Delta Naturalists Society

Eight DNCBers met at Lighthouse Park in Point Roberts – Dottie, Bob, Roger 2, Dirk, Glen, Lorna, Bryan and Terry. Bryan had ridden his (electric) bike from Ladner. Dave, a birder from Hamilton, was there and joined us. We had expected rain, but it was a glorious sunny but cool morning.

On the pylons were Double-crested and Pelagic Cormorants, gulls and a Heron. There were large flocks of Red-breasted Mergansers in the air and on the water. Also present were Surf and White-winged Scoters, Harlequins, Common Loons, and Horned Grebes. Harbour Porpoises showed their dorsal fins as they passed by. A Northern Harrier chased a Red-tailed Hawk away. Crows and a Raven flew by. On the shore we found a partial skull of a Harbour Seal. In the bushes were Northern Flickers, House Finches, White-crowned Sparrows, Juncos, Robins, Towhees, Song Sparrows, Starlings and Chickadees. There was an Eastern Cottontail, and Glen saw a coyote.

Our next stop was the marina, where we saw only a Horned Grebe, a Heron, an Eagle, Starlings and a Wren. We then drove to the other side of the marina. In the pond by the road were Mallards, a heron and a Pied-billed Grebe. Near the shore by the breakwater were Killdeer, Black Turnstones, Yellowlegs, Harlequins, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Loons, Horned Grebes and gulls. A Heron and an Eagle were surveying the area from their perches, and a Belted Kingfisher posed briefly.

At Seabright Farm, a Red-tailed Hawk and Bald Eagles were perched on treetops. We took the stairs down to the water where there were Loons, Horned Grebes and large flocks of Scoters, Harlequins and Red-breasted Mergansers. Back up at the top, an American Kestrel entertained us catching insects on the ground and eating them back in the tree.

Our last stop was the lookout at Lily Point, where we saw some of the same species. Glen spotted a Douglas-fir cone with a dozen tiny mushrooms growing on it. Strobilurus trullisatus grows only on Douglas-fir cones.

This was our first outing to this nearby birding hotspot since the ending of random selection for COVID testing when returning to Canada. We look forward to future outings here and to other nearby Washington locations.
Terry Carr

Photos on flickr.