Vancouver Island, Canada

7th-25th September 2011

Island View Beach

Island View Beach Regional Park is located on the eastern shore of the Northern Saanich peninsula, not far from Victoria International Airport. The shoreline is known as a migratory shorebird stop-off point if you are there at the right time. Personally, I didn't see a single bird along the beach on my early morning visit but mid-September is getting a bit late for shorebird migration.

Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus)

The scrubby bushes just inland of the beach, however, had an abundance of birds.  I didn't see anything unusual, but it was a good place for most of the common species you would expect in coastal scrub, such as Spotted Towhee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee and Orange-crowned Warblers.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens)

Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata)

adult Bushtit (Psaltiparus minimus)

Bushtits were plentiful, and one family group were particularly obliging.  These hyperactive little birds are not very easy to photograph as not only are they tiny, they never sit still for a second.  Even when a group of juveniles huddled together on a branch they were in constant motion.  Unfortunately, they were moving a bit to fast for the shutter speed and the head of the bird on the far right is slightly blurred on the photo below.

juvenile Bushtits (Psaltiparus minimus)