At about 9 p.m. on May 11, Russ Tkachuk had a notable observation when he recorded an estimated 11,000 Pacific loons on the Strait about 1.5 to 3 km offshore between Roberts Creek pier and the White Islets. The birds were in five to six groups with half the birds in a single group. Mid-May is a peak migration time for Pacific loons as they migrate between their winter haunts on saltwater off the west coast of North America to their freshwater breeding lakes and ponds scattered across Alaska and Canada north of 60 degrees and west of Hudson Bay. These water bodies are still frozen into June and the loons will time their arrival accordingly.
Russ’s report of this huge flock got me thinking of other notable records of big aggregations of birds on the Sunshine Coast over the years. The biggest flock ever reported was an estimated 40,000 western sandpipers observed on April 28, 1995 flying north along the Strait past White Islet. On that day it was reported that vast numbers of sandpipers had departed from the Fraser Delta where they stage before making the long flight to the Arctic coast. The White Islet flock would have been part of this movement.
On Dec. 17, 2011, during the Christmas Bird Count, the Roberts Creek counters watched in amazement as an endless stream of ancient murrelets amounting to over 21,000 birds flew past the pier over the space of 90 minutes. If the counters had been able to stay longer the count would have been higher, but they had to move on (and also were freezing to death).
Gulls sometimes gather in huge flocks and on Oct. 7, 1994, 15,000 Bonaparte’s gulls were engaged in a feeding frenzy on the ocean between Merry Island and South Thormanby Island. The bait that attracted this spectacular aggregation is unknown.
The most frequent species that we see gathering in huge flocks are surf scoters and it is common to see flocks of 1,000+ birds with the largest flock reported being 12,000 off Mission Point on March 29, 2008. Flocks of over 5,000 are not uncommon. Another seabird, Brandt’s cormorant, appeared in a flock of 5,000+ on March 15, 1987 in the vicinity of White Islet.
Marbled murrelet is one of the coast’s special birds and is listed as a threatened species. However, on Dec. 5, 2010 a flock of 3,700 birds was scattered over the ocean in the vicinity of the Trail Islands (seen from the Wakefield area).
To report your sightings or questions contact [email protected] or 604-885-5539.
