Alvaro makes some very valid points about migrant vs vagrant traps and what
he describes certainly fits with what I have discovered. I spent most of my
birding years around Point Pelee and became accustomed to recognizing
"migrant traps" so when birding away from home, I would seek out "migrant
traps" imagine what I would find? All of the "expected species" and usually
in good numbers. VAgrants-none!

Alvaro states:
> In my opinion, Tofino is a vagrant trap, but one that is not 'well
>worked'.

I most definitely agree, and very seriously under worked! It is however
also a migrant trap but only on a much smaller scale. WHat I mean is,
geese, ducks and shorebirds (+ ocean birds) migrate through here in big
numbers and rarities within this group of birds is consequently a lot more
work. However, passerines do not number high in migration. Thus rarities
are easier to find.



What has to be done there is to figure out what weather brings in
>the birds as well as where they tend to land. I would search in Red Alder
>stands right at the coast, do a lot of spishing, and follow chickadee and
>bushtit flocks to see if anything is in with them.

Unfortunately, I never find bushtits in Tofino and Chickadee flocks are
rare. Alder trees are worth while but the actual town of Tofino (people's
backyards) is far better!! Small insignificant-looking patches of scrub can
turn up the most bizarre birds ie: Hooded Warbler.

With regular coverage and
>active seeking of vagrants, I think that Tofino could really blow everyone
>away eventually. Its probably far better than anyone thinks.

True and the evidence is already there. If hardly anyone birds Tofino on a
regular basis, and there is a long list of vagrants, it must be far better
than we know. Adrian and Rory, who are locals, bird rather infrequently or
irregularly and find many vagrant birds by accident!

The example I gave of finding warblers in Tofino is a good one to point out.
I discovered that the Ivy bushes were the attraction in town. By seeking
out Ivy bushes, we doubled our warbler numbers. If people learn where to
look for vagrants, vagrants will turn up more often.

Open spaces in an otherwise forested region (the town of Tofino itself and
airport strips) are also well worth looking into. To underline the point
made by Alvaro regarding low numbers of birds but "quality" birds in vagrant
traps; when I bird the airport in Tofino, I might find 3-4 species of birds
but at least one of them is of note. For example, on Sunday I saw:

Sharp-shinned Hawk
Snow Bunting
Palm Warbler
Robin
Killdeer
Kestrel

Essentially no other birds were present! Yet three of these are very hard
to find on an average day.

So the question the birder has to deal with is: Am I looking for vagrants
today or migrants? The answer to this question will customize your approach
for the day and will take you to different places!

dcecile at cln.etc.bc.ca.
Cheers,

Don Cecile
Port Alberni, B.C. Canada
dcecile at cln.etc.bc.ca.