It almost seems like the arrival of fall shorebird migrants is on pause or perhaps just waiting for the next big push. I haven’t seen too many shorebirds on the beaches at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve aside from a few Semi-palmated Plovers. Of course, there are plenty of California Gulls around and if one looks hard enough shorebirds can …
Sanderling
Winter Shorebirds
Sanderlings and Dunlins at Air Force Beach As we gear up for the Christmas Bird Counts in December, now is the time to do a little winter shorebird watching. Last week, during a break in the weather, we got out to Air Force Beach in Comox and scoped out some of the shorebirds on the rocks near a decommissioned boat …
A Solitary Sanderling
Earlier this week, while walking out at Goose Spit I came upon a single Sanderling (Calidris alba). Sanderlings are regularly seen throughout the winter at Goose Spit. Because beaches on Vancouver Island are popular places to walk, shorebirds have a challenging time of it. The strip of beach is quite narrow at high tide and walkers regularly flush birds on …