Delta Naturalists Society

It was rumors of Jaegers and Ospreys that lured 7 birders through peak morning traffic to the UBC look-out on Old Marine Drive.  And while such rare treasures were never found, the sheer abundance of passerine species seen and heard more than compensated.  The birders present were Margaret, Margaretha, Gabriele, Glen, Stephanie, yours truly, and Debbi, a veritable font of nature knowledge and our brazen guide for the morning.

We began by panning the tidal flats below for water birds.  There were a substantial number of Canada Geese (about 25), two Mallard Ducks, and a Great Blue Heron perched on and among the great tree trunk logs.  A pair of Pelagic Cormorants dried their wings in the sun*, Double-crested Cormorants hastened their way to work, two Common Loons cruised the waters further out, and a lone female Merganser fed in the shallows closest to the beach below.  We couldn’t tell whether it was a Red-breasted or Common Merganser, but my money would be on the latter.

*Fun Fact: Unlike most birds, cormorants’ feathers are designed to absorb water, rather than trap air, making them less buoyant and, therefore, able to dive deeper.  This is why cormorants have to air dry their wings, while water quickly and easily slides off a duck’s back!

The brambles immediately in front of the look-out were also alive with activity: Spotted Towhees rummaged about, an Anna’s Hummingbird chiselled away its call from somewhere, a Bewick’s Wren was heard by both ears and Sound ID apps, and the ever-present, ever auditory American Robins and Pine Siskins were around, too.  Then, before we headed on down the road, an American Bald Eagle and a pair of Caspian Terns flew overhead.  Nice!

Then, the pace sky-rocketed.  Unlike most bird outings, where the sightings unfurl themselves in a gentler, more linear narrative, this morning presented a dizzying rush of species seen and heard, thanks to Debbi’s remarkable knowledge of bird calls.  With a tilt of her head, she let rip a rapid fire list of species calling from the deep ancient forests encroaching on both sides of the old road, and within an hour we had Yellow-rumped Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Western Tanager, Purple Finch, Pacific Wren, Brown Creeper, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Song Sparrow, and Red-breasted Nuthatch on the list from audio ID alone.

Making our way north along the old road, we began to see quite a bit of activity in the foliage on either side: Wilson’s Warblers were both noisy and visible, and we saw one Orange-crowned Warbler with a large winged insect in its beak (well, large compared to the size of the bird). We also spotted a pair of Warbling Vireos flitting about in the trees, a Downy Woodpecker drilling away, and a Swainson’s Thrush dashing across the road.

In a clearing, a trio of American Goldfinches flitted between the ground and a small stand of saplings; a Northern Flicker took off from the ground giving us a brief sighting; and Chestnut-backed Chickadees hung upside down from pine cones in the firs. And so, for the comparatively little walking we did and time we spent, our final list of 30+ species at this first stop was quite an accomplishment.

Our next stop was the UBC Botanical Gardens themselves, where we were met by Lidia, bringing our party to 8 people.  A Red-winged Blackbird perched atop a Douglas Fir, announcing its presence to the world; a lone Glaucous-winged Gull did a fly-by; and handsome White-crowned Sparrows called from the tops of bushes.  Two Wood Ducks paddled in the pond immediately adjacent to the entrance.  Big deal, right?  Actually, these perfectly common ducks (elsewhere) have never been seen in the gardens themselves, making this quite an auspicious sighting.  History was made!

For the next two hours, we meandered through the gardens’ lush forests and spectacular diversity of flowering beds, adding Anna’s Hummingbird, Bushtits, European Starling, and House Finches to the (new) list.  By far the most abundantly seen (and heard) birds were Wilson’s Warblers, but we also heard a Townsend’s Warbler, Dark-eyed Juncos, Pacific-slope Flycatchers, Purple Finches, and a Swainson’s Thrush.  We also got a good sighting of a Warbling Vireo, which I think is a most pretty little passerine with its delicate pale supercilium and yellow-washed underparts.

In places where the garden opened up into parklands, Violet-green Swallows and Barn Swallows pulled off their usual swooping and diving aerial acrobatics.  Finally, on the way out of the park, a cluster of American Crows harassed a Common Raven, giving us front-row seats to the remarkable size differences between the two birds.

Our list total for the UBC Botanical Gardens was 23 species and, for the whole day, an impressive 42.
Thea Beckman

Photos on flickr

Thea’s eBird lists
Old Marine Drive
UBC Botanical Garden