Our rocky shores, our beaches, our shallow offshore waters, our estuaries and our forested headlands all provide habitat for an incredible range of birds. This gallery will present some of the unique avian varieties of our coastal waters. Photographs have been provided by Raisa Mirza, Ryan Murphy, Alex Fletcher, Mike Robinson and Garry Fletcher.
Other images and details of these birds may be found in the
Race Rocks Gallery and Taxonomy
New and past bird sightings and regular census of birds at Race Rocks are recorded on the Log at
http://www.racerocks.ca/category/ecoguardians-log/bird-notes/
Birds of prey, herons and vultures:
- Haliacetus leucocepfalus (Bald eagle):
- Pandion haliaetus Osprey)
- Ardea herodia(Great Blue Heron)
- Cathartes aura (Turkey Vulture)
- Bubo scandiacus (Snowy Owl)
- Bubo virginianus (Great Horned Owl)
- Strix varia (Barred Owl)
Shorebirds:
- Calidris alba (Sanderling)
- Charadrius vociferus (Kildeer)
- Arenaria interpres (Ruddy turnstone)
- Limnodromus griseus (Short-billed Dowitcher)
- Pluvialis squatarola (Black-bellied Plover)
- Pluvialis dominica (American Golden Plover)
- Phalaropus lobatus (Red-necked Phalarope
- Phalaropus fulicarius( Red Phalarope)
- Calidris ptilocnemis (Rock sandpiper)
- Calidris minutillam (Least sandpiper)
- Calidris alba (Sanderling)
- Calidris canutus (Red Knot)
- Tringa melanoleuca (Greater Yellowlegs)
- Aphriza virgata (Surfbird)
- Numenius phaeopus (Whimbrel)
- Numenius phaeopus (Whimbrel)
- Black oystercatcher
- Black Oystercatcher chick
- Puffinus greseus (Sooty Shearwater)
- Arenaria melanocephala (Black turnstone)
- Uria aalge (Common Murre)
- Tringa melanoleuca (Greater Yellowlegs)
- Summer and winter plumage of Pigeon Guillemot
- pigeon Guillemot nest at Race Rocks
- Pigeon Guillemot chicks
- Hydroprogne caspia (Caspian Tern)
- Cerorhinca monocerata (Rhinocerous Auklet)
- Pelecanus occidentalis (Brown pelican)
Ducks, Geese Cormorants and Grebes:
- Phalacrocorax pelagicus (Pelagic Cormorant)
- Phalacrocorax penicilatu (Brandt’s Cormorant)
- Phalacrocorax auritas (Double Crested Cormorant)
- Cormorant
- Histrionicus histrionicus (Harlequin duck)
- Histrionicus histrionicus (Harlequin duck)
- Histrionicus histrionicus (Harlequin duck)
- Branta canadensis (Canada Goose)
- Bucephala albeola (bufflehead)
- Branta bernicla (Black Brant Goose)
- Branta hutchinsii (Cackling Goose)
- Anser albifrons (Greater white-fronted Goose)
Gulls:
- Larus philadelphia (Bonapartes gull)
- Larus heermanni (Heermann’s Gull)
- Larus heermanni (Heermann’s Gull)
- Larus occidentalis (Western gull)
- Glaucous-winged gull
- Larus hyperboreus (Glaucous gull) on the right
- Larus californicus (Califiornia Gull)
- Larus thayeri (Thayer’s gull)
- Larus spp. hybrid? (Hybrid Gull)