August 2015

August was a month for young birds learning to survive on their own.  I have included a few common birds this month mainly because I didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

I found 4 or 5 young parasitic Brown-headed Cowbirds congregating together around the Harrison lagoon Aug. 5.  They were socializing with their own species, realizing their adoptive parents were no longer necessary.  It will look like the adult Cowbird below next year, if it survives.

The distinctive barring on the back indicates this is a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper.  An adult in non-breeding plumage would have a plain back.

This is an adult Spotted Sandpiper in breeding plumage.  Spotted Sandpipers practice polyandry like Phalaropes.  The female lays the eggs and the male incubates them and raises the young.

The Mew Gull is common along the Pacific Coast of North America but rare on the East Coast.  It is called the Common Gull in Europe.  This one was photographed at Iona Island.

A Solitary Sandpiper on the left, keeps company with a Spotted Sandpiper at Iona.  While most shorebirds lay their eggs on the ground, the Solitary lays its eggs in other birds nests in trees.

This picture of a Solitary Sandpiper was taken at Liard Hotsprings a few years ago.  It shows its affinity for trees while in the breeding mode.

Juvenile Spotted Towhee Cheam Wetlands.  Next year he will  look like the adult below.

Sanderlings Point Roberts-they are one of the most widespread shorebirds in the world.

This is a Sanderling in breeding plumage.  It was taken in Saskatchewan, May 2006.  I have never seen a Sanderling in this plumage in British Columbia.

The Black Turnstone is on a list of birds most likely to become extinct without significant conservation action.

The Turnstones bill is ideally shaped to turn over stones.

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