Dave Ingram's Natural History Blog

Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus

Yesterday morning I took my son Alden out for a walk at Miracle Beach Provincial Park to enjoy the crisp fresh air and the changing colours of the fall. I spent some time birdwatching (as best as one can with a two year old in tow) and photographing the fall leaves.

Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus

It was on our way back to my mother-in-law’s house that I saw a bird that I knew was unusual for the park. At the edge of the parking lot was a small grayish wren with buffy flanks. It was feeding around the cement parking medians at the far end of the parking lot and as it perched it gave a distinctive bob. The wren was a rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus), a new record for Miracle Beach!

The occasional rock wren does seem to turn up in the winter in various places on Vancouver Island but when they do they are a little off course. In British Columbia, you’ll typically find them in the southern interior of the province from the Coast Mountains east to the Rockies during the summer breeding period. Efauna BC has excellent information about the ecology and distribution of the rock wren.

Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus

Recognizing that this was an unusual sighting I took a couple of photographs before returning home. My mother-in-law Betty Brooks and my wife Jocie grabbed their binoculars and headed out to take a look while I called the local birding group. Fortunately the wren stuck around and everyone got a good look at it. As of late yesterday (Monday) it was still in the same spot.

Birders wishing to locate the bird can try the right hand parking lot at Miracle Beach Provincial Park. On Monday, October 12th, the rock wren was at the far right hand corner of the lot (ocean side) near a large rotting log at the edge of the forest. It frequently ventured out onto the parking medians and worked along their bases looking for insects.

Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus

Rock Wren | Salpinctes obsoletus