Delta Naturalists Society

On Tuesday morning, twelve DNCBers had a very enjoyable outing to Blaine, Washington.  We stopped at Blaine Marine Park, the Fishing Pier, Drayton Harbor Marina, the Boat Launch, Semiahmoo Spit and a wooded area at the east end of Lincoln Road.  We saw 57 species (see David’s eBird list below).  Check out the photo evidence on our DNCB Flickr site.

Tom, our fearless leader, was missing.  He emailed the previous evening to say that he was stranded in Palm Springs – about to enter the pool with a Rum and a Cigar.  After spending 6 hours at the Palm Springs airport, he learned that his flight had been cancelled because of bad weather somewhere.  He arrived home Tuesday afternoon.

Our forecast was for a chance of showers and snow flurries.  On our drive along Highway 99 we had heavy rain and hail.  As we approached the border, the rain stopped and the sun came out.  The weather for the whole outing was sunny and cold.

At the Marine Park there were large flocks of Canada Geese, Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon.  Flying flocks of Dunlin and several Yellowlegs entertained us.  On the Fishing Pier we added Surf & White-winged Scoters, Barrow’s & Common Goldeneye, Common  Loons, Pelagic & Double-crested Cormorants, Red-necked Grebes and a Common Murre.  A small flock of Black Turnstones flew past.  We could see a Peregrine Falcon on the water tower on Semiahmoo Spit, but there was no sign of it when we got there.  A female White-winged Scoter was the only close bird at the marina.  At the boat launch we were entertained by a brightly coloured Purple Finch and American Goldfinches.

On Semiahmoo Spit we saw a large flock of Ruddy Ducks in the distance.  We also added Harlequin, Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, Long-tailed Duck, Brant, Killdeer and Red-throated Loon.  There were about 300 Cormorants resting on the dock and many more flying in. Cormorants will be nesting later on the Drayton Harbor Breakwater.

Most of us warmed up by having lunch at the Marina Cafe.  Then Gareth led us to a wooded area at Lincoln Road and Morningside Drive.  This was a new area for the rest of us.  There was a large mixed flock of Red-winged and Brewer’s Blackbirds bathing in the puddles.  A Red-tailed Hawk perched nearby,  A Pileated Woodpecker was calling.  It soon flew in and posed briefly for photos.  We also saw Flicker, Downy Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Pine Siskins and other small birds.  This area warrants further exploration.  When we returned to the cars we found that David had a flat tire.  He replaced it very efficiently with a spare tire while the rest supervised.  We then headed back across the border.

The twelve DNCBers were Brian, Louise, Gareth, Marion, David, Jack, Jim, Rogers 1&2, Mike, Pam and Terry.

Next Tuesday, Dec 3, we will leave Petra’s at 7:30 for our outing to Terra Nova Park in Richmond.  Meet at 8am at the parking lot at the west end of River Rd (west of No. 1 Rd).

Also on Tuesday, December 3 is our DNS monthly meeting at Benediction Lutheran Church, starting at 7:30 pm and featuring speakers David Hoar and Noreen Rudd, who will share photos & stories on their Photo Safari through South and East Africa.

The following Wednesday (not Tuesday), Dec 11, is our quarterly Birds on the Bay Outing at Centennial Beach.  We will meet at Cammidge House at 9am.

For more info on this and other outings, reports and photos, check out our website.
Report by Terry Carr

Drayton Harbor 26-Nov-2019
31 species
Canada Goose  150
Gadwall  4
American Wigeon  X
Mallard  20
Northern Pintail  X
Green-winged Teal  X
Surf Scoter  9
White-winged Scoter  1
Bufflehead  1
Common Goldeneye  3
Barrow’s Goldeneye  1
Horned Grebe  1
Red-necked Grebe  4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  1
Dunlin  170
Greater Yellowlegs  5
Common Murre  1
Ring-billed Gull  2
California Gull  1
Glaucous-winged Gull  7
Common Loon  7
Double-crested Cormorant  X     Hundreds on pier
Bald Eagle  3
Peregrine Falcon  1
Northwestern Crow  12
House Sparrow  4
House Finch  2
Purple Finch  1
American Goldfinch  6
White-crowned Sparrow  2
Spotted Towhee  1

Drayton Harbor 26-Nov-2019
5 species (2 new Species)
Northern Pintail  150
Bufflehead  3
Common Goldeneye  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Fox Sparrow  1

Semiahmoo Marina 26-Nov-2019
24 species (+2 other taxa) (12 new species)
Brant  35
Canada Goose  29
Northern Pintail  48
Greater/Lesser Scaup  18
Harlequin Duck  1
Surf Scoter  2
White-winged Scoter  16
Long-tailed Duck  5
Bufflehead  12
Barrow’s Goldeneye  2
Common Merganser  1
Red-breasted Merganser  1
Horned Grebe  3
Killdeer  3
Black Turnstone  1
Glaucous-winged Gull  5
Red-throated Loon  1
Common Loon  2
Double-crested Cormorant  16
cormorant sp.  800     On pier mixed sp
Northwestern Crow  7
Black-capped Chickadee  2
European Starling  15
House Finch  1
Dark-eyed Junco  10
Song Sparrow  2

8491 Morningside Drive, Blaine 26-Nov-2019
13 species (9 new species)
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Pileated Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Steller’s Jay  1
Black-capped Chickadee  6
American Robin  1
Pine Siskin  16
Fox Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco  15
Golden-crowned Sparrow  1
Red-winged Blackbird  25
Brewer’s Blackbird  35

Total  54 Species