Delta Naturalists Society

Report on Area I, by Terry Carr

DNCBers took part in the Ladner Christmas Bird Count on December 23.  There are photos on our Flickr site at:

https://www.flickr.com/search/?group_id=3027315%40N23&view_all=1&text=2017-51

The count is part of the regional Christmas Bird Count, which is part of a much larger count across the continent.  Counts happen in over 2,000 localities throughout the Western Hemisphere.  The CBC started in 1900, with the Ladner count starting in the 1950s.  It is an ongoing project of the National Audubon Society in the United States, and coordinated in Canada by Bird Studies Canada.

Each Christmas Bird Count is conducted on a single day between Dec. 14 and Jan. 5.

Counts are carried out within a 24-km diameter circle that stays the same from year to year.  The Ladner Christmas Bird Count area includes Tsawwassen, Point Roberts and south Richmond.  Ladner and Victoria compete for the most species in Canada – usually over 140.  The Ladner count area is divided into 11 sub-areas.

Thirteen left Petra’s at 8am to count in the sub-area east of 56th St from the border to Highway 17.  We divided into 2 groups.  Anne, Len, Glen, Patrick, Alan and Laura did the northern part including Beach Grove Park and the southwest.  Terry, Tom, Roger, Mike, Chris, Brian and Jim did the southeast including Centennial Beach and Boundary Bay.  The two groups together had 71 species (18031 birds).

It was a cold clear day with ice on the shore.  There were thousands of ducks and geese in the bay and flocks of shorebirds.  Both groups saw a Red-breasted Sapsucker.  One was in the same tree as last year by Boundary Bay school.  Other highlights were 33 Anna’s Hummingbirds, 20 Bushtits, 22 Northern Flickers, 9 Downy Woodpeckers, 3 Steller’s Jays, 1 Bewick’s Wren, 3 Pacific Wrens, 1 Marsh Wren, 9 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 3 Ruby-crowned Kinglets, 2 Cedar Waxwings, 9 American Goldfinches, 35 Pine Siskins, 14 Brewers Blackbirds, 59 Bald Eagles, 2 Barn Owls at Earthwise, 6 Northern Harriers, 6 Red-tailed Hawks, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 Cooper’s Hawk, 4 Peregrine Falcons, 1 Northern Shrike.

The Point Roberts sub-area had 87 species including a White-throated Sparrow and 38 Red Crossbills.

There were 561 Bald Eagles at the landfill.

No Snowy Owls were seen.

Report on Area D, by Ken Borrie

Gareth Pugh organized groups in Area D (basically 88 St. to 112 St, including the area around the Delta golf course.)  Participants were Gareth, Peter Candido, Wim Vesseur, Bob Puls, Jim Pasola, Anne Gosse, Michael Klotz, David Truman & Nora, Jackson Kusack, Pauline O’Toole, Maureen Bolivar, Holly Becker, Ken Borrie, Anne Avery and Kristina.

Between us we saw 67 species (20610 birds).

In the afternoon, I was with David Truman & Nora; we saw a lone Yellow-headed Blackbird (with other Blackbirds) on 112 St, just north of Hwy 10, on the south-facing roof of large building.

Not rare at Iona in June, but shouldn’t it be in Texas or Mexico in December??

The other groups saw 2 Long-eared Owls, 1 Short-eared Owl, 2 Western Meadowlarks, a Common Redpoll, 2 Merlins and a Peregrine Falcon, and all groups saw an extraordinary number of White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows.

The preliminary Ladner count is low – 139 species.  But there are more sub-areas to report.

Next Saturday December 30th is the White Rock-South Surrey CBC (8 am to 4 pm).

DNCB Outing 2018-01 will be on Tuesday, January 2 to the Ferry terminal and Reifel.  Leave Petra’s at 7:30 am; Reifel opens at 9 am.

Also please join us on Tuesday, January 2nd at 7:30 pm for our DNS Meeting at Benediction Lutheran Church.  Guest Speaker is Dave Scott:  topic Salmon of the Lower Fraser River and estuary.