Delta Naturalists Society

On a glorious could-be summer morning, five DNCB’ers meet in the parking lot of Iona Beach Regional Park: Thea, Rosemary, Chris, Louise, and Roger M. There were meant to be 7, however, and we found out that an accident shortly before the George Massey tunnel delayed Lynne and Warren by well over an hour! They eventually caught up with us, and the sunshine and refreshing ocean breeze—I hope—compensated them for their troubles.

Right off the bat, there were plenty of ducks in the pond in front of the parking lot. A light mist was rising off the water on a far shore of the pond, catching the sun, creating quite an eerie scene. The ducks didn’t seem to care, and we identified American Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallards, and American Coots.

The bushes were alive with passerines: the usual (noisy) Red-winged Blackbirds and Song Sparrows singing varied tunes. We also identified Spotted Towhees, American Goldfinches, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, White-crowned Sparrows, and the first Fox Sparrows of the season! Following the dew-kissed pathways around the northern edge of the pond, we heard what sounded like warblers but didn’t officially ID any until later.

Towards the northeastern corner, us three ladies ducked into a side path that led us to a clearing, where a team of naturalists were busy netting and collecting data on birds. They kindly showed us their recent quarry of Lincoln’s Sparrow and Yellow Warbler. In the trees above their little observation hut, we spotted a Warbling Vireo. I wonder if it ended up in their nets?

In the meantime, Chris and Roger fawned over a Merlin perched atop the robust branches of a long-dead tree, eating something equally as long-dead.

Warren and Lynne finally joined our party and we headed off for the beach to see if we could drum up any further action.

A Great Blue Heron flew overhead, Glaucous-winged and Ring-billed Gulls performed disinterested fly-bys, and a Killdeer keened in the distance. Louise spotted a coyote on a distant mudflat and we watched it trot away, behind a piled of driftwood. A highlight was seeing several great V-formations of Double-crested Cormorants flying overhead.

We all enjoyed the morning out in the gorgeous sunshine, grateful for these beautiful summer-like days as we drift ever nearer to winter. And with 35 birds on our list, I’d say it was a successful day of birding, too!

Thea Beckman

Photos are on Flickr