Where: Sapperton Landing, New Westminster
Weather: Sunny, 28C
The Outing
Feeling somewhat human again after a week of being sick, I ventured over to Sapperton Landing on the Fraser River and spent an hour or so taking in the sights on a day that was quite warm, somewhat hazy and muggy. The light was a challenge, with high cloud causing light to shift from bright sun to shadow, but this was my first real chance to shoot birds with my adjusted diopter and check the results. Overall, I’m fairly happy with the results.
In terms of birds, it was the usual suspects: herons, crows, song sparrows, geese and gulls. Strangely, no ducks at all were to be seen. The bufflehead duck I’d seen around a few times was also absent.
In terms of people, I didn’t see anyone else for nearly the entire time I was there. Someone finally passed me as I was heading out, over an hour after I’d arrived. It was kind of weird.
Overall, it was nice to get out, stretch and test my mad camera skills again.
The Shots
Geese skip/flying over muddy shallows
Goose quickly skirting over the mud. There were two adults and four juveniles coming from Brunette River and none of them wanted to walk over this muck, but they didn't really want to fly, either, so they basically ran while flapping their wings.
Geese skip/flying over muddy shallows
Harsh light on a crow, but I kind of like the effect
Close-cropped shot of a Lufthansa 747 flying over Surrey on approach to YVR.
Wildflowers along the path
Song sparrow perched and in a contemplative mood
Past the rocks and on the shore, here be herons!
Great blue heron cooling its feet in the Fraser
Another great blue heron, standing, but not fishing
Just as I took the first picture of this gull bobbing on the river, it took off
I went out with a minor bit of trepidation. A few days earlier I’d caught a bug from Jeff, but on Friday I was feeling fairly decent and got a lot of stuff done, so I was hoping some birding on Saturday would be fine.
I was mostly right. By the time we got to our third and final stop, Crescent Beach, I was beginning to flag. Despite asking really nicely, Nic refused to carry me out. I managed to get out on my own two feet.
As for the various locations:
Sunnyside Acres Urban Forest: The name is a bit of a misnomer, because most of the area is shrouded in semi-permanent shade due to the abundance of very tall trees. It’s great for that forest vibe, and is neat to walk off a street and into the middle of fairly dense woods. The Merlin app was going cuckoo, reporting as many as seven different species at once, yet we actually saw very few birds, most of them remaining high up in the trees or away from the trails. My shots here were not great, though I did get a couple of nice shots of some fungus and then, right as we were about to enter the parking lot to leave, a junco came out and did a bunch of posing for us. What a nice junco!
Serpentine Fen: It had been a while since we’d visited here and the weather was ideal–sunny, but not hot. It was very pleasant, and the area was lush, though the river was very low. We did see more birds here, including an abundance of geese and herons in the river. Songbirds were more elusive, but we caught sight of a wren, a Savannah sparrow and a few song sparrows. Strangely, no ducks at all–not even mallards in the ponds. Again, my shots were not great.
Crescent Beach: We arrived here around 3 p.m. and given that it was:
Canada Day
A Saturday
Gorgeous weather
The beach was very crowded. We could not find parking in the usual lot and ended up parking further away, near a café, and had to walk in from there. As we trekked across the beach and through the trails, I began to flag, but managed to stay upright. We again saw no ducks, but there were song sparrows, some herons and purple finches were in abundance. A cedar waxwing also made an appearance, as did some Savannah sparrows.
Yet again, my shots were not great. As we left, I pondered this. A lot of the birds were far away, and the lighting was often not great (shadows or bright sun), but there seemed to be more to it than just the specific conditions of the shoot.
Later, when Nic and I talked about it, I mused that my shots had been getting worse–blurrier–for some time now. I am cleaning the lenses and contacts regularly, so I didn’t think those were the cause. As Nic looked over my camera, he noticed that the EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) was blurry. I concurred, but had always figured that it was my eyes and not the EVF (my prescription for lenses is about two years old now). Nic consulted the internets and discovered where the diopter1In this context it’s the control under the EVF that sets how sharp the image is in the EVF is located. I’d known about this before, but had completely forgotten about it. Fiddling with it brought the EVF into sharp focus. It is very possible this was at least one of the major culprits of my shots not being as clear as they could be. I will find out more the next time I go out and aboot shooting birds.
In the meantime, and as a bonus, I have also discovered how to make quick exposure and ISO changes. I’m finally learning to use my camera two and a half years after buying it! Go me.
As for the outing, I put in 25,000+ steps, which was probably way more than my body was in condition for, but the weather was nice, and I was glad to be out.
The Shots
Upward view of forest at Sunny Acres Urban Forest. Shot with iPhone 12.
Fungus the first, Sunnyside Acres. Shot on iPhone 12.
Fungus the second, Sunnyside Acres. Shot on iPhone 12.
Scruffy dark-eyed junco, probably a juvenile, Sunnyside Acres.
Great blue heron on the shore at Serpentine Fen.
Serpentine Fen, shot on iPhone 12.
Idyllic, if empty, pond at Serpentine Fen.
One of several bald eagles cruising over the fen.
Metallic bird. Strangely, the advertising on its belly didn't survive post.
Lorquin's Admiral butterfly
Savannah sparrow experiencing the power
Purple finches flapping furiously
Verdant field at Serpentine Fen
Bumblebee to flower: "I love you so much!"
Great blue heron on remnants of a pier, Crescent Beach
I’m still recovering from a head cold or maybe the flu (who can say for sure?) but thought a gentle day of birding would be fine. I mean, it was, except that I walked way more than intended–over 24,000 steps. That was perhaps too much, and toward the end I was flagging pretty hard. Some food and rest later helped, but I haven’t felt this bagged in quite a while.
We hit three spots:
Sunnyside Acres Urban Forest
Serpentine Fen
Crescent Beach
Overall, my shots were not great, but I may have found out partly why–more later when I have more energy to typy-type.
For now, here’s a shot looking up in Sunnyside Acres, taken on my iPhone:
Where: Piper Spit at Burnaby Lake, Burnaby
Weather: Sunny, 25C
The Outing
The waterfowl were mostly sleeping when I was there, and at times I was the only one on the pier. That made for a peaceful outing, but made shots a bit more challenging.
Still, the weather was very nice, I didn’t get sunburned, and sleeping ducks are pretty dang cute.
The Shots
Snoozing in the sun
Song sparrow auditioning
Canada goose doing...something
Male blackbird bringing a female blackbird a treat. He did this repeatedly.
Cowbird with bent tail feathers.
Baby duck sleeping in the shade of a bench.
Pigeon with a "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout?" look
Male pigeon macking on an albino pigeon
Male pigeon desperately trying to impress the ladies
Where: Reifel Bird Sanctuary and Centennial Beach, both in Delta
Weather: Cloudy, 17C
The Outing
I’ve actually done several bird outings between this one and the last one I wrote about on May 24, but for some reason never put together write-ups or galleries. Lazy? Bad? Who can say! I may eventually put up at least galleries for each later.
For now, though, on to the most recent birding, which was also the first outing of Summer 2023. The weather was not particularly summer-like, as it was cloudy, windy and around 17C, but no rain, no hail and no risk of sunburn, so it was fine.
We started out early at Reifel I opted to keep my hoodie on. This was a wise choice.
We got some quick pics of the sandhill crane family adjacent to the parking lot to start, but the main pond was unusually quiet. We headed off toward the bird blinds, where Nic had seen an owl last week when I was in Kamloops, but alas, no owls on this day. Also, the left bird blind was closed due to birds nesting in it. They clearly do not understand what a bird blind is for.
The theme at Reifel was cowbirds, and plenty of them. We only saw a couple of chickadees, no squirrels at all, but plenty of ducks, geese, and the cowbirds, who were spread out across nearly the entire sanctuary. It was kind of weird.
As befits summer, the marshland is starting to look appropriately lush and green, besmirched only by that now abandoned sailboat, which is badly listing to port now and has been there for many weeks.
The outer trails were especially breezy and cool, but some workers pointed out an oriole nest we’ll keep an eye on in future visits. The inner trails were warmer, but festooned with giant swarms of flying bugs. Fortunately, they are not the biting kind. The swallows were very well supplied.
The oddest sight may have been a small group of Northern pintails. They should have migrated weeks ago, but they either got lost, lazy or just like it here.
Centennial Beach proved a bit lacking for raptors and killdeer (we saw the latter, but only flying overhead and away from the beach), but we did see Savannah sparrows and house finches. A few others, like goldfinches, teased with their presence, but never made for good shots. The weather improved enough that the sun almost came out a few times, and it was almost warm enough to doff the hoodie.
It’s warm and sunny as I type this the day after. 😛
Overall, it was nice to be out, and I got some of my best cowbird shots ever because a) they were plentiful and b) some of them stopped frantically jumping around and stood still for several moments.
The Shots
Sandhill crane staring contest
Cargo ship cruising past Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Scruffy mallard duck preening
Cowbird
Cowbird
Cowbird close-up
Cowbird
Female cowbird
Greta blue heron landing on top of a tree
Great blue heron perched on a treetop
Juvenile bald eagle soaring overhead
Canada goose pondering
Northern pintail either not knowing or not caring that he should have migrated by now
Swallow at the front door of its house
Great blue heron keeping vigil
A tiny island of incredibly cute sleeping ducklings, with mother nearby
Baby duck on the march
Duckling posing
A group of blue-winged teals gliding through a pond
A majestic bald eagle
Slightly less majestic bald eagle
Female wood duck in profile
Female house sparrow on a branch
One of the boggier parts of Reifel Bird Sanctuary
The weather this spring has led to some extreme algae growth on some ponds
A clear pond at the sanctuary
House finch perched at Centennial Beach
View looking over Boundary Bay at Centennial Beach
Anna's hummingbird sitting still for a few moments
Savannah sparrow singing on a log at Centennial Beach
House finch on concrete, Centennial Beach
The Birds (and other critters)
Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:
Anna’s Hummingbird
Barn swallow
Blackbird
Brown-headed cowbird
Chickadee
European starling
Goldfinch
House sparrow
Savannah sparrow
Spotted towhee
Tree swallow
Waterfowl:
Blue-winged teal
Canada goose
Great blue heron
Killdeer
Mallard
Northern pintail
Wood duck
Common:
Crow
Seagull
Raptors:
Bald eagle
Non-birds:
Some giant freaky catfish (?) in a slough at Reifel
Where: Centennial Beach, Delta
Weather: Cloudy, 15C
The Outing
Nic and I headed out for the first time in three weeks, now that he is back in the Pacific time zone, in body, if not in mind. Alas, after two weeks of warm, summer-like weather, the clouds have returned. It actually wasn’t that cold overall, but the wind coming over the bay was a little chilly. Shorts weather, but without the chance of sunburn.
We did technically see two raptors, way up high–an eagle and what Merlin says was a northern harrier. I’ve never seen them fly in proximity before.
The birding turned out to be a bit better than expected, especially as we returned along the trails, with a goldfinch proving elusive, then somewhat more cooperative. All of my shots of it were poo. I did get one when it was up closer, but didn’t have time to properly focus. If it had sat still for two more seconds, I would have gotten a great shot.
I consoled myself by getting a bunch of shots of a positively adorable rabbit. While the first one dashed into the undergrowth before we could get any shots, the next proved suitably chill. And adorable. I’m going to assume there were about a thousand others we didn’t see, just out of sight.
I attempted to get some shots of diving swallows and managed a few that were surprisingly half-decent. Like, you can not just tell they’re swallows, you can see feathers and stuff. Neat!
Overall, it was nice to be back out. While better light would have been nice, at least we didn’t have to find the right spot to avoid the harsh glare of the sun. Yeah, that’s it!
The Shots
Tide out at Boundary Bay
A northern harrier and bald eagle, seemingly flying together. Or at least very close to each other.
Field of focal points
A bunny!
A bunny being even more adorable.
Brooding sky. It never threatened to rain, though.
Mallard in a pond
Female gadwall
Male gadwall trailing behind the missus
Killdeer with tail up
Killdeer pondering, possibly
Killdeer on the move
Starling in the seaweed
European starling with a look
Crow grooming, which looks kind of weird and creepy
Crow grooming nearly complete
Another shot of the tidal flats of the bay
The first and closest shot of the goldfinch. Also, the best shot, which gives you an idea of what the rest looked like (Narrator: Not good.)
This is cropped in quite close, so it's not exactly crisp, but you can clearly see the swallow about to nab a bug just above the surface of the water.
Diving swallow #2
Diving swallow #3
Diving swallow #4
Diving swallow #5
Diving swallow #6 to complete the set
Tree swallow, hanging out on the roof of his home
Poofy house sparrow declaring victory on ownership of the bird box
Where: Sapperton Landing, New Westminster
Weather: Sunny, 25C
The Outing
I returned to Sapperton Landing, unsure of what I would see, as it tends to be hit or miss. The weather was still summer-like, but not as weirdly hot.
The river was higher, which I thought might lead to fewer shorebirds, but I did spot two herons a-hunting, along with some ducks, both expected and less so. A gadwall couple was on hand (or webbed foot), but they can summer in the area. I did see a lone bufflehead, and as far as I know, they usually migrate away for the summer. Maybe he just likes it here too much to leave. He actually started snoozing on the river current.
Several families of geese were around, with their new broods. I got the “I’m going to hiss at you” stare from several mothers, though I stayed clear of them. This is where a telephoto lens also serves to protect you.
Songbirds were scarce, though I spotted a song sparrow nestled in a tree, and a couple of tree swallows were out. I took some shots of bugs and bees on the flowers, but most did not turn out, sadly. A surprise cormorant and a crow on a rapidly drifting log rounded out the birds.
Overall, a good time was had by me. And presumably by the birds.
The Shots
Tree swallow perched on the pier
Bufflehead duck not sure about migration
Cormorant having a stretch
Gosling in the grass
Heron close-up
This heron caught two fish at once. Impressive! Then it discovered it could not swallow both, so one was dropped back into the water.
Heron with a snack
This heron got all ruffled after eating, which I've never seen them do before
It's pollen time! Good for pollen-seeking bugs, bad for my allergies.
You can probably guess how I found this song sparrow nestled in a tree
Heron appears to be pondering, but is actually swallowing a fish. But maybe also pondering.
Where: Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake
Weather: Sunny, 20C
The Outing
I went on a solo trek to Piper Spit late morning/early afternoon, taking advantage of the sunny weather (after slathering myself with sunblock). With fewer people out on a weekday, the waterfowl weren’t quite as copious around the pier, but I still got some nice shots.
And babies! The geese and ducks both have oodles of little fluffballs in tow, following their moms and dads all over.
What wasn’t present were the winter migrants. The coots, pintails, scaups and others have all disappeared to their summer homes.
I also stuck to my new rule of only taking shots, including scenery shots, with my camera.
Overall, a pleasant outing, even if the variety of birds is now a bit diminished. The sun glinting off wood ducks and mallards almost makes up for it.
The Shots
Goose family
Gosling nibbling
Mama duck and her squadron of ducklings
Duckling
Male cowbird trying to impress female cowbird. The female cowbird was not impressed.
Male cowbird still trying to woo the lady.
Female cowbird departs abruptly.
Mallard shining in the sun.
Mallard trying to snooze.
Female wood duck gliding.
Blackbird in a tree.
There's always one goose going berserk.
"I claim this land in the name of hissing and pooping."
Jesus duck stretching.
Handsome boy
Yes, I am the most beautiful duck here.
Tree swallow obligingly pauses on a rail for me.
View of Burnaby Lake.
Pigeon is ready for its close-up.
The only herons were off in the distance.
A comma butterfly (I think), near the Brunette River.
This spotted towhee kept hopping toward me, posed for a bit with its green munchies, then darted off into the brush.
I’ll post the full gallery tomorrow (it’s getting late), but here are some shots of the first baby geese and ducks I’ve seen this spring at Burnaby Lake. The coots may be gone, but the fluffballs have arrived.
Baby goose! Fluffy and adorable. No hint of the hissing horror to come.Baby duck! Not as fluffy as a baby goose, but also doesn’t grow up to be a poopmonster.
Where: Sapperton Landing, New Westminster
Weather: Partly sunny, 17C
The Outing
With the weather being perfectly spring-like, I stretched my legs and spent an hour or so strolling along the path at Sapperton Landing, taking in the scenery along the Fraser River, and shooting what birds I could see.
I spotted a heron early on, which was nice, then realized there were at least four others with it. It was a heronfest, a bounty of herons, a heroncopia.
I actually got several decent shots of robins–score! And a terrifying shot of a crow cawing directly at my camera. And speaking of creepy, I shot a passing boat and when I zoomed in later a guy in the boat appeared to be staring back at me with a “I’ll git you!” look on his face.
Surprisingly, I saw a pair of gadwalls in the river, still not interested in migrating north, apparently.
In all, it was a fine little outing.
The Shots
Going for the catch
Fishy successfully acquired
Great Blue Heron and a gadwall couple that have not yet migrated north
Heron leaving, heron standing
Heron in flight over the Fraser River
Heron landing, cormorant in the background
Fish mosaic at Sapperton Landing
A pair of cormorants plying the river
Song sparrow in the grass being most birb
Hook and chain on a moored boat near Sapperton Landing
View of the Fraser, with log booms and the Port Mann Bridge in the background
Flower with bonus ladybugs
Song sparrow singing, as they do
Reflecting crow at the pier
Crow cawing directly at the camera. Terrifying.
I can't decide if towing giant barges of wood chips would be awesome or awful.
Life preserver on moored boat near Sapperton Landing
SkyBridge, Patullo Bridge, railroad bridge and the forthcoming Patullo Bridge 2.0
