Sooke, British Columbia, Canada: Winter 2004
Mallard: On January 02 2004 a group of Mallards basks in the weak sunlight along the shore of Sooke Harbour, a saltwater estuary adjacent to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The green stuff in front of the birds is Eelgrass, washed ashore with the tides. Eelgrass provides a refuge for migrating juvenile salmon.
House Finch: A male House Finch in an Apple tree at home, January 22, 2004. This is our common feeder finch. Compare with the less common Purple Finch in the next photo (below), taken the same day.
Purple Finch: A male Purple Finch, distinguished by the reddish head and breast, and reddish hue on the back and part of the wings; the House Finch has a brown cap and red forehead but the back is brown. Note also the stripes on the flanks - Purple Finch (indistinct) and House Finch (distinct). Purple Finches are forest birds; in 2004 there was an irruption of this species into urban Sooke.
Fox Sparrow: On February 11 2004 , a Fox Sparrow hides in the bushes along the Galloping Goose Trail. This is the Sooty Pacific race. They breed along the Pacific Coast from Vancouver Island northward. Note the bushes, festooned with lichens, typical of a rainforest environment. The Galloping Goose is an abandoned railway line and great for bird watching.
Mute Swan: A Mute Swan, photographed February 13 2004 at rest along the Sooke River by the Sooke River Flats. Most populations of this bird in North America are domesticated, but this group is feral and has bred in the Sooke area for many years.
Ring-necked Duck: A golf course in the centre of downtown Sooke has a sizeable pond, an attraction for many unusual waterfowl species over the winter. This Ring-necked Duck was photographed February 14, 2004. Look carefully and you'll see an indistinct brown area at the base of the neck - this is the ring. On the other hand the "ring" on the bill sticks out like a sore thumb!
Harlequin: A most beautiful duck, the Harlequin is a common winter resident. This is a male, photographed February 14 2004 just offshore of Whiffin Spit. A world-class resort destination, Sooke Harbour House, stands at the entrance to the Spit.
Sandhill Crane: Sandhill Cranes are rare winter visitors to Sooke usually over the Christmas season. Look for solitary birds in fields in the vicinity of the heritage Woodside Farm.
Surf Scoter: Here is a male Surf Scoter, photographed February 20 2004 near the causeway to Goodridge Island in the Sooke Basin. Also found here are White-winged Scoters.
Glaucous-winged Gull: Here is a gull resplendent in its breeding plumage, on top of the lighthouse at the tip of Whiffin Spit, February 23 2004. The white head, dark iris, large yellow bill with red spot are indicative of the species, but you would have to see the wingtips (dark grey) and the legs (pink) to identify the common Glaucous-winged Gull.
Song Sparrow: It's March 3 2004, still winter, and while the east freezes under a mantle of snow, this male Song Sparrow is "posting" from a beached log at Whiffin Spit. Compare the pattern of this species with the less common Fox Sparrow (above).
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