Wilson's Phalaropes and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Frank Lake

Yellow-headed Blackbird

surprised to come across this male Yellow-headed Blackbird in a flock of Red-winged and Brewer's Blackbird son the Spit at Campbell River -- apparently a scarce migrant on Vancouver Island

Frank Lake part 2

Frank Lake

having seen other people driving through the gate and looking at a couple of blogs revealed the fact that there is in fact a nice hide on the edge of Frank Lake and it proved very useful as the rain that we had driven through arrived locally just as I got out of the vehicle; the track down to the hide produced numerous White-faced Ibis, Franklin's Gulls, Yellow-heaed Blackbirds and Brown-headed Cowbirds with a Marsh Wren singing from the first bit of vegetation on approach to the hide;

May 31st the finale

the trouble with June is of course that it stays light longer so after having been out for 13 hours there seemed no reason not to have a look at a few more potholes before dark -- a superb bit of wader habitat had several Killdeers and American Avocets plus Black-necked Stilt while Yellow-headed Blackbirds became numerous; several hirundines were present and a flock of Canvasbacks added to the diving duck tally -- dabbling ducks including American Wigeon were feeding on the adjacent fields and a nice Swainson's Hawk obliged on a telegraph pole -- a last stop off at another great looking lake produced good numbers of Black-necked Stilts, Red-necked as well as Wilson's Phalaropes, several pairs of displaying Black-necked Grebes yet more waterfowl and a couple of California Gulls ending a rather productive day