Where: Centennial Beach (Delta), Piper Spit (Burnaby) and Tlahutum Regional Park (Coquitlam) Weather: Partly sunny, 3-8°C
The Outing
Our first birding outing for 2024 started at a rather chilly Centennial Beach, with a brisk wind and the tide in, so shorebirds, while present, were not nearby for good photo opportunities.
But we did see a bunch of golden-crowned sparrows, a northern harrier we didn’t have time to get shots of, and a bald eagle in a tree by the parking lot. Unfortunately, the perspective meant all I could do was catch a shot of its butt. I also got a shot of a robin’s butt. It was a butt kind of day.
After rounding out our trip there with shots of some good peeps (wigeons), we headed off to Richmond Nature House, where there was no parking at all, and two other cars waiting for a spot. Sadly, we had to move on, and went next to Piper Spit.
As compensation, we got a visit from a handsome Steller’s jay, and also a bufflehead that, rather than hanging back like they usually do, actually came in close to the pier, allowing us to get our best bufflehead shots ever. There were also a lot of gulls hanging around, trying to pull unspeakable things out of the water when they were not strutting around, proudly showing off the golf balls and other spherical objects clutched in their bills. Gulls are weird. We also saw our first Canad geese in a while. They are also weird and we have the pictures to prove it.
Even though it was already golden hour-y by the time we finished up at Piper Spit, we still went to Tlahutum, where we did see more golden crowns, some mergansers and another bufflehead (!) Generally the number of birds was small, so we mostly took shots showing off the setting sun.
In all, a decent outing to start the year, with cool but mostly sunny weather.
The Shots
Soon™
The Birds (and other critters)
Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:
- American blackbird
- American robin
- Black-capped chickade
e(briefly seen) - Dark-eyed junco
- European starling
- Fox sparrow
- Golden-crowned sparrow
- Song sparrow
- Spotted towhee
- Steller’s jay
Waterfowl:
- American coot
- American wigeon
- Bufflehead duck
- Canada goose
- Gadwall
- Great blue heron
- Greater yellowlegs
- Green-winged teal
- Hooded merganser
- Mallard
- Northern pintail
- Northern shoveler (seen but not shot)
- Ring-necked duck
- Wood duck
Common:
- American crow
- Rock pigeon
- Seagull
Raptors:
- Bald eagle
- Northern harrier (seen but not shot)
Non-birds:
- None! Unless you count people and dogs.
