Delta Naturalists Society

An exciting trip for most of us. It is nearly two years since we have ventured into Point Roberts. 

Ten Casual Birders took the plunge with the border crossing and rediscovered Point Roberts. The ten were Brian and Louise, Chris, Glen, Colin and Stephanie, Lori and Hasan, Thea and Rosemary. The border entry was fine. Glen made an early entry and ensured that they were well prepared for thousands of birders to follow. No questions were asked, and it was very easy. What wasn’t as easy was getting a coffee in Pt Bob, which threw this trip reporter off to a bad start. 

We met at the old watering hole, Kiniski’s Reef Tavern. All were huddled in their cars. It was 6˚C outside, but with the wind chill it was -47˚C. We all ventured out of our cars to brave the elements. Looking out into the waves, we did spot 3 Common Goldeneye.  In celebration, we vacated the spot and went to Lighthouse Park to warm up.  It was warmer there (-23˚C) and so, being Canadian, we started to walk out along the trail. The waves were still fairly high, making most sightings intermittent, but there were a number of species that we managed to spot. Cormorants, both Double-crested and Pelagic, flew by. Surf Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers and a possible Common Murre were spotted. We spotted a Seal, no, a Sea Lion, no, a very interesting log bobbing in the ocean.  A small flock of (possibly) Black-bellied Plovers chattered loudly as they flew by. 

Continuing down the trail. the seabirds became less frequent, so we turned inland. The temperature rose dramatically, and the sun came out. Thoughts of sunbathing were bandied around. The group returned to serious birdwatching, and a number of species were seen in the bushes: many Golden-crowned Sparrows, a few White-crowned Sparrows, a Robin or two, Towhees, and Golden-crowned Kinglets were a few of the species. 

Off to the marina, with a stop to check the pond along the way – seeing a number of Canada Geese, Bufflehead and Wigeon. We then proceeded to the marina (West side). At first there was little in the way of activity. A guy gathering leaves was the centre of the entertainment. We did spend quite a while there and managed a few species – Pelagic Cormorant, Common Goldeneye, Great-horned Owl (Plastica), Horned Grebe and American Crows being the highlights. 

We then traversed to the roadside pull-out for the beach and the entrance to the marina. The ponds at the bend produced five spectacular Mallards and a Great Blue Heron lurking in the bush. There was nothing at the beach because the tide was very high. The bush provided some Golden-crowned Sparrows and a few House Finches. We made our way to the channel entrance of the marina and were rewarded with a number of Scaup. A major debate erupted as to Greater or Lesser, with the consensus being that they were Greater because of the time of year and the fact they were in saltwater. We stayed in this spot for a while, and a number of species came to us: Common Loons, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-breasted Merganser, Belted Kingfisher, Harlequin Duck, a sizable flock of Canada Geese, and a lone Harbour Seal. 

We had now been in Point Roberts for three hours, and so Chris took off to deliver Brochures, and the rest continued to Seabright Farm. We were greeted there with a pair of Bald Eagles, and a few trees further along was a Merlin. Anna’s Hummingbirds could be heard all around in the bushes, but we only saw a few. We reached the stairs, which were open and in great shape, but we only went part way down. There was little reason to go down to the shoreline in such a high tide. After this, Glen, Thea and Rosemary decided it was lunch time and, on the way back to the cars, ran into a Brown Creeper and some Black-capped Chickadees.  Brian got some great photos when an American Kestrel swooped down into the field and picked up a very large bright green caterpillar.

It was good to have Thea and Rosemary with us. Thea is clearly an avid birder (and eBirder) and it’s great to have her with us.

The trip back was uneventful. Crossing back proved to be easy, and there were no random COVID tests demanded from our group.

Chris’s bird of the day was a Pileated Woodpecker beside his house in Pebble Hill Park.
Chris (and Glen and Brian)

Photos are on flickr

Brian’s eBird lists:
Lighthouse Marine Park
Edwards Drive Pond
Marina Jetties
Seabright Farm