC Record Sedge Wren?- June - the Peace? Common Ringed Plover?- July - Vancouver? Guadalupe Murrelet?- Aug - Off Tofino? Hawaiian Petrel?- Aug - Off Haida Gwaii Garganey?- Sept - Kelowna? Brown Shrike?- Oct - Victoria? **** 1st BC Record Common Crane?- Oct - the Peace - 2nd BC Record Yellow-browed Warbler?- Oct - Victoria **** 1st BC Record? Ivory Gull?- Nov - Wardner? White Wagtail?- Nov - Prince Rupert? Please vote by sending me a note at? g o s h a w k 6 7? at? s h a w? dot? c a.? As past participants can attest I always send this out with a week or two to go in the year, in order to tempt fate, with the idea being that hopefully a mega shows up in the dying days of 2019 to make us all rethink our choice that we were so certain was the most exciting bird of the year.? Kevin Neill Victoria, BC? ?? |
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FW: [vanbcbirds] bird-window collision carcasses needed
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi all vanbcbirds members, ? I¡¯m forwarding below the email from Krista De Groot from Environment Canada. ? Cheers, Colin Clasen Coquitlam, BC ? From: vanbcbirds@... [mailto:vanbcbirds@...]
Sent: December-19-19 6:02 AM To: vanbcbirds@... Subject: [vanbcbirds] bird-window collision carcasses needed ? I am collaborating with Dr. Tara Imlay (a new landbird biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service) to determine approximate breeding origins of birds that collide with glass in SW BC during migration and winter.? For this study, we are soliciting donations of dead birds that were killed by collisions with windows.? We request that donors freeze carcasses, label the bag with date and location (address or nearest intersection), and get in touch with Tara Imlay (tara.imlay@...) or myself (krista.degroot@...).?? We will be coordinating with Ildiko Szabo to ensure that any species/subspecies needed for museum collections are sent to Beaty. Participants may also wish to add their collision mortality data to the Global Bird Collision Mapper:? Thank you for any assistance, Krista De Groot Krista De Groot Landbird Biologist Canadian Wildlife Service/ Service canadien de la faune Environment and Climate Change Canada / Environnement ?et Changement climatique Canada Tel: 604-350-1984 ? __._,_.___ Posted by: "De Groot, Krista (EC)" <krista.degroot@...>
? ? Unsubscribe ? . __,_._,___ |
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Free rare bird calendar 2020
20:13???#41107??
keith taylorA free 2020 calendar is available at the above link. Merry Christmas Everyone victoria bc Lesser Goldfinch may not be rarest bird of December with 2 weeks left |
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Birds of Paradise
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýThere are still tickets available for this presentation by renowned NatGeo researchers & photographers Tim Laman & Ed Scholes.? February 4th at the Orpheum: ? Perry Edwards
North Vancouver |
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FW: eNews: Feeding Birds This Winter? We Wrote This Email for You
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi all vanbcbirds members, ? I thought this latest eNewsletter from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology might be of interest, since it features tips on feeding winter birds. ? Colin Clasen Coquitlam, BC ? From: Cornell Lab of Ornithology [mailto:cornellbirds@...]
Sent: December-10-19 4:09 AM To: colinclasen@... Subject: eNews: Feeding Birds This Winter? We Wrote This Email for You ?
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Re: Birding NZ
You¡¯re welcome Derek. Your website is what I thought of immediately when I saw his original post,. :)
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D On Dec 7, 2019, at 7:27 PM, Derek Matthews <Derek@...> wrote: |