"A moderate-sized irruption took place in January 2012."

"at Buttle Lake.

The spring migration begins in late March with numbers increasing through April with a peak in the latter part of that month through early May. Stragglers persist to mid-May with nonbreeders seen in June and early July. The fall migration begins slowly in the third week of July as adults appear, but numbers do not build until the juveniles arrive in the third week of August. The population peaks in September but many continue to show through to late October."

"Island where high totals of 66-450 have been noted. The Sanderling is uncommon during migrations and winter on the east and south coasts of the Saanich Peninsula as well but concentrations occur on the sandy beaches at Saanichton and Sidney Spits and James Island. Small numbers of wintering birds occupy the rocky Victoria waterfront. This species is very uncommon during spring and summer and an uncommon fall migrant along the Southwest Coast. It is accidental at Port Alberni in August with one winter record"

"As a whole, migrants bypass much of the northern coastline and the southern third of the east coast except for a few beaches on the east coast of the Saanich Peninsula. They are uncommon migrants from Campbell River south to Parksville and scarce migrants and winter visitants from Nanaimo south to Duncan. They rarely winter from Campbell River to areas north of Comox and are uncommon during the winter months from Deep Bay to Parksville. Large numbers stage and winter at Union Bay, Royston, Comox, and Sandy"

"The Sanderling is an abundant migrant along Vancouver Island’s outer coast and a common, occasionally abundant, winter visitor to the wide sandy beaches of the central West Coast. Example: 900 at Tofino on December 14th. Most likely bypass much of the West Coast's rocky shoreline to stage at Pacific Rim National Park. The status on the east coast is complicated. Sanderlings are largely birds of sand beaches and the main body of migrants passes by areas where there is little of this habitat."

"This pallid shorebird roosts on rocks or on drier parts of the beach, often forming a dense monospecific flock above the high tide line. In the interior, it is usually a very rare spring and rare autumn transient but at times may be locally very common in spring and common in autumn. It is accidental in the interior during the winter months. Here, muddy or sandy lakeshores, sloughs, river mouths, or high alpine lakes at elevations up to 1,200 meters are utilized."

"In British Columbia it is an abundant migrant and a common to locally abundant winter visitor along the entire coast in protected sites with extensive hard-packed, sandy beaches, as a rule shunning tidal mudflats, cobble beaches, and rocky shorelines. The largest numbers for the province are found on northern Graham Island where an estimated 3,300 birds was documented from Masset to Rose Spit."

"There are five-plus acceptable records of Polysticta stelleri for British Columbia with two confirmed records for Vancouver Island: (1) adult male photographed on June 17, 1970 at Mitlenatch Island; (1) female photographed on February 13-March 27, 1976 at Sidney; Questioned is one adult male observed at Tofino in late September 1976 and two along the Southwest Coast; the photograph of one immature male seen at Gordon’s Beach on May 26, 2007 has not been examined."

"Vagrants occur in shallow, near-shore marine waters west to the Northwest Territories, west Greenland, Iceland, Svalbard, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, France and the British Isles, and in the Pacific region south to British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, northern China, and Japan, although they are regular to northern Hokkaido. Stragglers also occur on the Atlantic seaboard of North America in Quebec, Maine, Maryland, and New Hampshire."

"northern Norway. Smaller numbers winter in the Baltic Sea south to the coasts of Germany and Poland. Wintering flocks assemble in the littoral zone in coastal lagoons and protected inshore habitats such as bays and along rocky headlands and islets, often where freshwater streams enter the sea. They leave for the breeding grounds in mid-May with nonbreeders often summering in the wintering areas."

"Seal Islands. Nonbreeding as well as failed breeders mass together in northern Europe and along Pacific coasts from Japan to Alaska beginning as early as July.

No less than 150,000 Steller's Eiders spend the winter in Alaska from the eastern Aleutian Islands to Lower Cook Inlet. Some 30,000 birds also winter in eastern Russia in the Commander and Kuril islands, with another group estimated at 40,000 overwintering in northeastern Europe along the coasts of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Sweden, and"

"This beautiful bird is also found in orchards, parks, and well-wooded suburban areas during the breeding season or on the wintering grounds.There are three recent records for British Columbia (May-June) of which two have been confirmed. The single record for Vancouver Island is of an Eastern female-type photographed while attending a feeder in French Creek from November 17, 2011 - January 26, 2012."

"A few noteworthy records include an adult male at Carmanah Point on May 16-19, 2001 with an adult female there on May 25-27, 2007; one in the Nimpkish Valley on June 12, 2005, and one at Port Alberni on May 20, 2011."

"Another nest was found in Metchosin on July 21, 2008 with the young fledged on July 25. Another nesting record lacking data was recently unearthed which took place some time ago in Courtenay."

"Suspected breeding took place in the site now occupied by the Victoria General Hospital in 1970 with successful nesting on the broom-filled slopes of Christmas Hill in mid-June of 2002. One young bird was produced. The abandoned nest was collected and presented to the Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary on June 21, 2002. Three young were also observed on Mount Tolmie on July 28th of the same year. Adults were present from July 1-18."