February-March 2020 - Final visits to Point Roberts for a while

I'm combining my last three posts for Point Roberts in February and March. The border was closed on March 20th due to the COVID-19 virus. I only took a few shots with each visit, so combining seems like the best approach.

February 20

Only a few shots on this Saturday visit starting with a sailboat out on the chop.

The rest of the shots for this day involve a Harlequin Ducks, possibly the pair featured in my previous post.

Harlequin Ducks - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Below, an interesting behavior by the female

.

March 1, 2020

Upon arrival on this day, I noticed another photographer sitting on the rocky beach very close to a small shorebird. As I got closer, I saw that his subject was a Dunlin.

I joined in and took some photos.

Dunlin - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2020 Bird #64

I discussed this later with someone else who had seen the bird and he believed that the bird might have been injured. This might have explained it ignoring us.

The usual suspects were also present, but were far out on the water.

Horned Grebe - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Harlequin Ducks - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

This one's a bit overexposed but shows the ducks reasonably well.

Surf Scoters - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

March 8, 2020

This was my last visit for the foreseeable future. Both Cormorant species flew by to start the day.

Double-crested Cormorants - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

The next shot shows the white rump on the Pelagic Cormorant very well.

Pelagic Cormorant - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

And finally the bird that seems to be here always.This one is an adult.

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

That's it for Point Roberts for now, I've been birding elsewhere in March and April with mixed success. Importantly, I've been careful to avoid crowds and keep my social distance.

February 17,2020 - Magic at Point Roberts

My last February visit to Lighthouse Marine Park was a special one. I saw the same birds as usual but I had a unique experience on this visit.

It all started with a dead Crab.



I'm kidding about that, but the shell did make a good photo.

The normal suspects started showing up, first a Common Loon.


Common Loon - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

The flat head always interests me.

And then a Gull flew by. The plumage looks like a non-breeding adult.


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

It's quite common to see Harbor Seals and Steller Sea Lions here. I believe this one is a seal.


Harbor Seal - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

I had walked southeast from the parking area and had reached the most southwestern point of Point Roberts. There were a pair of Harlequin Ducks close by and I backed off a little bit as they were heading for shore.


Harlequin Ducks - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Although they must have been aware of my presence, they kept coming.This is a rare shot that manages to show the males dark eye. Most of my photos don't have enough contrast to show the eye.

Harlequin Ducks - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

I don't know if they were coming onshore to allow her to lay eggs or for some other reason. However, they decided to turn around and head back into the water. Perhaps they finally noticed me. This shot really shows the female well.

Harlequin Ducks - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

On my way back I took a couple of shots of other regulars.

Horned Grebe - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Double-crested Cormorant- Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

And finally some swans back in Canada in fields in the Ladner area.

Trumpeter Swan - Ladner BC

February 16 - Pitt Meadows and Port Coquitlam

Maple Ridge

I decided to do something different on this Saturday, so I took a trip out to Maple Ridge. (Or is it Pitt Meadows?)

There is nothing like Reifel out there, so most of my day was spent driving along some rural roads and seeing what I could find. I didn't see a lot of birds but added two species to my year list for 2020.

The first birds seen was this group of American Wigeon. Anytime there is a large group of Wigeon, it is a good idea to scan the flock for the less common Eurasian Wigeon. None in this group.


American Wigeon - Maple Ridge BC

First was this Accipiter, which I have confidently identified as an immature Cooper's Hawk based on size and the rounded tail edges. It seemed too large for a Sharp-shinned Hawk and too small for a Northern Goshawk (look at my February 15 Reifel post in this blog for comparison.


Cooper's Hawk (Imm) - 203 St. Maple Ridge BC - 2020 Bird #61

A bit later I caught this uncomfortable looking Great Blue Heron trying to keep warm up in a tree.


Great Blue Heron - 203 St. Maple Ridge BC


About a half hour further along the road, there was a large black bird in a tree. It was too big to be a crow, it was a Raven.

Common Raven -  - 203 St. Maple Ridge BC - 2020 Bird #62

I think I turned around just after this bird and headed back. About 20 minutes later, I came across another Cooper's Hawk, this one an adult. Once again I'b going by the tail shape and the size I remember for the ID.



Cooper's Hawk - 203 St. Maple Ridge BC

Port Coquitlam - Blakeburn Lagoons Park

I've posted about this location once before, it is a 27 acre park located in a neighborhood in Port Coquitlam, just 3 - 5 minutes off of the Lougheed Highway.

There are two lagoons that attract a good number of duck species. On this day, there was also an uncommon species of Goose (not shown in photo below).

Ducks and Geese - Blakeburn Lagoons Park - Port Coquitlam

There were quite a few of one of my favourite duck species, the elegant Gadwall. This shot shows the male's black rump with the white feathering on the secondaries. The female is similar to a Mallard but the body and head are more gray and the beak is smaller.

Gadwall - Blakeburn Lagoons Park - Port Coquitlam

Another favorite of mine (and most people) is the Hooded Merganser, this one is a female.

Hooded Merganser (F) - Blakeburn Lagoons Park - Port Coquitlam

There was a commotion in the main lagoon when some geese flew in and took possession of one of the large rocks. However, these weren't Canada Geese. They were Greater White Fronted Geese.

Greater White-fronted Goose - Blakeburn Lagoons Park - Port Coquitlam - 2020 Bird #63

I'm always happy to see these distinctive looking geese.

Greater White-fronted Goose - Blakeburn Lagoons Park - Port Coquitlam 

That wrapped up my day, three new species for the year was quite a treat.

February 15, 2020 - Return to Point Roberts and Reifel

Another Saturday with visits to these two locations. They are relatively close to home and quite close to each other. It's about  a 15 minute leisurely drive from one to the other, not including any border crossing delays.

Point Roberts Lighthouse Marine Park

 I started the day by observing a different kind of flying creature, a para-sailor. It was a windy day and he was working it well.

I hope he doesn't mind me posting this photo, it was in the public domain.

I always seem to start the birds with a Glaucous-winged Gull. I'm also ending them for Point Roberts with this shot.

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

Ladner and Reifel Bird Sanctuary

I very often see a Red-tailed Hawk along Deltaport Way or on 34B Ave in Ladner. This is not a great shot.

Red-tailed Hawk - Ladner BC

I arrived at Reifel and it was the usual weekend crowd was there trying to feed seed to the birds from their hands.

There was quite an interesting array of Great Blue Herons gathered together along the East Dyke trail.

Great Blue Heron - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

I made my way to the end of the East Dyke trail and turned right for the Northeast Corner. I'd seen a Common Merganser out on the slough on New Year's day, and saw one again today.

Common Merganser - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

I reversed course and headed back along the East Dyke. I had to decide whether to do a bigger tour or head out somewhere else. At the first fork to the right I heard a raptor cry and looked up to see a Northern Goshawk.

Northern Goshawk - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC - 2020 Bird #60

I had seen the reports about a pair of juveniles being at Reifel, but had not seen them before this day.

This is the largest of the Acipiters in North America. We only have three species: the Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawk and the Northern Goshawk. It is the largest of the three. There are 47 species world-wide.

It is an intimidating bird.

I decided to stay for a while and got some shots of the more common birds of the Sanctuary.

Spotted Towhees - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Photo conditions were good on this day and I took some close-ups of the ducks of the sanctuary.

Mallard (F) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Mallard (F) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Ring-necked Duck - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Northern Pintail - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Hooded Mergansers - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

I'm not sure if this Shoveler is an immature male or an adult coming late out of molt. 

Northern Shoveler - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

As I left, I got one more look at the Goshawk.That's one nasty looking claw.

Northern Goshawk - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

February 1, 2020 - Point Roberts and Reifel

Lighthouse Marine Park

Another Saturday split between these two locations. It's hard to switch when there's so many birds available at these two spots. I usually go to Point Roberts first to get gas and then go birding. It was on the quiet side today, but enough for a few photos.

First seen were Harlequin Ducks, first a male and then a female.

Harlequin Duck - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Harlequin Duck (F) - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

On the rocky shoreline there there was a good sized flock of Sanderling, still in their Basic (non-breeding) plumage. They are more recognizable in this plumage compared to the Alternate breeding plumage.These were the first of the year for me.

 

Sanderling - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2020 Species #55

Quite an interesting formation in this shot...

Sanderling - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

This is one of the easiest places to see Common Loon in the Lower Mainland. They are usually seen in Basic plumage, as they head north for freshwater locations to breed.

Common Loon - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2020 Species #56

Not much else for birds on this visit, so I took some photos of watercraft.

Westham Island and Reifel Bird Sanctuary

I made my way to Reifel after a stop at Starbucks in Tsawwassen. After crossing the bridge onto Westham Island, I stopped to take some shots of Snow Geese in the agricultural fields.

Snow Geese - Westham Island, Delta BC

I think it was me that caused them to take off. They are made wary by hunting activity on the Island.

Snow Geese - Westham Island, Delta BC

I made my way to Reifel and was greeted by the usual ducks near the entrance. They were looking for seed handouts, but I had none to offer. This is a nice shot of an American Wigeon female.

American Wigeon (F) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

My next shot is a reasonably good one of a Black-crowned Night Heron.They sleep during the day, so it's hard to get a shot with the eyes open.

Black-crowned Night Heron - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

One of my favourite small birds is the Brown Creeper. I do see them in my backyard in Fall and Winter, but this one was my first for 2020. The bird was constantly moving, so the shots are a little fuzzy. It in the lower center of this shot.

Brown Creeper - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC - 2020 Bird #57

It's easier to see in this shot.

Brown Creeper - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

A close relative of the Creeper is the Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Red-breasted Nuthatch - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

2020 Bird #58

Here's the common Song Sparrow. The colours really stand out. In the background is either a House Sparrow or female Red-winged Blackbird. I couldn't see any way to edit it out.

Song Sparrow - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

And here's the similar Fox Sparrow. This can be an ID problem, but the differences in the two birds are obvious in these shots. The Eastern versions of the birds are more similar.

Fox Sparrow - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC - 2020 Bird #59

And to end this post, two shots of common, but beautiful birds.

Red-winged Blackbird (F) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Mallard - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC