October 30, 2020 - Pre-scouting Mission at Reifel

 I had the day off on Friday (as I will for the rest of the year) and visited Reifel to check out the birds. Tomorrow, I'd be back with Mary-Jean and wanted to locate a bird that would be a lifer for her. There had been a Redhead Duck there for a couple of months, a relatively rare bird for our region.

I got some instructions at the office and proceeded to look for the Redhead.

I saw quite a few of the usual suspects on my way out, starting with a Sandhill Crane.

Sandhill Crane - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

I took photos of the usual common ducks, but struggled to locate the Redhead.

Green-winged Teal - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Hooded Mergansers - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

The lady who runs the gift shop had told me that a lot of ducks had arrived this week, there was a good variety.

Northern Pintail - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

And of course the ever colourful Mallard. You have to look at this shot for a bit to figure out that it's preening itself.

                                Mallard - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

I still had not seen the Redhead, but picked up a couple more of the common ducks.

Ring-necked Duck - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Gadwall - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

The only songbird I photographed was this Junco:

Dark-eyed Junco - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

And then it was back to the ducks. Some people had left bird seed on a fence rail and these Wood Ducks were appreciative. Unfortunately, they were displaced by Mallards just after I took this shot.

Wood Ducks - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

As you can see, the female is not happy about losing her spot.

Out in the field beyond the East Dyke, I caught a Crane in flight.

Sandhill Crane - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

I was now back in the area where the Redhead was commonly seen. Just then a group of the Langley Naturalists showed up, and the leader knew where the duck was. I was close but looking in the wrong direction.

The Redhead is a diving Duck and I had to be quick and get my shots when it popped up. It was not a lifer for me, but was a first for 2020.

Redhead - Reifel Bird Sanctuary - 2020 Bird # 124

I took a number of photos, these two below made the cut. 

This shot shows that the size comparison between the Redhead and an American Wigeon.

Redhead and American Wigeon - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

It was time to move on for the day. On my way out I took a shot of this Black-crowned Night Heron. They're always hidden in the tree branches, but this one turned out better than I thought it would.

Black-crowned Night Heron - Reifel Bird Sanctuary

That was it for my birding on this Friday. I'd be back here the next day with Mary-Jean.