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.

October 24 - Boundary Bay 64 St

Just two days before I visited this location and also Brunswick Point. Those posts are elsewhere in this blog. I returned to both locations with my friend Mary-Jean on this Saturday. I've split the visits into two posts as there's lots of photos in each post.

We arrived and parked at 64st and started the walk along the trail. The bushes on the side of trail were very active once again. The most common birds were the Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Imm) - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

There's always at least one or two Song Sparrows wherever you go and whatever the time of year.

   Song Sparrow - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

This is the best time of year to see White-crowned Sparrows. All of them seen here were first winter birds. I don't know where the adults go, perhaps they migrate south without the juveniles.

White-crowned Sparrow - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

We arrived at "The Mansion". It is a property off the dike which features a large duck pond in the back yard. There were a few birds using the pond today.

Mallards and Pied-billed Grebe - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

Now here's a contrast in size, a Bufflehead and a Northern Shoveler, both females.

Bufflehead (F) and Northern Shoveler (F) - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

The next birds to appear were a bit of a surprise, especially for Mary-Jean. They were a small flock of Cedar Waxwings. These birds do migrate, but may find the lower Mainland warm enough to stay late, especially in a berry rich location such as Boundary Bay.

Cedar Waxwings - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

The bird on the right is a juvenile. There were 7 or 8 birds in the flock and I tried to get photos of them all. On the same day, someone reported seeing a Bohemian Waxwing in with some Cedars. I checked all my photos, but did not get it.

It was a very birdy day on this day, even overhead. A group of Trumpeters flew over.

Trumpeter Swans - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

Back to the smaller birds, there was a flicker in nearby tree.

Northern Flicker - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

I don't like Starlings very much, but they are very striking to see sometimes. These two shots are examples.

European Starlings  - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

And they all landed, amazing the branch didn't break.

A much nicer bird is the tiny Bushtit:

Bushtit - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

The last bird  for this stop was a colourful House Finch.

House Finch - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

We made our way back to the car and headed for Brunswick Point. That stop was quite eventful and is  detailed in the next post.

October 22 - Boundary Bay 64 St and Brunswick Point

 I took a vacation day on this Thursday and visited these two locations in South Delta.

Boundary Bay 64 St, Delta BC

I visited this location hoping to see a Black Phoebe that had been reported there on the BC Bird Alert. I did not see any Phoebes, but the location was busy with a good assortment of birds, likely due to an abundance of berries on the shrubs and trees along the dike.

The most common birds were Yellow-rumped Warblers, all in their first winter plumage.

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

The second most common birds were the White-crowned Sparrows, also in first-winter plumage.

White-crowned Sparrow - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

Here's another common bird, a Mallard in full breeding plumage.

Mallard - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

This one is practicing for a log rolling competition.

Yet another common bird, the recently renamed American Crow.

American Crow - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

I got a few more Warblers shots as I left, including this clear look at the yellow rump.

Yellow-rumped Warbler - 64 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

Brunswick Point, Delta BC

My next stop was this location at the western end of River Road in South Delta. It requires some walking to get to the birdy areas, but today it was well worth it. My primary goal was to see an Ash-throated Flycatcher that had been on the Rare bird Alert for a while. This would require a 2 KM walk along the dyke path.

Just past the parking area, I've seen a Bald Eagle perched like this many times before. 

Bald Eagle - Brunswick Point, Delta BC

There's lots of wide open grassy areas here, a good hunting location for Harriers. The brownish colour of this bird indicates it is a female.

Norther Harrier - Brunswick Point, Delta BC

A feature of birding in Delta at this time of year are the flocks of Snow Geese, and some flew overhead as I started my walk on the dyke path.

Snow Geese - Brunswick Point, Delta BC

I got a closer shot of a straggler.

I was close to the area where the Flycatcher had been seen, but the first birds encountered were not what I was looking for.

European Starlings - Brunswick Point, Delta BC

At the start of the walk I had spoken to a woman who had been looking for the Flycatcher. She had not seen it, but did see a Northern Shrike in the area where the Flycatcher was seen. This sounded like a bad omen, as the Shrike is a songbird hunter and killer.

However, this was my lucky day. I arrived at the area off the path, made my way in, and found the bird almost immediately. This was not a lifer, I'd seen one in Delta in 2014.

Ash-throated Flycatcher - Brunswick Point, Delta BC - 2020 Bird #120

The bird was not shy and I got some close shots.

One more shot:

As the woman had mentioned, the Northern Shrike was in the same area as the Flycatcher.

Northern Shrike - Brunswick Point, Delta BC

This shot shows the hook on the beak, used for tearing the flesh of its prey.

I made the walk back to the parking area, and met the woman again. I told her I saw both the Flycatcher and the Shrike. We birded together for a little while and both got great shots of a Merlin near the parking area.

Merlin - Brunswick Point, Delta BC

And one last shot, the Merlin is one of my favourite birds to see.

Merlin - Brunswick Point, Delta BC

That ended my day. I'd repeat the entire day two days later with my friend Mary-Jean, but not with quite the same results. That's detailed in the next post.

October 17 - Blackie Spit Park

I hadn't visited this location since March partially due to COVID 19 restrictions. I decided it was time to get back there, hoping to see some new 2020 birds. The trip was rewarding as I got some good shots and picked up some common species for the year list.

The first bird seen was an American Crow, formerly known here as the Northwestern Crow. That species have been lumped in with American this year.

American Crow - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC

The day continued with another common bird. However, this was my first recorded sighting of this bird in 2020

Rock Pigeon - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC - 2020 Bird #115

Another common species appeared as a pair of Double-crested Cormorants flew by.

Double-crested Cormorant - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC

The next bird was one of the better sightings for the day, a Red-necked Grebe not too far from shore.

Red-necked Grebe - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC - 2020 Bird #116

There were some shorebirds present as well.

Greater Yellowlegs - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC

A flock of Dunlin sped by.

Dunlin - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC

There was a flock of Wigeon in a tidal pool, I scoured the photo looking for a Eurasian, but they appeared to be all American.

American Wigeon - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC

Here's a couple flying over:

American Wigeon - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC

The next bird was a surprise, but only in the fact that it was my first sighting for this species in 2020. I can blame COVID for this.

Ring-billed Gull - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC - 2020 Bird #117

I'm fairly confident of my ID for the next bird. It's definitely a Tern, and the size and colour of the bill make it a Caspian. This is the only shot I got of the bird as it flew over out to sea.

Caspian Tern - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC - 2020 Bird #118

It was a treat to see a Common Loon next. I usually see them on my frequent trips to Point Roberts, but I have not been there since early in the year because of the Covid border closure.

Common Loon - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC

The last bird is a bit iffy for me. It's overall size and bill size make me think it's a Cackling Goose, but I could be wrong. I'll count if for the year until someone corrects me. This website would seem to confirm my ID as the Bill size, head shape and primary projection seem to match.

Cackling vs Canada Goose

Cackling Goose - Blackie Spit Park, Surrey BC - 2020 Bird #119

This ended my visit, it felt like my first real outing in quite a while.