2020 Birding Blog: July 2020

There was not golf scheduled on Saturday, so this weekend I met Mary-Jean at Cheam on the Sunday morning. My drive out there was a bit crazy, I was passed by a big pickup truck with dirt bikes on the back. They must have been doing 150 KM plus.

Within seconds of them passing me, they were pulled over by a ghost car who was running a radar trap. He must have called for backup, as I saw a marked cruiser pull a U-Turn on the freeway median to come back and assist. Justice was served very promptly.

On to the birding. It didn't take long for us to spot some colourful birds, first this male Grosbeak.

Black-headed Grosbeak - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

And then he was joined by another male, possibly an offspring or a sibling of the first one.

Black-headed Grosbeaks - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

The next photo is a Garter Snake as far as Mary-Jean and I can tell. The magnification of the camera lens makes it look much bigger than it actually was.

Garter Snake - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

This American Goldfinch was in a colourful setting, I didn't quite nail the photo, but it's worth including.

American Goldfinch - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

I saw my first Vulture of the year last week, and once again here this week.

Turkey Vulture - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

Here's the first Cedar Waxwing of the day, just in launch mode.

Cedar Waxwing - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

Earlier there was a snake, now here's a slug. I captured the detail on this one pretty well.

Slug - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

The light was gradually getting better as the morning went on. This Song Sparrow shot was an example of how good light improves image quality.

Song Sparrow - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

It's still difficult to get a good shot of an Eastern Kingbird, their contrasting dark and light plumage

seems to cause exposure issues. This is one of my better results for this species.

Eastern Kingbird - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

Here's a couple of scenery shots to show what a special place this is.

That's rock, it looks a little bit like an Owl.

This next shot is not of a rock, but a colourful turtle.

Western Painted Turtle - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

The next bird was the early highlight of the day, especially for Mary-Jean. And she "spotted" it first.

Spotted Sandpiper - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

I thought the Spotted was a new bird for me for 2020, but I checked my list at home. I had seen one in May at Iona Regional Park, on the inner sewage ponds. This location was much more aesthetically pleasing.

I quite like the tones on this Robin, probably a female with the lighter plumage.

American Robin (F?) - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

We were just completing the southeast loop trail when we spotted a male Bullock's Oriole close by in the bushes.

Bullock's Oriole - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

An interesting drama unfolded as a female came into the area. I don't think this was a prelude to mating.

Bullock's Orioles - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

These next shots are my first ever good ones of a female Bullock's Oriole. She looks like she survived the run-in with the male.

Bullock's Oriole (F) - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

And the last bird of the day was another Cedar Waxwing.

Cedar Waxwing - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

After 3+ hours of birding it was time to head back home. As it was a Sunday in the summer, the trip was over two hours. But the birds were worth it, especially the Spotted Sandpiper and the Bullock's Orioles.

Once again, I had a late afternoon tee time at Chilliwack Golf course and took the opportunity to meet Mary-Jean at Cheam in the morning. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to charge her camera batteries the night before, so she had only an hour or so of camera life.

Cheam Wetlands Regional Park

We started by scanning the lake, where I captured this Wood Duck. The item in front of him is a rock, but it looks like a giant acorn in the shot.

Wood Duck - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

Nearby were a flock of Mallards dabbling on the lake.

Mallards - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

A Turkey Vulture was soaring overhead, I'd seen my first of the year as I drove into the Park. This was probably the same bird.

Turkey Vulture - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC - 2020 Bird #102

One of my better shots of the day was of this colourful female Blackbird.

Red-winged Blackbird (F) - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

I'd seen my first Cowbird of the year the previous week. There were a couple more today. These both look like males, perhaps father and son?

Brown-headed Cowbird - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

I'd seen my first Eastern Kingbird of 2020 here last week, but only had one poor photo. Today, I had a few better shots. It is tough to get great photos of this species unless they are close and the light is good. Today's shots are somewhat better.

Eastern Kingbird - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

This next one shows the distinctive tail pattern. Unfortunately the bird is a bit out of focus.

We briefly saw a common Warbler and once again, the shot was not great.

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

Here's a better shot of a slower moving target.

Western Painted Turtle - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

When the Cedar Waxwings appear, the photography gets easier.

Cedar Waxwing - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

We were on a roll now as a Yellow Warbler put in a brief appearance.

Yellow Warbler - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

My last shot at Cheam was one of the best, a small unidentified Frog.

Frog (sp) - Cheam Lake Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

Great Blue Heron Reserve

I didn't have too much time to spend here, but there were a few highlights. This turtle looks very similar to the one we saw at Cheam. But this is a better photo.