Thirteen DNCBers met by the Piper Spit Nature House at Burnaby Lake Regional Park on a very cold, clear morning – Pat, Glen, Lidia, Margaret, Bob, Dottie, Jacquie, Lee, Lindly, Roger, Mike, Lorna and Terry. This was a new destination for several of the participants. We were pleased that Istvan, a local birder who was there, joined us for part of the walk.
A highlight for many was the very colourful male Mandarin Duck that has frequented the lake for several years. Mandarin Ducks are native to East Asia, but are frequently raised in captivity. This one is probably an escapee. Although he seems to be paired with a female Wood Duck, they cannot actually hybridize.
At the spit was a nice selection of ducks – Mallards, Wood Ducks, Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, Pintails, Bufflehead, and Green-winged Teal (including one Eurasian with a horizontal white bar under his wings and no lateral white bar on his sides). There were also Canada Geese, Coots, Herons, a Pied-billed Grebe and a large group of Long-billed Dowitchers. Red-winged Blackbirds and Sparrows were busy in this area as well.
Between the parking lot and the spit was a pair of very active Pileated Woodpeckers. Males have more red on the face and on the crest than females do. There was a busy male Downy Woodpecker nearby as well.
Walking towards the Cariboo Dam, we saw more Song and Fox Sparrows, Robins, Varied Thrush, Steller’s Jays, Brown Creepers, Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Flickers, Juncos and Towhees. One Red-tailed Hawk flew over, and another one was perched on a distant snag. Several Douglas Squirrels made appearances.
We did not see the Dippers or Kingfishers that we had hoped to see at the dam. Nor did we see the Redpolls that were seen a few days ago. But it was a very pleasant, productive outing to a favourite birding hotspot.
Terry Carr
Photos on Flickr
Delta Naturalists Society 
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