Two separate bird-sightings in Greater Victoria said to be a first on Vancouver Island

Two bird species extremely rare to BC have been spotted in Greater Victoria recently.

A female great-tailed grackle was seen foraging along the Esquimalt Lagoon on Sunday, while a wood sandpiper was observed in Panama Flats early Monday morning.

The great-tailed grackle is usually found in the southern US and Mexico and has only been sighted in BC six times before, according to BC Rare Bird Alert. Ann Nightingale of Rocky Point Bird Observatory said she believes this is the first time the bird has ever been sighted on Vancouver Island.

Three female great-tailed grackles were spotted at the Esquimalt Lagoon June 4 in what’s thought to be a first on Vancouver Island. (Credit: Vicky Capitano)

Normally, she said, the birds travel in flocks of hundreds to thousands, so to see a few by themselves is odd. Nightingale doesn’t know why they would be so far off track, but said people in the birding community are wondering whether the hot weather could have something to do with it.

In recent years, great-tailed grackles have been moving northward, with some now regulars around San Francisco, she added.

The wood sandpiper is even further from home. Usually, the brown-and-white birds breed in Europe before migrating to Africa, Asia and Australia. They’ve only been spotted in BC twice before, according to BC Rare Bird Alert, and Nightingale believes they’re also a first on Vancouver Island.

It’s unclear why the two bird species are here, Nightingale said, but Esquimalt Lagoon and Panama Flats are key spots for rarities to show up.

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