Surfbird joins the list and the rain stops! We awoke to pouring rain and the mountains still shrouded in low cloud. We took the chance to finish off filling in our insurance claims and made a late start for the ferry to Vancouver Island. Only a few days ago, we swore never to take another boat trip but here we were on the dockside once again looking at a rough sea and about to embark on a boat. This time the boat was pretty big, a roll-on roll-off car ferry which would make the crossing from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay in an hour and a half. The crossing went remarkably smoothly as the huge boat hardly rolled at all. We were only a few minutes out of the dock when we got our first new bird for the day, three Harlequin Ducks flying past the stern a long way off so not great views but unmistakeable nonetheless. Halfway across, a second-winter Glaucous Gull followed in the wake for about five minutes giving us fantastic views and allowing comparison with nearby Glaucous-winged Gulls. We passed through the scenic Active Pass with pine woods closing in on both sides of the huge ferry. We saw our first Rhinoceros Auklets, usually in pairs, some allowing close views as they sat on the water. We docked and headed straight south to Victoria and birded along the seafront between Ogden Point and Oak Bay. As we parked the car at the first stop, a superb drake Harlequin Duck popped up right in front of us. We jumped out quickly to see this striking bird at close range but there was no need to rush as a group of six Harlequins, three males and three females, were feeding just offshore. Other highlights along this stretch of coast included Marbled Murrelets which bobbed around offshore, often keeping loose company with Rhinoceros Auklets and Pigeon Guillemots, which dwarfed the Murrelets. Four Red-necked Grebes were seen, moulting into their stunning breeding plumage and a pair of Long-tailed Ducks flew east past the promenade. But the bird of the day was without doubt a group of three Surfbirds which we came across at Clover Point. These charismatic waders were feeding on the rocks just below us. We had been scanning out to sea for some time enjoying the Marbled Murrelets when suddenly we noticed the Surfbirds almost at our feet. Our mammal highlight of the day was not a whale as we’d hoped for, but instead an incredible encounter with a River Otter. This beautiful animal swam so close to us that we could actually see it the beneath the clear water as it searched for fish, and had a breathtaking view as he surfaced munching on his meal.
Posted 10pm, 3rd May, View Royal, Vancouver Island
Bird species total: 2168