Chapter 4: April

By April, his zugunruhue had set in. He did not know precisely where he was or exactly how to get back, but endogenous processes signaled that it was time for him to go north. During his journey, he would need to rely on innate navigational mechanisms, the star compass, the Earth’s magnetic field, patterns of polarized light. But these navigational systems had previously faltered and now he was on the wrong continent. He may have been flying for hours or maybe for days when he decided it was time to touch down. Why he chose the location that he did is as much of a mystery as how he got here. Perhaps it was the change in landscape below him that he found appealing, perhaps he noticed the Eurasian Collared-Doves that resembled him, or perhaps he needed to drink from a freshwater source. Whatever it was that compelled him to land at Blackie Spit on April 17, he happened to do so ahead of CVWE. This intersection between bird and birder sent a shockwave through the birding community. 

I raced out to Blackie Spit that the evening as soon as news broke but in the waning daylight could not find the Oriental Turtle-Dove. The actual location of the original sighting, a grassy slough margin, did not seem like a spot that would hold a vagrant dove. I thought that it would much more likely be in the residential areas of Crescent Beach, if it stayed at all, where it may be attracted by bird feeders and the presence of Eurasian Collared-Doves. Along with many other birders, I searched the area the following morning, alternating between where it was found and the near-by streets. Although nobody found the dove that morning, the birding was very good with migration in clear evidence. Of the 70 species that morning, highlights included twelve Ring-necked Ducks, three Canvasbacks, the Willet, a Townsend’s Solitaire, and a Chipping Sparrow.

Willet at Blackie Spit (April 18, 2024)

I returned that evening to continue searching. This time I brought my bike and planned to simply cycle the streets of Crescent Beach until sundown, in the hopes of serendipitously intersecting the dove just as CVWE did. MEHA joined me and stationed herself at ground zero in case the dove returned to where it was first discovered. More than an hour into the search, I was cycling along Agar St. when a dove walked across the road some hundred meters ahead. By now I had seen so many Eurasian Collared-Doves that I did not feel like braking to look at this one, but did so anyways, and was in disbelief when the image of the Oriental Turtle-Dove resolved itself as I turned the focus dial of my binoculars. After crossing the road, the dove settled under some bird feeders and fed on spilled seed. MEHA hurried over and saw the dove minutes before it flew to the southeast. Fortunately for birders, and less so for neighboring homeowners, the dove kept returning to this feeder over the next seven days where it was seen by many. 

Oriental Turtle-Dove at Crescent Beach (April 18, 2024)

Although paling in comparison to the Oriental Turtle-Dove, there were a number of other good SemiPen birds throughout April. A Sora was reported from Elgin Heritage Park, which I saw on April 21 and 23. A pair of Cinnamon Teals were also present on both days and an American Kestrel flew over the park on the 21^st. This was an over-due SemiPen lifer for me. At daybreak on the 23^rd, I exited my car at Blackie Spit to the raucous song of a male Yellow-headed Blackbird. Another SemiPen lifer and only the second SemiPen record according to eBird. 

Yellow-headed Blackbird at Blackie Spit (April 23, 2024)

On April 24^th I finally connected with Wood Ducks at Elgin Heritage Park. They had been reported on eBird over the preceding days, but I kept missing them. On April 26^th, I saw the Yellow-billed Loon at Blackie Spit for just the second time this year. Although it had been present since January, sightings were very infrequent and unpredictable. Some believed this was the same juvenile that also frequented Point Roberts, which would mean it covered a very large winter territory. 

Wood Ducks at Elgin Heritage Park (April 24, 2024). The lousy quality of this photo, taken with my phone through my binoculars, conveys the rarity of Wood Duck on the SemiPen.