Things are getting crazy in British Columbia. First, there was a Citrine Wagtail on Vancouver Island (which is still there as of Jan 13). Then Bramblings started showing up, with two in the interior of the province, one in Vancouver, and another in Victoria. There was a one-day one-observer sighting of Baikal Teal south of Vancouver. Now a Red-flanked Bluetail (Code 4) has been discovered in New Westminster, just southeast of Vancouver.
Colin McKenzie found the bird on Jan 13. He did not know what it was, but he made sketches and very detailed notes on its plumage and behavior. Based on that material, Mike Toochin and George Clulow tentatively identified it as a Red-flanked Bluetail. They and other birders went to check it out on the morning of Jan 14 and confirmed that their identification was correct.
photos by Sharon Toochin
The Bluetail is at Queen's Park. You can find a map of the park here, and I created another map showing the approximate location of the bird in the park here. If you look for the bird, park at the lot at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and First Street. Walk north for about one minute to the playground. The Bluetail was feeding around the picnic tables here on the morning of Jan 14.
photos by Peter Candido
Red-flanked Bluetail is an Old World Flycatcher known in the ABA Area almost exclusively from the Bering Sea region. I believe there are only two ABA Area records from outside this region, both coming from islands off the coast of California. This would be a first record for Canada and only the second from mainland North America (the other being one at Hooper Bay, Alaska on May 22, 1992).
Please check back for updates.
W H O A ! What a bird!
Posted by: Rick Wright | 01/14/2013 at 05:32 PM
WOW
Posted by: Rob | 01/14/2013 at 07:35 PM
Please stay there until tomorrow, 01/15/2012 when several of us Washingtonians make a mad dash to see it!
Posted by: Vincent Lucas | 01/14/2013 at 10:00 PM
I have to confess to never having heard of this species before I read this blog post. But, with the park only a few kilometers from where I was sitting at my computer I HAD to go take a look.
What a great bird!
It was still present as the ligth began to fail around 4:30pm on the 14th. If you go look for a solitary bird flitting around the base of the conifer trees.
Posted by: Peter | 01/15/2013 at 11:39 AM
I found this record in California in 2011 and it mentions another California sighting in 1989. http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/RFBL_CA
Posted by: ECollins | 01/15/2013 at 03:33 PM
Hello - Are any serious birders planning on going out on Thursday, and willing to help me out with some birdwatching tips? I'm working on a news video.
You can email me at dene.moore@thecanadianpress.com.
Thanks!
Posted by: Dene | 01/16/2013 at 01:51 PM