Delta Naturalists Society

Nine DNCBers met at White Rock pier on a foggy morning – Glen, Lorna, Lidia, John, Lori, Rose, Roger, Terry and Mike.

A pair of Killdeer were feeding on the shore. Some birds were close enough to the pier to be visible in the fog.  Large flocks of Surf and White-winged Scoters were diving for molluscs and crustaceans.  They swallow them whole, crushing them in their gizzard, which is filled with sand, and then regurgitate the crushed shell.  Common Loons, Horned Grebes and a single Pelagic Cormorant were popping up and down. Also present were Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead and Red-breasted Mergansers.  Just beyond the breakwater, a gorgeous pair of Long-tailed Ducks entertained us.  A group of Black Turnstones flew to the far end of the breakwater.

Our next stop was Blackie Spit at Crescent Beach. Unfortunately the fog was much thicker here and we could not really make out what species were on the shore.  At the end of the spit, American and Eurasian Wigeon, four Common Loons and a single Dunlin were active close to shore. But the real highlight at the end of the spit was a pair of beautiful Snow Buntings.

Sightings on our way to the lookout in the Savenye area included Song Sparrows, Towhees, White and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Crows, Juncos, Starlings, Robins, and Flickers. A pair of Yellowlegs flew over.  At the lookout was a small flock of Black-bellied Plovers.  These large shorebirds are distiguished by their short bills and black armpits.  None had the black belly of their breeding plumage.  In the heavy fog we could barely makeout a group of Great Blue Herons on the old wooden structure.

We decided to abandon the rest of our usual route and return to the parking lot via the pier. Along the way we added Goldfinches, Chickadees and Kinglets – but there was nothing at the pier.

Despite the fog, we had another enjoyable outing with some neat bird sightings.
Terry Carr

Photos on flickr