2018 Birding Blog: November 18 - Rare Bird in Tsawwassen

This is actually the second post for this date. I visited Point Roberts earlier in the day as detailed in my November post for that location.

Ruff at Beach Grove Lagoon

There had been a rare bird alert for over a week for a Ruff in Tsawwassen at Beach Grove Lagoon. This is an Eurasian bird that shows up occasionally on the West Coast. I saw my lifer in 2014 at Reifel Bird Sanctuary.

The alert specifically said it was a male, but that is a bit redundant as the female is known as a Reeve. However, in winter plumage the males and females are similar, although the males are quite a bit larger when seen together.

In breeding plumage, they are easy to distinguish. I suggest the reader use a Google search or Wikipedia to see what a male Ruff looks like in breeding season. I'm reluctant to violate copyright by posting an image here.

This was my second attempt to see the bird, the previous weekend it was present but hidden out of photo range. This week I was luckier and took a few acceptable shots.

Ruff - Beach Grove Lagoon - Tsawwassen BC

2018 Bird #199

In winter plumage, the Ruff is similar to our Yellowlegs and tends to associate with them. It has a shorter and darker bill than that species.

It also blends in very well with the background vegetation, making photography difficult from a distance.

Ruff - Beach Grove Lagoon - Tsawwassen BC

Blackie Spit

After seeing the Ruff, I headed east and then south to visit Blackie Spit near Crescent Beach. It was a nice afternoon with good light, but there was not much bird life to photograph.

There were quite a few Northern Pintail Ducks on the ponds.