Delta Naturalists Society

Thea asked me to write this report this week and she also said that she wouldn’t be at the Ferry Causeway.  I showed up at the causeway just before 8.  It was a beautiful morning with the unjust rising, the tide in and a very calm sea.  It was also very lonely.  There was one other of our group there (Nick) but we didn’t connect until we were at Reifel.  Getting Delta Nats together has always been like herding cats.  This morning was no exception, even though I only had myself to herd.

There were a couple of Savannah Sparrows flitting along the rocks.  Walking towards the spit, I spotted a group of Killdeer, some Great Blue Herons, American Wigeons, and Northern Pintails.  Just over the spit a flock of Sanderlings was wheeling around.  Common Loon and Horned Grebes were spotted on both sides of the causeway.  Two species of cormorant flew by: Double-crested and Pelagic.  There were three Harlequin Ducks on the other side of the causeway, but I was skunked on Black Oystercatchers.  This is the first time in a number of years that there were none to be seen.  In all there were 11 species.

I then drove to Reifel, wondering what happened to everybody.  Were they focused on the Acorn Woodpecker in Ladner Harbour Park?  Stopped off at Canoe Pass on the way and saw a Bald Eagle collecting nest material from the water.  No sign of the Mute Swans that are often around.

Arrived at Reifel a few minutes before 9, and was surprised that there were no cars in line.  Initial thoughts were that no one was coming.  Didn’t make sense, as 12 people had signed up.  The gatekeeper had let cars in early.  It was a relief to spot a few DNCBers in the carpark.  At this point I relinquished the leadership to Thea who managed to corral everyone to start our walk.  The 12 were; Thea, Christine, Doug, Gabriele, Liz, Nick, Richard, Rosemary, Brian, Chris, and Jennifer.  Lori found us about halfway through only to go MIA, emerging at the end.

We started at the ponds by the shop.  There were a large number of Long-billed Dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs, Green-winged Teal and Mallards in the pond.  A larger sleeping shorebird was spotted.  The ID is still a mystery.  Red-winged Blackbirds were screeching at the entrance.  They were all through the sanctuary eating berries and being noisy.

The Great-blue Herons were out in force at Fuller Slough with a few Mallards.  A Cooper’s Hawk was spotted in the trees.  We then set out to walk the outside trails, starting with Southwest trail and then onto West Dyke Trail.  A few raptors were in evidence.  A second Cooper’s Hawk, a couple of Northern Harriers, and a Peregrine Falcon was harassing the Dowitchers and Yellowlegs.

There were a number of different ducks in the ponds: Northern Pintails, Mallards, American Wigeons, and Canada Geese.  American Coots were spotted, as were some Hooded Mergansers and Pied-billed Grebes.  In the West Pond, the rare American Avocet was seen with some Yellowlegs.  Lori appeared just after the Avocet was spotted, so we sent her over to see it and get lost again.

At the tower, a Virginia Rail was heard, and a Common Raven seen at tree top.  Following along the trail, nothing exciting was seen apart from a Fox Sparrow at the turn onto the East Dyke.  We were skunked on the Water Thrush.  We started to see a few Wood Ducks.  Heading towards the exit, a Merlin was on top of a tree, and a Red-tailed Hawk was spotted.  Anna’s Hummingbirds buzzed around the entrance

At the exit, plans were made by some to go find the Acorn Woodpecker.  As usual, a very
pleasant day, wonderful company and spectacular weather.
Chris McVittie

Thea reports that some gave Ladner a thorough exploration both before and after Reifel, but never got lucky with the Acorn Woodpecker.  They did see the California Scrub-Jay though!

Photos are on Flickr

Chris’s Ferry Causeway ebird checklist

Thea’s Reifel ebird checklist