Checklist of the Birds of the Airport Reserve, Sea Island, British Columbia

compiled by Tom Plath, March 1996

Included here is a list of the 231 species covered in the species account. Appendix 1 includes species observed in overflight and cannot be regarded as species using the Airport Reserve i.e. Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant. Species known to breed in the study area are marked “ * ”, if enclosed by  parenthesis (*) than the species is expected to no longer breed due to habitat loss. Species marked by “I” are non-native. Definitions of status codes are explained in the previous chapter under status definitions. In some instances two status’s are given - those in parenthesis are former status (prior to 1990). The long list of accidental species and casual species, especially those associated with grassland and open country habitats, in the main text, is testimony not only to the good coverage Sea Island has received by birders, but also the Airport Reserve lands functioning as a “migrant trap” and staging/resting area for large numbers of migrant species including large numbers of passerines.

Status Definitions

Status summaries of occurrence and abundance used in the text are given and defined below. Code letters and symbols for the terms are used in the checklist on pages   . A more detailed account is given under the species account.

Terms

Definition of terms follow Campbell and Butler (1987):
Early         The first 10 days of a given month (e.g., 1-10 May)
Mid           The second 10 days of a given month (e.g., 11-20 May)
Late          The last 10 days (or 8-11) days of a given month  (e.g., 21-28 February, 21-31 May)

Seasonal Occurrence

The definition of terms follow those described by Cannings (1987):

Resident (R):                       the species remains in the area year round.
Spring Transient (Sp):          en route to breeding grounds (late February to early June)..
Fall Transient (F):                en route from breeding grounds (late June and early November).
Transient (T):                      applies to both spring and fall (above).
Summer Resident (S):         summers in the area; including spring arrivals and fall departures; may or may not   breed.
Winter Resident (W):          winters in the area; includes arrivals and departures.

Frequency

The definition of terms follow those described by Cannings (1987).

Abundant (a): occurring in large numbers, usually 100 or more per day.
Common (c): occurring in moderate numbers, usually 10-100 per day.
Fairly common (fc): occurring in small numbers, fewer than 10 seen per day, but seen on every visit.
Uncommon (u): not seen on every visit, but usually at least once every 10 visits.
Rare (r): occurring annually, but usual less than once every 10 visits.
Casual (ca): occurring on the average less than once per year or in the season in question;  usually somewhat out of normal range.
Accidental (acc): recorded twice or less in the area or in the season in question; usually far from  it’s normal range.
Irregular (I): abundance fluctuates from year to year; may be absent, abundant or any  category in between

Podicipedidae:
Pied-billed Grebe(*)  uS

Ardeidae:
American Bittern*?  raR
Great Blue Heron*  cW, fcS
Great Egret  accSp
Cattle Egret  caF
Green Heron*  rR
Black-crowned Night Heron caT

Anatidae:
Tundra Swan  rW
Trumpeter Swan  rW
Greater White-fronted Goose rW
Snow Goose  rW
Canada Goose*?  aW, uS
Wood Duck  caT
Green-winged Teal*?  aW, rS
Mallard*  aW, cS
Northern Pintail*  fcW, caS
Garganey  accSp
Blue-winged Teal*  cS
Cinnamon Teal*  cS
Northern Shoveller*  cSp, uS
Gadwall*  cS, fcW
Eurasian Wigeon  rW
American Wigeon  aW
Canvasback  caW
Ring-necked Duck  rSp
Greater Scaup  caW
Lesser Scaup  rW
Common Goldeneye  fcW
Barrow’s Goldeneye  accW
Bufflehead  fcW
Hooded Merganser  uW
Common Merganser  accW
Ruddy Duck  caW

Cathartidae:
Turkey Vulture  rS

Accipitridae:
Osprey   rS
Bald Eagle(*)  uR
Northern Harrier*  fcW, uS
Sharp-shinned Hawk  uW
Cooper’s Hawk u R
Northern Goshawk  caW
Swainson’s Hawk   accS
Red-tailed Hawk*  fcR
Rough-legged Hawk  fcW
Golden Eagle  caT

Falconidae:
American Kestrel*?  fcT, rS, uW
Merlin   uW
Peregrine Falcon  uW
Gyrfalcon  caW

Phasianidae:
Gray Partridge(*)  I: Extirpated
Ring-necked Pheasant*  I: fcR
Ruffed Grouse(*)  Extirpated

Rallidae:
Virginia Rail*  fcS
Sora*   fcS
American Coot(*)  fcS

Grudae:
Sandhill Crane  caT

Charadriidae:
Black-bellied Plover  uW
Lesser Golden Plover  rFT
Pacific Golden Plover  accSp
Semipalmated Plover  caT
Killdeer*

Recurvirostridae:
Black-necked Stilt  caSpT
American Avocet  caSpT

Scolopacidae:
Greater Yellowlegs  fcT
Lesser Yellowlegs  fcT
Solitary Sandpiper  rT
Spotted Sandpiper*  fcS
Upland Sandpiper  caF
Whimbrel  rSp, caS
Long-billed Curlew  rSp, caS
Hudsonian Godwit  accF
Marbled Godwit  accSp
Ruddy Turnstone  accSp
Sanderling  accW
Semipalmated Sandpiper rT
Western Sandpiper  cSp, fcF
Least Sandpiper  cSp, fcF
Baird’s Sandpiper  rT
Pectoral Sandpiper  rSp, uF
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper  accF
Dunlin   cW
Stilt Sandpiper  accSp, caF
Buff-breasted Sandpiper caF
Short-billed Dowitcher  fcSp, u F
Long-billed Dowitcher  fcW
Common Snipe(*)  fcSp, uR
Wilson’s Phalarope(*)  uS
Red-necked Phalarope  caSp
 Laridae:
Franklin’s Gull  (rF)
Bonaparte’s Gull  (rF)
Mew Gull  aW
Ring-billed Gull  rS
California Gull  (aT), caT
Herring Gull  caW
Thayer’s Gull  aW
Iceland Gull  accW
Western Gull  accW
Glaucous-winged Gull  fcW
Glaucous Gull  accW
 Columbidae:
Rock Dove*  cR
Band-tailed Pigeon  cS
Mourning Dove*  (uR), rS
 Tytonidae:
Common Barn Owl*  fcR
 Strigidae:
Western Screech Owl  accW
Great Horned Owl*  rR
Snowy Owl  rW
Burrowing Owl  (caW)
Barred Owl  accW
Long-eared Owl*  uW
Northern Saw Whet Owl* uW
 Caprimulgidae:
Common Nighthawk(*)  (uS), rS
 Apodidae:
Black Swift  fcS
Vaux’s Swift  uT
 Trochilidae:
Rufous Hummingbid*  fcS
Anna’s Hummingbird  caW
 Alcedinidae:
Belted Kingfisher  uR
 Picidae:
Lewis’ Woodpecker  caW
Red-breasted Sapsucker accW
Downy Woodpecker*  fcR
Hairy Woodpecker  caW
Northern Flicker  fcW
Pileated Woodpecker  caR
 Tyrannidae:
Olive-sided Flycatcher  rT
Western Wood Pewee  uT
Alder Flycatcher  accT
Willow Flycatcher*  fcS
Least Flycatcher  accS
Hammond’s Flycatcher  uT
Dusky Flycatcher  accT
Pacific-slope Flycatcher  uT
Say’s Phoebe  caT
Ash-throated Flycatcher accF
Tropical Kingbird  accF
Western Kingbird  rSp
Eastern Kingbird  rS
Scissor-tailed Flycatcher accT
 Alaudidae:
Eurasian Skylark  caS
Horned Lark(*)  rR
 Hirundinidae:
Purple Martin  caS
Tree Swallow*  aT, fcS
Violet-green Swallow*  aT, fcS
N. Rough-winged Swallow* cT, fcS
Bank Swallow*  rT
Cliff Swallow*  aT, cS
Barn Swallow*  aS
 Corvidae:
Steller’s Jay  uW
Black-billed Magpie  accF
Northwestern Crow*  cR
Common Raven*  uR
 Paridae:
Black-capped Chickadee* cR
Chestnut-backed Chickadee rW
 Aegithalidae:
Bushtit*  cR
 Sittidae:
Red-breasted Nuthatch* uT, caW
 Certhiidae
Brown Creeper  rW
 Troglodytidae:
Bewick’s Wren*  fcR
House wren  caS
Winter Wren  fcW
Marsh Wren*  fcS, uW
 Muscicapidae:
Golden-crowned Kinglet* fcW, uS
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  fcT, uW
Mountain Bluebird  caT
Townsend’s Solitaire  caW
Swainson’s Thrush*  uS
Hermit Thrush  uT
American Robin*
Varied Thrush  uW
 Mimidae:
Gray Catbird  caS
Northern Mockingbird  caW
 Motacillidae:
American Pipit  cT, caW
 Bombycillidae:
Bohemian Waxwing  caW
Cedar Waxwing*  fcS, caW
 Laniidae:
Northern Shrike  fcW
Loggerhead Shrike  accW
 Sturnidae:
European Starling*  I: aR
Crested Myna(*)  I: (fcR), caR
 VIREONIDAE:
Solitary Vireo  uT
Hutton’s Vireo  rW
Warbling vireo  uT
Red-eyed Vireo  caS
 EMBERIZIDAE:
Orange-crowned Warbler* cT, uS
Nashville Warbler  rT
Yellow Warbler*  cT, fcS
Magnolia Warbler  caF
Yellow-rumped Warbler* fcT, rW
Black-thr. Gray Warbler uT
Townsend’s Warbler  uSp, rF
Palm Warbler  caF
American Redstart  accS
MacGillivray’s Warbler  uSp, fcF
Common Yellowthroat*  cS
Wilson’s Warbler  cSp, fcF
Western Tanager  uSp, fcF
Black-headed Grosbeak* fcS
Lazuli Bunting  caS
Spotted Towhee*  fcR
American Tree Sparrow rW
Chipping Sparrow  caT
Clay-colored Sparrow  accS, caF
Brewer’s Sparrow  caT
Vesper Sparrow  caS
Lark Sparrow  accS
Savannah Sparrow*  aT, cS
Baird’s Sparrow  accS
Grasshopper Sparrow  caS
Fox Sparrow  fcW
Song Sparrow*  aT, cW, fcS
Lincoln’s Sparrow  cT, rW
Swamp Sparrow  caW
White-throated Sparrow  rT
Golden-crowned Sparrow fcT, uW
White-crowned Sparrow* cT, fcW
Harris Sparrow  rW
Dark-eyed Junco  fcW
Lapland Longspur  uT
Snow Bunting  caW
Bobolink  caS
Red-winged Blackbird*  cR
Western Meadowlark(*) uW, caS
Yellow-headed Blackbird* fcS
Rusty Blackbird  caW
Brewer’s Blackbird*  fcR
Brown-headed Cowbird* fcS, uW
Northern Oriole*  uS
 Fringillidae:
Brambling  accW
Pine Grosbeak  caW
Purple Finch  fcW, uS
House Finch*  aS, cW
Red Crossbill  i: rS
White-winged Crossbill  accW
Common Redpoll  i: rW
Pine Siskin*  i: fcR
American Goldfinch*  cS
Evening Grosbeak  i: uW
 Passeridae:
HouseSparrow*  I: cR