1st winter Citrine Wagtail in Comox (Courtenay River Estuary). Initially seen on November 14th, 2012; continued to January 9th, 2013. Sighted again February 15 to February 19, latest sightings March 6 to 24th.
Directions to specific location: From Courtenay, cross the 17th St bridge (Courtenay River) east toward Comox. Turn right onto Comox Road (Dyke Rd) until approximately 500m to the second dirt track (For Sale sign) on the left. Park on the shoulder of Comox Rd. on the right hand side and walk up the track towards the steel chain blocking vehicle access (100m). The wagtail has been observed to the left of the steel chain. Please be aware, this is private property , but birders have been given permission to walk down the dirt track but NOT to enter the property on the left side of the road. UPDATE: there is now a gate installed therefore no more access past the hedgerow due to upcoming farm work.
This is the first Canadian record and second North American record!
Other naturalists’ photos here and blog posts with photos at Naturalest Naturalist, Island Nature, Vancouver Island Nature, Fur and Feathers and Nature Student.
If you have visited the Comox Valley to see this bird, please sign our Comment Form & let us know where you are from!
Birders this morning from Nanaimo, Nanoose, Victoria, Tofino, Chilliwack & Seattle!
Birders today from Parksville, Victoria, Seattle – Calgary on the way! (and Quadra yesterday).
Birders from Port Alberni, Kelowna today!
Saw the bird and traveled 9 hours to get there from Kelowna, BC on Nov 22.
Visited Comox and saw the Citrine Wagtail November 19 in the am. Great fun! A lifer!
I was out photographing the bird this afternoon and ran into two birders from Idaho and a couple from Amarillo, Texas. I suspect that this is the farthest so far but tomorrow and Sunday will probably bring an influx of birders from a considerable distance. The bird is still being very cooperative.
I arrived with three other birders from Victoria on Tuesday morning, November 20th, at 8:10. People were already there and got us on the bird quickly. We observed it as it foraged on the other side of the field for about an hour and forty minutes. Then we went back home happy. This is the rarest bird I have seen in North America. Thanks to everyone for being so helpful.
Ob the night of Nov. 22, I slept in my Rav4 at the viewing platform area near the Wagtail site. I arrived there at midnight from Abbotsford. It rained and blew like crazy during the night and I was not hopeful for the next morning. However it cleared up and at the site I met a birder from Seatle and we started searching for the Wagtail at the described area just past the chain. We searched for nearly two hours but missed the bird because, as it turned out, we needed a scope. Guy Monty showed up with a scope and he soon had us on the bird. What a relief for us and the other eight or so birders who where there by that time. Thanks Monty and everyone on the island who has made this mega twitch possible.
Saw the bird November 19. One of the rarest birds I’ve seen in N. America in 50 yrs of birding on the continent – a great find.
Birders today from Nanaimo, Victoria, Seattle, Idaho, Michigan, San Diego California, & Texas!
Incredible to see in our province, let alone this continent!! Came from Christina Lake, BC and it was worth every mile and then some.
Visited on Nov. 19 in during a heavy rain. Travelled from Fort Langley, Walnut Grove and Pitt Meadows.
Thanks to David and Adele Routledge for finding this bird, and to Rand Rudland of the Sunshine Coast for alerting me to it. Travelled from Saratoga Beach to see it Nov. 19.
Sunday ,Nov.25. Got to the field at 9 a.m. and found I was an hour too late-the wagtail was there but had been harrased by a Harrier and a Northern Shrike so after standing around for two hours I decided to head home. A birder from Iowa, James, said he would phone me if it showed up which it did at I p.m.I got ther bird and James got it too.Thanks James-have a nice trip home.
Three of the Malaspina Naturalists came over from Powell River this morning as foot passengers and a fourth currently living in Campbell River met us with a vehicle. When we arrived, the bird had been seen but had gone off somewhere. We went to Kye Bay and Holmes Point where we had lunch and met Terry Thormin. He said he thought we might still have a chance to see it if we went back as the sun was beginning to melt the ice in the ponds which had been frozen solid in the morning. Thanks very much for the alert.
We went back only to meet a crew coming out who said it had been there for an hour. One of these people had good shots of the bird reflected in one of the ponds. This man, who had come from Iowa, said the bird had had a close encounter with a Cooper’s Hawk but had escaped. We looked around and suddenly saw it fly across the trail. We followed it across a plank across a ditch and saw it in the field on the right where it remained till we had to leave for the 3.15pm ferry. Although we got good views with our binos and scope, our 18x Lumix cameras were not quite up to it though we may have some distance shots. We enjoyed our trip immensely. Some other members who couldn’t make it today, will come on Wednesday to see if it is still there.
We flew down from Calgary to see the Wagtail on Tuesday 20th. and had moderate views at mid-distance in intermittent rain. We returned on 21st Nov and had great looks in sunshine. Thanks to all for keeping us all up to date on the bird, and for obtaining permission to be on private land.
Glad to meet many other birders and photographers, including Terry Thormin whom we knew from his Edmonton days.
Birders from Georgia,Florida, Colorado, Texas, Indiana, Washington on Wed. & Thurs. were unable to locate the bird.
The bird was found again Dec. 1, since then seen by birders from Arizona, Washington, Vancouver & Nanoose.
Bird is still showing well as of today (good photo ops!) Visitors lately from North Carolina, Colorado, California.
Wonderful to see the Wagtail on Dec 8. I had been up from Nanaimo to try for it on the 27th of Nov but unsuccessful. So yesterday was just great.
Has anyone seen the wagtail either Sunday (Feb. 17th) or Monday (18th)? Thinking about traveling from Seattle to look on the 19th.
All the best,
Barry Levine
Here’s the most recent report from the Yahoo birding group:
I was up your way yesterday wagtailin’ but unsuccessful. I checked
from 10 am to noon, then again at 3 pm. The Routledges were out as well as
several others.
The puddles in the field are drying up and the bird may be going further to
find food. Apparently it was feeding along the edges of the puddles looking
for insects that came out of the mud.
Seems to me with a large estuary nearby that the wagtail has lots of choices
to go to.
Steve Baillie (Nanaimo)
Latest from the Yahoo birding group:
The citrine wagtail made a brief appearance today (Feb 19) at noon, in the usual
location by the wood piles. Seen by myself, David Graylor from California, and
Dave DeReamus from Pennsylvania. It flew in from the southeast where the duck
hunters used to hide, sat on a rock for about a minute by the fourth wood pile,
then flew back in the direction from which it came.
Randy Dzenkiw
Currently in Comox