We started today’s walk at 7:30 am because the dyke at Brunswick Point is hot and shade-less. With shorebird season in full swing, we also wanted to catch the high tide at the far end of the dyke. In our usual DNCB well-organized fashion, my sign-up list did not seem to exactly match the participants that showed up, and a couple of folks were believed to be caught in traffic somewhere. Everyone else was punctual, and before we set off, we saw a group of Brown-headed Cowbirds on the wires and Barn Swallows swooping overhead.
In other seasons, the first stretch of dyke trail at Brunswick Point often has many small birds hiding in the brambles or feeding on the path edge, as well as cormorants drying their wings on the old cannery pilings and mergansers fishing in the river. But on hot mid-summer days, there is much less activity. However, a big attraction for us was the White Pelicans that have gathered at Brunswick Point again this year, and the chance of shorebirds at high tide. Having checked on the pelicans on Sunday, I was optimistic they would still be there for our group to enjoy, but we had mixed information from some early morning photogs who variously reported them missing and present!
We walked briskly southward down the dyke, noting skeins of Canada Geese flying over, and a big flock of Killdeer startled up from a ploughed field. The calls of this boldly marked plover echoed throughout the area for our whole walk. Killdeer are many birders’ favourite shorebird as they are easy to identify! The hedgerows along the dyke were quiet, with only House Finches and an American Goldfinch seen. At the first bend in the dyke, a view of the intertidal became possible, and sure enough the large white lumps out on the mud resolved themselves into a flock of 21 spectacular White Pelicans! These huge birds must presumably nest somewhere in BC’s interior valleys; Brunswick Point seems to have recently become a regular location for them in late summer.
We walked on along the dyke, where invasive Scotch broom completely obscures the view of the marshes and water for a long stretch. I was complaining how the blackberry bushes had been removed by some dyke maintenance department, yet the equally invasive broom that provides no decent habitat for birds has been left to grow, when a little group of Bushtits fluttered through it!
The best shorebird viewing was close to the farm, where the bay curves inward providing a sheltered feeding and loafing habitat. A flock of Western Sandpipers was swirling around (we later saw a Peregrine Falcon chasing them into a tight group), and Least Sandpipers were probing the mud close to shore. Further out on the sandbars were big flocks of Ring-billed, California and Glaucous-winged Gulls, with a good sprinkling of Caspian Terns among them. Great Blue Herons stood around, brooding in solitary style; I did not manage a thorough count. Some can be difficult to see, hidden in the reeds. Nearer to shore, 3 Pectoral Sandpipers were the first of that species for the season for me. They look like a larger version of the Least Sandpiper, and stand quite a bit taller than the little “peeps”.
Flocks of Black-bellied Plovers were lined up at the outer edge of the tide line, only clearly visible with the scope. Glen spotted a Northern Harrier to get us to the 30 species mark, and then a Peregrine Falcon swooped in and upset all the peeps, setting them to flight.
We headed back down the dyke, with Bob kindly carrying my scope all the way to the car. A big thanks to him and to everyone for coming out early on a hot day! Our species list came to 31 for the 3-hour walk. A nice send off for Bill and Carolyn as they head back to their winter quarters!
At risk of missing someone out or adding someone who wasn’t there, these were the 14 participants: Anne, Glen, Bob and Dottie, Chris, Jim, Carolyn and Bill, Lee, Lori, Roger M., Johnnie, Jon and Lorraine.
Anne Murray
Anne’s eBird list
Delta Naturalists Society 
Leave a comment