Saturday 19 May 2012

New Arrivals and Lingering Bunting

Got out for a bit of early birding around the garry oak woodlands down at Government House this morning in the hope of finding a migrant or two.
As I walked along Joan Crescent I came across a fine willow flycatcher, sat in a silver birch in the yard of a house. That was a good start! A year tick just yards from home. What wonderful delight would be awaiting me in some proper habitat, I wondered?
Not much as it turned out. A male yellow warbler managed to further ignited my optimism soon after I arrived on the woodland trail, and there were Wilson's warblers singing all over the place but I soon came to realise that I had very much peaked early, and the rest of the morning's walk around the site was deathly quiet apart from 3 fly-over band-tailed pigeons and of course the common 'residents'.
I didn't meet another soul and had the place to myself for a good hour, which was rather pleasant.

Late in the afternoon I managed a quick swing by Clover Point. It was, as to be expected, extremely busy with people and hounds all over the place. Nonetheless, I was pleased to see that the snow bunting was still hanging around. I found it feeding initially along the concrete seawall on the east side of the point, and it soon flew up and started rooting around for seeds among the grass and, appropriately enough the clover, where I managed to take this utterly terrible shot. At least it shows clearly that it isn't a wayward McKay's bunting!  


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