BIRDS OF LIBRARY LANE

A list of many of the birds that can be seen along Library Lane. Unfortunately, we had to take down the feeders we had mounted on our windows, as they began to attract larger birds.

Further notes can be seen for each bird by placing the cursor over the image.

Anna's Hummingbird — Anna's Hummingbird
Anna's and Rufous are the two hummingbirds seen regularly in BC; the Anna's is the most common here and often doesn't migrate south for winter.

Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna

Bald Eagle — Bald Eagle
A regular sighting over the North Shore. A pair of Bald Eagles can be seen in the spring months every morning, on top of a hemlock right above the local McDonalds on Lynn Valley Road. Locals report that this is a regular annual appearance. The are not there in the summer months but begin to be seen again in November.

Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Black-capped Chickadee — Black-capped Chickadee
Chickadees are an inquisitive bird and often the first to find a feeder. In our case, the House Finches were several months ahead of them but having found the feeder, they are here often after the peanuts. They do store food so you may witness a succession of visits at your feeder, as they stash the spoils and return for more.

Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus

Bushtit — Bushtit
Tiny bird, seen in groups of 10 or more in winter but singly or pairs in summer. Seen occasionally along the sidewalks of Library Lane, visiting for a minute or so before moving on.

Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimus

Chestnut-backed Chickadee — Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Chickadees are chickadees and where one appears the other may eventually appear. But the Chestnut-backed are less common and it was a bit of a surprise to see these among our first Chickadee visitors. Handsome coloring.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Poecile rufescens

Common Raven — Common Raven
Usually a bird of the mountains as they are harassed by crows here in town. However, there seem to be at least one and perhaps two pairs of Ravens that frequent the area. Their honking call (as opposed to the caw of a crow) and the fact that they are larger distinguishes them from crows.

Common Raven
Corvus corax

Dark-eyed Junco — Dark-eyed Junco
Appears in Sept, disappears in March. The distinctive 'ink--dipped' head of the male is absent for the more drab brown and grey mixes of juveniles and females. The short pointy beak is a better clue that it isn't a sparrow or a wren.

Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis

House Finch — House Finch
Nice to have them around in spring to hear their rich operatic chorus. Unfortunately, that gives way to a raucous squabbling in the fall. They can develop a fungus on the face and if you see this at a feeder, you unfortunately need to take the feeder down for a few weeks, to prevent this spreading to other birds.

House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus

House Wren — House Wren
Probably. Definitely a wren (short stubby tail); no eye stripe or long tail so not Bewick's and Pacific unlikely to be seen often flitting across the sidewalks along Library Lane so must be House Wren.

House Wren
Troglodytes aedon

Merlin — Merlin
July 2024: for a week, we could hear a juvenile calling for food in the trees across the road from our condo, but we couldn't see it in the nest. It finally began to fly, and we saw it taking a rest on a branch right across the road from our window, still complaining. It was gone for good in a few days.

Merlin
Falco columbarius

Northern Flicker — Northern Flicker
Large and colorful; the orange tail feathers are often a visible telltale in flight. Fairly common, winter and summer, in our area. In spring, you may hear the sometimes startling loud drumming. This means that a male has found a gutter or pole cap that can be used to attract a mate or establish territory.

Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus

Pileated Woodpecker — Pileated Woodpecker
This is an impressive eagle-sized bird (well, slightly smaller) that seems to be quite common locally (4 sightings in 2 years). The many decaying logs in the woods south of Whitely are an attraction and Hastings Creek is another location. Look for the large rectangular holes they carve out. The smaller Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers make rounder smaller holes.

Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus

Purple Martin — Purple Martin
Not really a Library Lane bird. Saw this one Martin on a hike to Whyte Lake.

Purple Martin
Progne subis

Red-breasted Nuthatch — Red-breasted Nuthatch
Not as regular a sighting as Chickadees and Finches so we were surprised to see not one but a pair of these regularly at our feeder.

Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis

Ruby-crowned Kinglet — Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Saw a small flock of these tiny birds gather in one of the trees on the sidewalk opposite to Taluswood in Fall 2022. Not seen since.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula

Spotted Towhee — Spotted Towhee
(Toe Hee). Handsome bird, red eye, seen here and there. Has a long wheeze for a call.

Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus

Steller's Jay — Steller's Jay
BC's intelligent but raucous provincial bird. Common in the woods nearby although often heard rather than seen. One landed on our balcony and showed interest in our feeders, but thankfully didn't return.

Steller's Jay
Cyanocitta stelleri

Tree Swallow — Tree Swallow
(See also Violet-green Swallow) Am not sure whether the flock seen in constant flight above Library Lane in Spring is the Violet Green or the Tree Swallow because they are always moving and usually seen from below, where the distinction is not visible.

Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor

Varied Thrush — Varied Thrush
Fall and winter visitors only, was surprised to see several along the hedgerows at the front of our building. Beautiful bird.

Varied Thrush
Ixoreus naevius

Violet-green Swallow — Violet-green Swallow
(See also Tree Swallow) Am not sure whether the flock seen in constant flight above Library Lane in Spring is the Violet Green or the Tree Swallow because they are always moving and usually seen from below, where the distinction is not visible.

Violet-green Swallow
Tachycineta thalassina

White-crowned Sparrow — White-crowned Sparrow
Heard and seen along Library Lane

White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys

Wilson's Warbler — Wilson's Warbler
April 2024, along Library Lane near 27th

Wilson's Warbler
Cardellina pusilla