Fourteen birders met at Deas Island Regional park on a glorious spring morning – Terry, Grant, Bob, Dottie, Lidia, John, Lorna, Jacquie, Mike, Roger, Jim, Lee, Chris P and Lori.
In the slough were Bufflehead, Mallards, Common Goldeneye and American Wigeon. A juvenile Bald Eagle looked down from a high perch and others flew overhead. As we headed towards Burrvilla, Grant spotted a Great Horned Owl on a branch beside the path. We heard American Goldfinches and saw American Robins, Black-capped Chickadees, House Finches, Song Sparrows and Norther Flickers. One Northern Flicker had the red nape of a red-shafted/yellow-shafted intergrade. A Red-breasted Sapsucker appeared briefly before being chased away by two Flickers.
Burrvilla is a 1905 Queen Anne heritage house that was moved to the park in 1982. It belonged to distant cousins of the actor Raymond Burr and is now the home of the resident caretaker. In the summer the largest maternal bat colony of its kind in BC, a 3,000-strong contingent of Little Brown and Yuma Bats, takes up residence in the attic. It is fun to watch the bats flying around the house on summer evenings.
Although there were many signs of spring – Skunk Cabbage, Indian Plum and Salmon Berry – we were pleased that most of the trees were still leafless, so that it was easier to see the birds.
Continuing our circle tour, we added Anna’s and Rufous Hummingbirds, Spotted Towhees, Brown Creepers, Bewick’s Wrens, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, European Starlings, Dark-eyed Juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, Green-winged Teal and Red-winged Blackbirds. There were recent beaver cuttings, but we did not see beavers. The river was very rough, and only Double-crested Cormorants were seen. A flock of Canada Geese flew over. Just as everyone left, Grant spotted some Red-breasted Mergansers in the river.
Terry Carr
Photos on Flickr
Lee’s eBird checklist
Delta Naturalists Society 
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