Delta Naturalists Society

Deas is one of my regular monthly birding spots, so I was excited to see what seasonal changes had occurred since my last visit on March 6.  I arrived early at 7:45am and checked out the area near the rowing club.  A very loud Bewick’s Wren sang its way to the top of a bush, a flock of Pine Siskins flew over, a male Anna’s Hummingbird displayed, and American Robins fluttered and called all around.  A high-flying swallow was either a Tree or Violet-green.

I moseyed over to the group of 13 patiently waiting at Burr Villa and suggested we start our walk at the rowing club area.  Of course, the wren had stopped singing by then, and the hummer had flown off, but we got a good view of a Varied Thrush in among the robins.  7 Bufflehead and a couple of Mallard were on the slough.

We headed along the narrow trail, chattering enthusiastically.  Terry reminded us that we are not just birders but naturalists, and there was much to admire among the plant life.  And there certainly was!  Yellow celandines were coming into bloom, as were the osoberry bushes (also known as Indian Plum), that have a white, dangling flower cluster.  Throughout the park, the pink flowers of salmonberry were opening and attracting hummingbirds: we saw at least 6 newly arrived Rufous Hummingbirds as well as several Anna’s.  Yellow flowers of skunk cabbage were pushing up through the mud banks of the creeks, a most welcome sign of spring.

One of the most noticeable seasonal changes for me was the relative lack of Bald Eagles.  On my earlier trip in March, there were 55; today we saw 6.  Similarly, the number of gulls flying overhead was far fewer: approximately 10 Glaucous-winged Gulls today compared with 145 gulls on the 6th.  This must reflect nesting patterns and seasonal sources of food, such as spawning events along the coast.

The sandy trail beside the slough had Black-capped Chickadees and calling Northern Flickers and Spotted Towhees.  American Robins were ubiquitous.  Downy Woodpeckers were very active today, so we saw more than I had on winter walks.  We had a total of 7 this morning, with excellent views of most.  Gabriele was hoping to see an owl in the forested area, but none showed.  However, Brian picked up a Purple Finch singing in the distance.

Arriving at the trail alongside the Fraser River, Yellow-rumped Warblers were heard.  We eventually picked out at least 5 moving around and singing in the tree-tops.  Alongside the bulrush area, someone reminded me to listen for Marsh Wren, and I picked one out singing loud enough to be heard above our friendly group chatter!  We had blanked on nuthatches in the forested area, but got super views of a pair of Brown Creepers at a nest site on the north-facing riverside trail.  We returned back to the carpark at 11am.  32 bird species were listed on eBird for the morning.

This was a lovely woodland walk on a sunny morning, perfect for enjoying the first signs of spring.  Our group was Terry, Brian and Louise, Lorna, Margaret and visiting guest Calypso, Gabriele, Margaretha, Mike, Roger, the other Mike and other Roger, Warren, and me.
Anne Murray

Photos on flickr.

Anne’s eBird checklist.