Birding at Oyster Bay Shoreline Park

One of the better places for winter bird watching within easy driving distance from Courtenay is Oyster Bay Shoreline Park. The park is located just north of Oyster River and opposite the Driftwood Restaurant on old Highway 19A. Oyster Bay is best when the tide is high and the birds are in closer to the shore. A spotting scope is …

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 …

Long-billed Dowitchers at Airpark Lagoon

Things are perking along at the Airpark Lagoon in Courtenay, British Columbia. Always a good spot for winter birding, at the large viewing stand on the eastern side of the lagoon I was watching a group of Barrow’s Goldeneye when I noticed a group of shorebirds foraging in the long grass directly below the platform. Identifying Features of Long-billed Dowitchers …