January 18 and 19 - Backyard, Point Roberts and Boundary Bay

This post is a bit of a hodgepodge of birds, starting and ending in our back yard.

January 18 - Backyard

My friend Mary-Jean had been sending me photos from Cultus Lake of numerous of Varied Thrushes she was seeing in her yard. I was tempted to make a quick trip out there on the weekend if I didn't see one at home first.

I was working at home on this day, probably due to snowy conditions. Edith called me into the living room as she'd seen a Thrush through the window. I grabbed my camera and snapped off four or five shots. I'd like to have opened the window but was afraid of scaring the bird. However, these shots turned out fairly well.

Varied Thrush - Backyard, North Delta BC

January 2020 - 2020 Bird #43

Our resident Black Squirrel was up in the same area as the bird.

Black Squirrel  - Backyard, North Delta BC

January 18 - Point Roberts

My weekly visit resulted in a couple of new birds for the year. Photo conditions were not great, although this Gull turned out okay. It helps to be close, and these birds are not shy.

Glaucous-winged Gull - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

I had not seen Harlequin Ducks yet this year, so I was happy to see this pair.

Harlequin Duck (F) - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2020 Bird #44

And here's the male:

Harlequin Duck - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

And here's a nice shot of a male Surf Scoter in bright breeding plumage.

Surf Scoter - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

There wasn't too much else going on. I decided to check out Boundary Bay in South Delta.

January 18 - Boundary Bay, 72 Street

It was my lucky day. I saw my first Short-eared Owl of the year quickly after arrival. It was about 500 meters away, so the photo is not that good.

Short-eared Owl - Boundary Bay, Delta BC - 2020 Bird #46

Another first for the year, but not as exciting was a White-crowned Sparrow in Basic plumage.

White-crowned Sparrow - Boundary Bay, Delta BC - 2020 Bird #47

This Flicker shows how chilly it was on this day.

Northern Flicker - Boundary Bay, Delta BC - 2020 Bird #46

I also liked this Junco shot that I took before leaving.

Dark-eyed Junco - Boundary Bay, Delta BC 

I left Boundary Bay and headed for home. There was still more birding to be done.

January 19 - Backyard

When I got home I had a quick look at the bird feeder and grabbed my camera. There was a nice collection of birds feeding. I'd missed our resident Chestnut-backed Chickadee so far, but it showed up today.

Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadee - Backyard, North Delta BC - 2020 Bird #48

A bit later there were Finches and Juncos at the feeder. The bird on the upper left is a female House Finch. I believe the one on the upper right is a female Purple Finch based on the eyebrow and the notched tail.

Dark-eyed Juncos, House Finches and Purple Finch (F),

Backyard, North Delta BC

House Finch 2020 Bird #49

Purple Finch is 2020 Bird #50

That's it for this post. I've still got one or two more January posts to do.