Birding, October 10, 2026: The Harrier the better

Where: Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Centennial Beach (Delta)
Weather: Partly sunny, 11–14°C

Last week’s birding felt like an extension of summer, with clear skies and warm temperatures. This week we got the clear skies (to start, at least), but the temperatures were decidedly fall-like. We still wore short, though!

Reifel Bird Sanctuary

The marsh, looking a lot less summery now.

The news out of Reifel is that the assorted geese migrations were underway and we did indeed see geese flying in formation–but no snow geese. It was a combination of Canada and Cackling Geese. As for the land-based variety, it was the same mix, with geese alternately hissing (Canada Goose exclusive) at us or standing there doe-eyed, hoping we’d produce a variety of yummy foods for them to peck out of our hands.

The sanctuary was also quite busy, with a mix of families and people with Very Big Lenses, perhaps drawn by the prospect of seeing the snow geese or other winter migrants.

Speaking of migrants, the coot population is slowly expanding and there are now multiple American Wigeons paddling about in the ponds. We still have yet to see any Buffleheads, Ring-necked Ducks or Scaups. The Sandhill Cranes were absent again, stalking about in parts unknown.

At one point the feeders outside the entrance/gift shop had three Anna’s Hummingbirds gathered on one of them, perhaps a sign of the diminishing number of natural nectar sources available. A wasp kept them a bit skittish around the closer feeder (imagine if you were in close proximity to a wasp that was about two feet long).

There was a complete absence of Wood Ducks and the London Slough remains in a weird state. Instead of being ringed by herons, it is now bereft of them (though we saw them elsewhere) and the logs were mostly empty or had a mix of Mallards and shorebirds on them. Maybe there’s something in the water.

The water is generally starting to look less mucky now with the cooling of the season.

In terms of sparrows, the towhees were much more visible today and chickadees were all over the place, in some cases getting too close for my Somewhat Big Lens. They are in full “seek seed from hairless bipeds” mode. We also saw some House Sparrows, who had disappeared on the last visit.

In all, a perfectly fine outing.

Centennial Beach

Low tide on the bay.

The tide was low at Centennial Beach and that meant most shorebirds were going to be a long way away. Sad. We did see a bald eagle standing on one of the sandy shoals, though, along with multiple herons.

Golden crowns dotted the paths, along with a dead but seemingly intact dragonfly that was laying on the trail as if it had just touched down for a moment before flitting off. But it would flit no more, as it was very dead. I wonder how it met its end. Do dragonflies have heart attacks?

There were two main highlights at Centennial. The first was hundreds of birds in the water near to the pump station–a mix of wigeons, Green-winged Teals, Northern Pintails and probably some miscellaneous others. And when I say hundred, that is no exaggeration. Occasionally, a bunch would take off and fill the sky, sometimes leaving, sometimes circling back. A smaller but still large group of seagulls also hung out nearby, getting in on the mass gathering. And among them all was a small group of Greater Yellowlegs just bobbing along, doing their thing.

A sampling of the birdapalooza at Centennial Beach.

The other highlight was a Northern Harrier that took an unusual flight path down fairly low and on a line roughly parallel to us over the nearby shoreline. She was also in hunter mode, and they can move surprisingly slow as they survey the ground below them for targets. This worked to our benefit and we got some really fine shots of the face and not just the butt, as is often the case with harriers. As we had seen some earlier at Reifel, it served to point out the stark difference between bird close and bird far away.

About midway through our shooting in and around the beach the sky began clouding up and it became clear (ho ho) that we were unlikely to see sun for the rest of the afternoon. Combined with me already being a bit tired from Xtreme Exercise the day before, we opted to end there. Nic still got over 1,100 shots, only 300 of which were the dead dragonfly.

The Shots

All photos shot with a Canon EOS R7 with 18–150 mm kit lens and 100–400 mm telephoto. Some landscape shots captured with a Samsung Galaxy S26.

Gallery soon™.

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • American Bushtit
  • American Robin
  • Anna’s Hummingbird
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Dark-eyed Junco
  • Golden-crowned Sparrow
  • House Sparrow
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Song Sparrow
  • Spotted Towhee
  • White-crowned Sparrow

Waterfowl and shorebirds:

  • American Coot
  • American Wigeon
  • Belted Kingfisher
  • Cackling Goose
  • Canada Goose
  • Gadwall
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Greater Yellowlegs
  • Green-winged Teal
  • Long-billed Dowitcher
  • Mallard
  • Northern Pintail
  • Northern Shoveller

Common:

  • American Crow
  • Various seagulls

Raptors:

  • Bald Eagle
  • Northern Harrier

Non-birds:

  • Assorted pollinators
  • A dead dragonfly
  • A furtive black squirrel

Run 1,074: A snootful of leaves

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Clear and very windy.

I originally thought about doing a short loop going clockwise around the lake, but changed my mind and just ran the full 5K, then walked the rest of the way around.

I skipped Wednesday’s run because my watch declared it a Rest Day and I obey my watch when it tells me to rest. My obedience is more uncertain when it tells me to do other things.

The highlight (?) of today’s run was: wind! And plenty of it. Post-run the weather app on my phone said the wind was blowing 21 km/hour and I have no doubt it was gusting much higher than that at times. The trail was covered in leaves, twigs, branches and the occasional downed tree. This, combined with bright late morning sun, meant I had to be extra vigilant to avoid branches hiding amongst piles of leaves and such. I am happy to report I avoided all obstacles1Well, I did get batted by leaves and small bits of debris multiple times, but nothing that could leave a mark and emerged unscathed.

I even managed to beat my slow start curse of late, managing to come in under the six-minute mark for all five km, with an overall pace of 5:54/km. My BPM was 149 and only edged to 153 at its peak. You might think the wind, when behind my back, may have helped me, but it did not. I distinctly remember a few times having it push directly against me, though.

There were some other runners out and some people strolling, but it felt like the numbers were lower, likely due to the tremendous wind.

In all, a somewhat odd but still kind of good end to the week (except for all the new ex-trees).

A post-run example of the wind-caused mayhem, near the dam.

Stats:

Run 1,074
Average pace: 5:54/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: 0
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:21 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 29:39
Weather: Sunny with high wind
Temp: 14–15°C (felt like 13°C)
Humidity: 64–51%
Wind: moderate to high
BPM: 149
Weight: 172.5 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,170 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (150/301/451)

Music: Time, ELO

Birding, October 3, 2026: Coots without drama

Where: Blakeburn Lagoons Park, DeBoville Slough (Port Coquitlam), Tlahutum Regional Park (Coquitlam), Burnaby Lake Regional Park (Burnaby)
Weather: Sunny, 17–22°C

intro text

Blakeburn Lagoons Park

The view from the “main” viewing platform.

I suggested Blakeburn Lagoons to see if we could spot the Green Heron again.

We did not see any the Green Heron. Or any herons that were green.

Some patience at what I think of as the main viewing platform paid off, as a Pied-billed Grebe eventually emerged. It caught a large fish and gobble it down. The babbies have grown, so it was able to do so without being harassed by hungry kids.

There were also some Gadwalls, plenty of Mallards and even more Mallards. Blakeburn Lagoons is relatively small, so we moved on after not too long.

DeBoville Slough

Boathouses along the slough.

We moved on to the DeBoville Slough and this time took the south trail. This allowed us to observe a number of multi-storey private homes, some of which seemed…odd, with lots of dodgy-looking artificial turf and side houses of unknown purpose. We also saw a flock of seagulls on the river (not the band), but not much else in the way of birds. The river scenery was quite nice, though, better than the north trail, I’d say.

Tlahutum Regional Park

Coquitlam River, looking full and ripply against a clear blue sky.

We started to see more birds here, along with a very dead grasshopper on the trail being noshed on by a wasp. So if you were wondering what wasps nosh on, there you go.

There was another grebe in the big pond, along with yet more Mallards. Several things were splashing in the Coquitlam River, but we never saw what they were, only the conspicuous splashes. Rather odd. Someone reported a seal sighting, which would also be odd in a river that doesn’t even directly connect to the ocean, but we lie in strange times.

The community gardens yielded a few sparrows and fleeting glimpses of Goldfinches, Yellow-rumped Warblers and chickadees. I surprised myself by getting a fairly decent shot of a warbler. Nic could also hear American Bushtits but they did not show themselves.

The garden is still looking fairly lush in the first week of October. We’ll see how it looks next time as we head into a fall that will be dominated by a Super El Nino™.

Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake Regional Park

Just some of the many Long-billed Dowitchers at the spit.

Some people were allegedly feeding blackbirds right at the end of our visit to Piper Spit, but I didn’t see it, so for me, it was a crime-free outing.

The landmass adjacent to the pier is currently quite huge, bringing the shallows in close. This meant that the Long-billed Dowitchers present were pretty close. Nice. And there were a billion of them, more than I’ve ever seen here. Most were snoozing when we arrived, but a few woke up and stalked about, looking for yum yums.

There were only two geese present and both were snoozing, so no goose drama. Multiple coots are here, though, so potential for coot drama was high. In fact, we saw one coot standing on a sunken log and another swam up to it, surely spoiling for a fight. Instead, they briefly nuzzled, then swapped places. Coots, as always, are weird.

Most of the Mallards and Wood Ducks are now back to their shiny breeding colours, and blackbirds were flitting all over, including one that briefly landed on my head, despite my head being completely seed-free (to my knowledge).

In all, a decent outing, with gorgeous, summer-like weather and no sunburn as a bonus.

The Shots

All photos shot with a Canon EOS R7 with 18–150 mm kit lens and 100–400 mm telephoto. Some landscape shots captured with a Samsung Galaxy S26.

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • American Bushtit (heard)
  • American Goldfinch
  • Anna’s Hummingbird
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Golden-crowned Sparrow
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Song Sparrow
  • Spotted Towhee
  • White-crowned Sparrow
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler

Waterfowl and shorebirds:

  • American Coot
  • Canada Goose
  • Gadwall
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Long-billed Dowitcher
  • Mallard
  • Pied-billed Grebe
  • Wood Duck

Common:

  • American Crow
  • Various seagulls

Raptors:

  • Turkey Vulture

Non-birds:

  • Assorted pollinators
  • A dead grasshopper
  • A living grasshopper
  • Some things splashing in the Coquitlam River

Run 1,073: Bonus run to address my OCD

View of the rowing pavilion, post-run (the first one, not this one).

After finishing my 5K, I walked about 1.5 km and decided to do another 2.5 km, so my total run stats would end in a nice round number instead of x.5 something. Yes, I will actually do more exercise just to have nicer looking stats.

Unsurprisingly, this was much like the previous run, but I had some extra zip, with an overall pace of 5:51/km and my BPM only up slightly to 148. No issues otherwise. I ended the run right near the 9K marker, so only had a short walk to exit the trail.

I listed to A Rush of Blood to the Head again, but this time not in shuffle mode, which was accidentally enabled the first time.

Stats:

Run 1,073
Average pace: 5:51/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: 0
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 11:33 a.m.
Distance: 2.51 km
Time: 14:41
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 15–16°C
Humidity: 84–78%
Wind: light
BPM: 148
Weight: 171.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,165 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (145/288/433)

Music: A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay (this time not in shuffle mode)

Run 1,072: The accidentally casual run

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Sunny and very humid.

I had no specific plan today, but decided to start a little gentler and see how things would shake out. At the first km mark, I felt pretty good. My pace was 6:11/km, which explains why I felt pretty good–that’s downright casual jogging for me. I continued with 6:12 for the second km and resigned myself to a nice, casual start to the week, but my pace improved and I decided to see if I could still get a 5K run in under the six-minute mark. I fell short, coming in at 6:03/km overall, but my BPM was a nice 147 and only peaked at 153 (well below the new maximum HR I was alerted to after the run ended: 163).

I didn’t experience any issues on the run and saw one regular, Hangdog, which was nice. I sweated more than expected, given the temperature, but humidity was quite high at 84%.

In all, it was a respectable start for the week. But it was only the beginning, as it turned out! (See next post for details.)

Reflections ahoy on the lake, post-run.

Stats:

Run 1,072
Average pace: 6:03/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: 0
Location: Burnaby Lake (CCW)
Start: 10:40 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:26
Weather: Mostly sunny
Temp: 14–15°C
Humidity: 84%
Wind: light
BPM: 147
Weight: 171.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,167.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (147.5/301.5/449)

Music: A Rush of Blood to the Head, Coldplay (accidentally in shuffle mode)

Inktober 2026 Prompt 2: Relic

An internet pal suggested “ear horn” as the relic. I added in some Gum Gum People and here we are.

I feel like I’m learning to draw again, but hopefully I’ll be happier with my output as the month progresses. If not, it’s bag of cookies time! Just kidding. I’ll force myself to have yogurt instead.

Run 1,071: Fake rain and squirrel fights

View of Brunette River, pre-run: Gray, with a splash of fall colour.

Yet another late start and as I headed outside, it was sprinkling a little, so I went back in, grabbed my Echo hoodie and headed off. Almost immediately the sprinkles stopped and I felt overdressed for the entire time I was out.

Welcome to early fall running.

I opted for the river trail and despite Performance Condition being +2, I still felt kind of slothful-even with a good night’s sleep, too. I was over six minutes for the second and third km, and just barely squeaked in under at 5:59/km for the overall average. I have no idea why it is taking so much more effort to get to a decent pace now. Is it the humidity? Am I now super sensitive to temperature change of any sort? Is my body still clogged full of cookies and slowing me down?

The good news is I experienced no issues, did pick up the pace and had an overall BPM of 147, which is pretty good. The weather meant the trail was nearly empty–I only saw one other runner and a cyclist for the entire time I was out.

Also, I saw at least seven squirrels before and after the run (curiously, none during the run. Maybe the river trail is not their preferred environment). After the run I spied a black squirrel clutching a chestnut in its mouth and being harassed by a crow clearly coveting the prize. The squirrel took advantage of its lower height by hiding under a parked car. The crow moved on. Score one for the squirrel’s winter stash.

The river, post-run. The trail travels (out of view) along the line of bushes on the left.

Stats:

Run 1,071
Average pace: 5:59/km
Training status: Maintaining
Performance Condition: +2
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 11:44 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 30:05
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 16°C
Humidity: 90–88%
Wind: light
BPM: 147
Weight: 170.9 pounds
Total distance to date: 7,162.5 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 265, Samsung Galaxy S26, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Scarpa Golden Gate ATR 2 (142.5/288.5/431)

Music: Shuffle play