27 | September | 2014 | Race Rocks Ecological Reserve-

Thanks to the participants of the VNHS Field Trip today and especially to Daniel Donnecke for tabulating this detailed bird census list.

For the boat crossing between Pearson College and Race Rocks, Daniel and the group on the boat made the following observation:

2 Great Blue Heron

110 Double crested cormorant

2 pelagic cormorants

160 rhinoceros auklets

45 common murre

3 pigeon guillemot

25 Heermann’s Gulls

8 Glaucous winged gull

20 California Gull

30 Gull sp.

4 Oystercatcher

4 Harlequin duck

1 common Goldeneye

4 mallard

1 red-throathed loon

56 greater white fronted geese (single flock crossing the strait)

20 band tailed pigeons

2 coopers hawk

400 turkey Vultures (attempting to cross the Strait but turned around)

American Pipit–Anthus rubescens photograph by Daniel Donnecke

At Race Rocks Daniel made the following census notes which he entered on eBird : 23 species (plus 2 other taxa) total:

4	Greater White-fronted Goose
11	Canada Goose
2	Harlequin Duck
17	Surf Scoter-(-east-bound)
42	Brandt’s Cormorant
8	Double-crested Cormorant
18	Pelagic Cormorant
25	cormorant sp.
10	Turkey Vulture- (-distant, ketteling)
16	Black Turnstone
2	Dunlin
1	Western Sandpiper
1	Short-billed Dowitcher
2	Common Murre-(-low number, most alcids closer to Vancouver Island)
1	Rhinoceros Auklet-(-low number, most alcids closer to Vancouver Island)
41	Heermann’s Gull
1	Western Gull
110	California Gull
1	Herring Gull
25	Thayer’s Gull
36	Glaucous-winged Gull
85	gull sp.
8	American Pipit
6	Savannah Sparrow
1	Song Sparrow

For other images of the species above see the Race Rocks Taxonomy

Members of the Victoria Natural History Society accompanied ER warden Garry Fletcher on a field trip to Race Rocks this morning. Most of the members were avid birdwatchers so this time of year was ideal to view some of the many species that stopover at Race Rocks in their fall migration. See the census records submitted by Daniel Donnecke

Some of the birds seen on the trip”

: A short-billed dowitcher and a Black Turnstone

: 4 white fronted geese are still in the areaa

: Brandt’s cormorants on middle rock

: A flock of American pipits were feeding in the area where the vegetation was flattened by the sealions

Also on a trip on a ecotourism vessel, Liam Singh took this image of this wandering tattler which we had missed.

One branded california sealion was hauled out near the docks. The number was not clear.

4

Greater White-fronted Goose

11

Canada Goose

2

Harlequin Duck

17

Surf Scoter-(-east-bound)

42

Brandt’s Cormorant

8

Double-crested Cormorant

18

Pelagic Cormorant

25

cormorant sp.

10

Turkey Vulture- (-distant, ketteling)

16

Black Turnstone

2

Dunlin

1

Western Sandpiper

1

Short-billed Dowitcher

2

Common Murre-(-low number, most alcids closer to Vancouver Island)

1

Rhinoceros Auklet-(-low number, most alcids closer to Vancouver Island)

41

Heermann’s Gull

1

Western Gull

110

California Gull

1

Herring Gull

25

Thayer’s Gull

36

Glaucous-winged Gull

85

gull sp.

8

American Pipit

6

Savannah Sparrow

1

Song Sparrow