Birding

Birding May 22, 2023: Killdeer peeps and diving swallows

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

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • Barn swallow
  • European starling
  • Goldfinch
  • House sparrow
  • Savannah sparrow
  • Spotted towhee
  • Tree swallow

Waterfowl:

  • Gadwall
  • Killdeer
  • Mallard

Common:

  • Crow
  • Seagull

Raptors:

  • Bald eagle
  • Northern harrier

Non-birds:

  • Rabbits
  • Some bugs if you squinted or were a swallow

Birding May 20, 2023: Sapperton Landing with dramatic herons

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

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • Song sparrow
  • Tree swallow

Waterfowl:

  • Bufflehead
  • Canada goose
  • Cormorant
  • Gadwall
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Mallard

Common:

  • Crow

Raptors:

  • None

Non-birds:

  • Some bees and bugs

Birding May 11, 2023: Babies everywhere, coots nowhere

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

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • Blackbird
  • Chickadee
  • Cowbird
  • Song sparrow
  • Spotted towhee

Waterfowl:

  • Canada goose
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Mallard
  • Wood duck

Common:

  • Crow
  • Pigeon

Raptors:

  • Bald eagle

Non-birds:

  • Comma butterfly
  • Painted turtle

Baby geese! Baby ducks!

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.

Birding, May 7, 2023: Herons and more herons

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

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • American robin
  • Song sparrow

Waterfowl:

  • Canada goose
  • Cormorant
  • Gadwall
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Mallard

Common:

  • Crow

Non-birds:

  • A few well-behaved dogs
  • A spider

Birding April 29, 2023: Sunburns, mud and a million warblers

Where: Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Iona Beach
Weather: Sunny, around 18C or warmer

The Outing

With an unusually summer-like day forecast, we headed out mid-morning to Reifel, bedecked in t-shirts and shorts for the first time this year. I also brought sunblock, which proved to be very necessary.

Reifel was full of birds and full of people, many having booked no doubt due to the forecast, but the crowds thinned a bit after we’d been there awhile. The biggest changes we observed were:

  • Warblers. At first, we were just satisfied to get some shots, then realized the place was replete with warblers. They actually seemed to be crowding out the chickadees. I got at least two lifer shots.
  • Most of the winter migrants were still around, but their numbers were down quite a bit and a few, like the mergansers and scaups, were nowhere to be seen. I suspect the next time we visit, most of them will have moved on for the summer.
  • The geese were mostly tranquil. There was honking and some occasional nipping/alpha male nonsense, but they generally seemed more sedate. Maybe mating season mellows them out. Like, it’s hard to get a date when you’re going totally berserk.

After about four hours, we moved on to Iona Beach, where Nic wanted to find the elusive yellow-headed blackbird. We did see one, but did not get good photos (or in my case, any). Nic actually went back the next day on a Moby Dick-like quest and did get some shots. Even though he’s gotten great shots previously, so it’s not like it’s a lifer or anything. Weirdo! Or maybe he is assuming his final form as a Power Birder. First the yellow head, next the 600 mm lens.

We also saw a pile of warblers at Iona Beach. They were everywhere.

After journeying down the trails and past the barges, we agreed to walk across the tidal flats on the way back, as it would be quicker (in theory) and easier( in theory). It was neither!

But I found it strangely hilarious as the fairly firm sand gave way to increasingly mucky stuff, the kind that threatens to pull your shoes right off your feet. We never got our feet fully submerged, so I cal it a win. I also stuck to my plan to only take shots with my camera, and swapped out lenses several times for scenery shots and one poor ex-crab on the beach. A bit inconvenient compared to the phone, but my kit lens has some zoom capability, and it has a wider aspect ration, especially handy for the vast vistas of Iona Beach.

In all, it was a nice way to end the month, getting a nice preview of the warm summer weather to come.

And yes, I got a bit burnt in a few spots I missed with the sunblock. 😛

The Shots

Coming soon™.

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • Anna’s hummingbird
  • Barn swallow
  • Blackbird
  • Black-capped chickadee
  • Cowbird
  • Fox sparrow
  • Golden-crowned sparrow
  • Orange-crowned warbler
  • Rufous hummingbird
  • Savannah sparrow
  • Song sparrow
  • Spotted towhee
  • Tree swallow
  • White-crowned sparrow
  • Yellow-rumped warbler
  • Ruby-crowned kinglet

Waterfowl:

  • American coot
  • Canada goose
  • Gadwall
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Green-winged teal
  • Mallard
  • Northern pintail
  • Ring-necked duck
  • Sandhill crane
  • Wood duck

Raptors:

  • Bald eagle
  • Northern harrier

Common:

  • Pigeon
  • Seagull

Non-birds:

  • Douglas squirrel
  • Painted turtle

Birding, April 15, 2023: Burnaby Lake and Richmond Nature House

Where: Piper Spit (Burnaby Lake Regional Park), Richmond Nature House
Weather: Cloudy, intermittent showers, around 8-10ºC

The Outing

The forecast told of doom (or at least rain), so we headed out with trepidation to our first stop, Piper Spit. To avoid getting drenched, we parked at the Nature House, which didn’t help our step count, but did keep us safe from a potential drenching.

There was a bit of a breeze and as a result it was rather chilly. It did sprinkle on and off a bit, but not enough to interfere with the shoot. We once again saw a mix of spring and winter migrants, though the buffleheads were nowhere to be seen today.

A new arrival at the lake was the cowbird, tangling with the geese for some seed.

We moved on to the Richmond Nature House and spent time watching squirrels gorging themselves at the bird feeders. A few birds used them, too, but mostly stuck to grabbing seed that was spilled onto the ground. Doves and finches were mixed in with the usual suspects.

The hummingbird count was way down, but one particular rufous hummingbird repeatedly stopped to assert control on its territory. Nic got a little too close one time, and the rufous dive-bombed him to make its displeasure known. No one messes with hummingbirds. The rain actually held off completely here, so we opted to press our luck further and go to Colony Farm after a bite to eat.

Alas, the weather turned while we were eating, with The Rains arriving, so we bowed out at that point. Overall, though, we got a lot more in than we might have expected, given how wet the day was looking.

The Shots

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • Blackbird
  • Black-capped chickadee
  • Cowbird
  • Fox sparrow
  • Golden-crowned sparrow
  • House finch
  • Mourning dove
  • Purple finch
  • Rufous hummingbird
  • Song sparrow
  • Spotted towhee
  • Tree swallow

Waterfowl:

  • American coot
  • Canada goose
  • Green-winged teal
  • Lesser scaup
  • Mallard
  • Northern pintail
  • Wood duck

Common:

  • Pigeon
  • Seagull

Non-birds:

  • Red squirrel
  • Douglas squirrel

A few birds and things in Hume Park, April 13, 2023

Chickadees gathering nesting material, geese shacking up, and more.

Birding, April 8, 2023: Burnaby Lake

Where: Piper Spit (Burnaby Lake Regional Park)
Weather: Cloudy, intermittent rain, around 8ºC

The Outing

It’s Easter weekend and instead of chocolate bunnies and candy eggs, we got a rainfall warning.

The skies opened up as forecast, and it was looking like we might not get out at all. The rain paused just long enough to let us grab about 20 minutes at Piper spit (Burnaby Lake), where I got 138 shots of soggy birds, squirrels and scenery. By the end, the rain resumed and we got the heck out of there.

I got a few respectable shots, which are posted in the gallery below. A lot were blurry, some due to movement and some due to I don’t know what, because the number of blurry shots has been going up lately. I also had another moment today where it felt like my telephoto lens, which is attached via adapter to the camera, started to come loose. Can adapters fail? I guess I’ll find out eventually!

The Shots

The Birds (and other critters)

Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:

  • Blackbird
  • Black-capped chickadee
  • Fox sparrow
  • Golden-crowned sparrow
  • Song sparrow
  • Spotted towhee

Waterfowl:

  • American coot
  • Bufflehead duck
  • Canada goose
  • Green-winged teal
  • Lesser scaup
  • Mallard
  • Northern pintail
  • Wood duck

Common:

  • Crow
  • Pigeon

Non-birds:

  • Red squirrel