Chapter 1: January

The big year started off slowly. I returned from Argentina on January 14^th, the same day that a Bohemian Waxwing was last seen at White Rock beach. I decided to quit my big year then. My first SemiPen birding outing wasn’t until the 20^th, when I went to Blackie Spit and saw the over-wintering Yellow-billed Loon and Pine Grosbeak, two species that don’t occur annually on the SemiPen. The big year was back on!

Yellow-billed Loon at Blackie Spit (January 20, 2024).

The winter of 2023/2024 brought an unprecedented coastal irruption of Pygmy Nuthatches. Several birds turned up at private feeders throughout Metro Vancouver but none were open to the public. I hoped to find a Pygmy Nuthatch of my own, and Alderwood Park seemed like the perfect place. It was also the only park that I had sufficient time to bird at before work during the short January days. Alderwood Park is a tiny park in my neighbourhood which contains a few ponds and riparian areas nestled between townhouses. The townhouses are surrounded by pine trees and at least a few have feeders visible from public areas. I have seen over 70 species there, but alas, could not add Pygmy Nuthatch to that list.   

My only other SemiPen birding outings in January were two evening walks at Nicomekl Portage Park. My primary target there was Black-crowned Night Heron, which were first discovered in the winter of 2021 and had returned each of the following winters. One bird was reported twice in January 2024, but I did not see it on either of my walks. The second target was Rusty Blackbird. This one was a long shot as it would be a first SemiPen record. However, one had been seen just across the Nicomekl River in December with the mixed blackbird flock in the agricultural area along 40^th Ave. Although that is outside the SemiPen, many of these blackbirds roost overnight in the conifers of the Nico-Wynd Golf Course. En route to their roost, they gather on the sailboat masts in the Nicomekl River allowing a potential opportunity to intercept the Rusty Blackbird. In fact, this is the only reliable way to get a Brewer’s Blackbird for the SemiPen, as they are a very infrequent visitor to any other location on the SemiPen. I observed flocks of up to 150 blackbirds but never connected with the Rusty Blackbird. Nor was it reported again from 40^th Ave.