Delta Naturalists Society

Seven Delta Nats Casual birders (Thea, Rosemary, Margaret, Gabriele, Liz, Richard, and Chris) met on a beautiful day for a leisurely walk at Blackie Spit.  The tide was very low with mud flats making up most of our vista.  While we were waiting for the group, a flock of Ring-billed Gulls dozed on the beach, their sleep interrupted by a dog speeding towards the dog swim area.  Then, the only birds to be seen were American Crows.  Was this a herald of things to come?  It seems like in summer, we trade the great weather for the birds!

We ambled down the spit looking for signs of bird life.  Savannah Sparrows kept popping up, and some posed for photographs.  The distant sandbanks were surveyed, and a number of species identified: Glaucous-winged Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, Greater Yellowlegs, Black-bellied Plovers, Great Blue Heron, a lone Caspian Tern, and a lone Canada Goose were ID’d.  Some of us were entertained with a gull trying to open a clam by flying high and dropping it on the beach (see photos).  On a distant sandbank there were a number of smaller “peep” sandpipers of varying sizes, but they were too far away to identify.  Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, and Violet-Green Swallows were buzzing around.

We wandered into the main area of the park and were able to spot a number of different species, including Black-capped Chickadees, Song Sparrows, Spotted Towhee, Common Yellowthroat, European Starlings, and a Downy Woodpecker.  There were a number of Purple Martins soaring overhead and roosting in their nest boxes.  At the base of their boxes, what we suspected to be a lone Common Goldeneye with characteristic triangular head dabbled in the shallows (also reported on eBird by another birder).  It was still seasonally quiet but we were starting to compile a decent-sized list.

As we started on our way to the pumphouse we saw a number of Green Crab traps in the estuaries.  There is a massive concern about these invasive species as they have been devastating the eel grass beds further south.  It was low activity birding and so a chattiest emerged.  As we moved on, we were rewarded with a few more bird sightings: Brown-headed Cowbird, a couple of Northern Flickers, American Goldfinch, Song Sparrows, and small flocks of Mallards in eclipse plumage.  A couple of Bald Eagles flew overhead.

A highlight was a Purple Finch which landed at the top of a sparse sapling and sang for all of us to appreciate.

It was quiet for birds, hence the short report, however, we were amazed to have accumulated a list of 32 species.
Chris McVittie

Photos are on flickr

Thea’s eBird list