Another aberrantly warm October morning dawned on Vancouver, enticing 13 birders to the ever-popular Burnaby Lake Regional Park: Brian, Louise, Gabriele, Margaretha, Glen, Jacquie, Kirsten, Lee, Margaret, Marion, Stephanie, and Thea and her guest, Catherine. Here, a 12,000-year-old glacial lake sprawls across 770 acres of land that, together with the surrounding deciduous and fir forests, offer a home to several hundred species of birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. We saw a grand total of 37 during our three-hour morning walk: 35 birds, a Pacific Tree Frog, and two Northwestern Garter Snakes (3 narrow stripes).
Not long after parking the car (and a pint in the Nature House washroom), we got busy identifying the many different sparrow species that were hunting the path for morsels and flitting in and out of the undergrowth. There were plenty of Song Sparrows, juvenile White-crowned Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Spotted Towhees. We also saw a few Golden-crowned Sparrows and a lone Fox Sparrow performing its two-step shuffle in the gravel.
But the Academy Award for Best Sparrow goes to the White-throated Sparrow, which hung around long enough for us all to get a proper look at its gorgeous patchwork quilt of white, grey, and black facial markings, complemented with a kiss of yellow above the eye: a new bird for me and many others! And when we weren’t gushing over the sparrow or the Pacific Tree Frog in its large leaf hammock, a female Downy Woodpecker kept us well entertained.
At Piper Spit were large flocks of Wood Ducks and Mallards, interspersed by American Coots, Canada Geese, and, if you looked carefully, Hooded Mergansers. We counted three in total. To the west of the boardwalk, a Great Blue Heron stalked the lily pads for small fish and frogs, while a small flock of Long-billed Dowitchers drilled the mudflats like sewing machines for aquatic invertebrates. To the east, two separate flocks of Dowitchers “slept in”, standing on single legs with bills tucked under their wings.
With Tuesday’s report including a Short-billed Dowitcher (SBD), I scrutinized each bird for any kind of distinguishing feature that might set it apart from the other Long-billed Dowitchers (LBD). Vancouver birding superhero Melissa Hafting explains in her blog that LBD’s have barring on their flanks, while SBD’s have spots; although they aren’t always very clear-cut. These shorebirds’ flanks were mostly barred, and so LBDs made the list. We’ll have to wait another day for SBDs!
Further out, towards the end of the boardwalk, we saw diminutive Green-winged Teals, their viridescent specula flashing in the morning light. Brian thought perhaps that one of the female teals that was hanging out on a log was a Blue-winged Teal, but our view was obscured by the direct glare of sunlight off the lake, and, in any case, it buzzed off before we could confirm an ID. A few noisily whining Killdeer flew in, joining the heron on its quest for breakfast.
On the way back down the boardwalk, Red-winged Blackbirds and a small flock of Rock (Feral) Pigeons settled on the boardwalk where they’ve obviously (in the past) cashed in on the seeds brought in by visitors. One pigeon, however, actually landed on the bank of the outflow, waded out into the water like a duck, and took a bath, which just goes to show that while we tend to think of Feral Pigeons as dirty city birds, given half the chance, they do practice good hygiene.
Our walk along the typically quieter forested pathways yielded the usual Black-capped Chickadees, American Goldfinches, Northern Flickers, American Robins, a flock of Bushtits (reported by Kirsten), and Anna’s Hummingbirds aggressively chasing each other. A Steller’s Jay and Common Raven were heard but not seen.
At several points along our walk, we stopped to watch Yellow-rumped Warblers moving restlessly about in the trees; and to listen to the fruity and melodious warbling of Purple Finches. Most of the individuals we saw were heavily-streaked females or juveniles, and so it really was their calls that helped us distinguish them from House Finches, their more frequently-seen cousins (which, ironically, we didn’t see).
Lee spotted a Red-breasted Nuthatch; Brown Creepers were both seen and abundantly heard; and on our way back towards the cars, we stopped to watch a Ruby-crowned Kinglet bouncing around some overhead boughs. Marion tried in vain to capture a usable picture of this notoriously fidgety passerine, and the last I heard of that effort was a frustrated sigh.
Our final sightings for the day were a pair of Turkey Vultures soaring high overhead, and two Cooper’s Hawks, which playfully chased one another in sweeping circles right over our heads! After that, some decided to check out Piper Spit again, while yours truly headed home to face the grindstone.
Be it bitter winter or sweltering summer, Burnaby Lake never disappoints!
Thea Beckman
Photos on Flickr
Delta Naturalists Society 
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