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.