We gathered at the dog park to set off on our end of the year celebration to the Nanaimo Estuary and then to the Crow and Gate for lunch when we noticed many were missing, especially our intrepid leader Derrick, and then Deb, and Bob and Helen. Derrick and Deb were ill, Bob and Helen had already been booked. So we muddled about and finally Eric and Dorothy decided to attend to other duties after we decided it just wouldn’t be the same without the whole crew. We will just change the date to a time when all can attend! Problem solved! That left 4 of us and we decided to carry on and off we went. Just outside of Chemainus I remembered someone had been seeing a Northern Pygmy Owl on Little Mountain in Parksville and being that no one had to be back early, we decided to try for this bird. We pulled into the parking lot at the top of Little Mountain and rushed off to the see what we could find. It’s a beautiful view spot if anyone hasn’t been there and well worth the journey, especially in the spring when you never know what might fly by. We played the Pygmy call and low and behold, there was a reply!! At this point the sound wasn’t easy to pinpoint and we were all looking in different directions, and wondering if there wasn’t another owl hunter playing a call too. That would be somewhat embarrassing…….and then Barry spotted him, on a tree just off the cliff and the mad dash for a better viewpoint was on. A beautiful little bird, calling and giving us great views and photos. Another photographer, Steve Large from Nanaimo was there and it was his first Pygmy too. We were all thrilled and observing him when a kami kazi group of Pine Siskins came in and attacked! We were amazed at their audacity and after a few skirmishes the owl retreated to the woods below. We waited for a bit to see if he would come back and I noticed a bird sitting on a dead tree just off the cliff again and it turned out to be a Townsend’s Solitaire!!! Another flurry of photos and excitement as this isn’t a particularly common bird here on the island. We also ran into Guy Monty doing a raptor and eagle survey and he called in a Hutton’s Vireo and a Yellow Rumped Warbler. A Peregrin Falcon was screaming around the cliffs too. Beautiful place, beautiful weather and wonderful birds!! At this point we went for lunch, stopped on Plummer Rd where there were Brandt, an Eared Grebe and other waterbirds. We didn’t make it back til suppertime which shows you what happens when Derrick isn’t there to crack the whip!!!!
Here are a few pics I took, the Northern Pygmy Owl on his perch, then two showing the angry Pine Siskin attack, and the Townsend’s Solitaire. I’m sure others will have better shots to share but I wanted to give everyone an idea of what we were up to!!
Kurlene, Christina, Zan and Barry………..the runaways
