More photos by Chris McVittie (CMcV), Jack MacDonald (JMacD), Jim Kneesch (JK), Maureen Sinilaid (MS), Pat Smart (PS), Glen Bodie (GB), Terry Carr (TC), Roger Meyer (RM) & Ken Borrie (KB) at our DNCB Flickr site
More photos of this Outing are on our Flickr website at: www.flickr.com/groups/dncb, then click the magnifying glass icon in the “Photo Pool” row, and add 2017-20 to “
DNCB Photos” in the Search box at the top of the page.
Fifteen Delta Naturalist Casual Birders arrived at 8:30 am at the Nature House in Burnaby Lake Regional Park, where we were greeted by a crèche of over a dozen Canada Goose goslings guarded by a ferocious gander and his mate.
A beautiful Anna’s Hummingbird was at the hummingbird feeder, and several Brown-headed Cowbirds were gorging themselves at another feeder.
We headed down to the wharf at Piper Spit where we saw over a dozen pair of Wood Ducks,
and many Mallards, but the highlight was a Pied-billed Grebe in breeding plumage, swimming and diving amongst the water lilies.
Some Red-winged Blackbirds were in the reeds on the shore and Barn, Violet-green, and Tree Swallows flew over the water. Roger took the group photo at the end of the pier. As we returned towards the Nature House, a Canada Goose revealed a clutch of eggs it was trying to hatch.
From there, we meandered west along the Cottonwood Trail through a mix of cedar, spruce, and cottonwood along trails, following the north shore of the lake. We heard Wilson’s and Yellow-rumped Warblers, and saw a Northern Flicker.
An Orange-crowned Warbler was sighted high in the crown of a deciduous tree, and there were several Black and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, as well as Spotted Towhees and Robins.
There were also some highlights: a Swainson’s Thrush, a Willow Flycatcher and a Pileated Woodpecker. Four Pacific Wrens flitted amongst the undergrowth, and a Brown Creeper wound his way up the trunk of a tree.
There were also several very bold and hungry Douglas squirrels enjoying sunflower seeds left by a previous passerby, and a tiny shrew basking in the sun by the side of the path.
Heading east on the Brunette Headwaters Trail, we saw Rufous Hummingbirds and lots of Cedar Waxwings.
The Black-headed Grosbeaks and Swainson’s Thrushes were making lots of noise, and occasionally showed up for a photo op. A Bald Eagle flew overhead, and an Osprey fished in the water near the Western Painted Turtles beach.
We even managed to identify a Northern Rough-winged Swallow, just for Tom!
We finally reached the east end of the lake and the Cariboo Dam on the Brunette River. A Great Blue Heron was fishing on the dam spillway but, sadly, we could not find any Kingfishers or American Dippers.
We headed back to the Nature House around 11:30 and were then on our way home at around noon. It was a lovely outing – we even had some sunshine.
Report by Nance Forster
Next week’s outing, Wed. May 31st, will be to the Semiahmoo FGC/Little Campbell River Hatchery (1284 – 184 St) with Roy Thomson, followed by a birding walk at nearby Brooksdale EC (1620 – 192nd St, A-Rocha) with Stan Olson. Leave Petra’s at 7:30 am, arrive at Hatchery parking around 8:15 am, to Brooksdale EC ~10:30. If you want to stay for lunch at Brooksdale (and have not already told Ken) please contact Ken at kenborrie@gmail.com ASAP so that the cook has an idea of the numbers to prepare for.
“The meal would be largely prepared with produce from the large organic farm on site, and served outdoors, weather permitting, overlooking the LCR valley where the habitat has been enhanced for the endangered Salish Sucker and for Pacific salmon species, etc. Cost would be $5.00 per person.
The menu would be limited to the dish of the day, and Brooksdale is not a licenced establishment, so no drinks are for sale.” Stan Olson
Delta Naturalists Society 
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