Where: Trans Canada Trail, Shoreline Trail (Pitt Meadows) Weather: Sunny, 25C
The Outing
It was not overly hot today, but with very little shade on the long trails next to the Pitt and Alouette Rivers, it felt hot. I ended the day with over 28,000 steps!
This was mostly new scenery for us, save for one part we’d been to before, and we were curious to see what sort of birds we’d behold.
As it turned out, not many, alas. They probably hid away due to a combination of the sun and us being out around nappy time.
But we did see some, including white crown and Savannah sparrows, various robins, towhees and ducks, including some common mergansers. We saw a few more birds along the Shoreline Trail, which is, unsurprisingly, in a place called Shoreline Park in south Pitt Meadows, along the Fraser River, including a Bewick’s wren.
We also saw probably the most horses ever. With people riding them. And the horses pooping. Nic stepped in horse poop twice (but it was the dry kind).
With fewer birds, we had to rely on the scenery for most of our shots. Fortunately, with the rivers and coastal mountains, the scenery was very nice. The Alouette River is kind of weird. It’s not very wide, it’s also quite calm, so we saw many people kayaking or on paddle boards. Apparently due to a mix of federal and provincial jurisdiction, the river is also a bit of a dumping ground for old abandoned boats, of which we saw more than a few.
It is also, improbably, home to a floating bridge from Washington State that is moored just east of the Pitt River Bridge.
Overall, it was a good day for shooting scenery (for a change), with just enough birds to make it not a washout as a bird outing. But more birds next time will be welcome.
Also, all of my robin shots came out grainy and blurry. I officially hate robins again. For now.
The Shots
The Birds (and other critters)
Sparrows and sparrow-adjacent:
- Bewick’s wren
- Black-capped chickadee
- Cedar waxwing
- Northern flicker
- Savannah sparrow
- Song sparrow
- Spotted Towhee
- White-crowned sparrow
Waterfowl:
- Canada goose
- Common merganser
- Great blue heron
- Mallard
Common:
- Crow
- Seagull
Raptors:
- Turkey vulture
Non-birds:
- Foul-mouthed children
- Bees ‘n dragonflies