PHOTO: Common Merganser (f) by Glen Bodie…..
Eight birders met at Brydon Lagoon on Wednesday morning, confused by the weather. It was cool, some may even say cold, and pretty sure it was going to warm up but when? We ranged from Tshirts or shorts to gloves, toques and 4 layers. We were David and Noreen, Warren and Lynne, Colin and Stephanie, Lee, and Glen. The sun was shining, the birds sang, the chatter was ongoing, and that was enough to declare success.
Right from the start we were confounded by the Common Yellowthroats. We could hear them, lots of them, but they stayed very well hidden. The lagoon never disappoints with its excellent assortment of ducks – Mallards of course, but also a good number of Shovelers, Wood Ducks, Ring-necks and a few Coots, Bufflehead, Gadwall, Lesser Scaup, a lone Ruddy Duck (f) and some Common Mergansers. Of course we went around the lagoon counter-clockwise, hoping to find the White-throated Sparrow on the north side, but no luck. We did see 2 nice Great Blue Herons and a Woodpecker which we finally agreed was a Hairy. Other woodpeckers were heard throughout the walk, but only this one was seen.
We then walked along the power lines, turning back through the fields south of there to the main trail to Hi Knoll. The large tree at the West end used to have a Bald Eagle nest but there is no trace of it now. We had some great sightings in all this brush – more Common Yellowthroats of course, 3 Flickers in a spindly tree, Sparrows (White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Song and Savannah), Warblers (Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped), Wrens (Pacific and Bewick’s), Finches (House and Gold) plus Spotted Towhee, American Robin, one Tree Swallow and a European Starling. Finally, we saw a Yellowthroat, at the back of a tree, it hopped around a bit, went to ground and was not seen again.
After braving the balancing act required on the boards to cross the flooded trail, we saw another Yellowthroat at the bridge over the creek. We all watched patiently for it to come out and, just as many of us turned away, it proved to Stephanie and Noreen that it really did exist, and then popped back into the bush.
It was fairly quiet through the trees and over to Hi Knoll. But the Fawn Lilies made it worthwhile. It seems that both the pink and white ones are spreading, expanding their territory. We saw the Salmonberry in bloom, native Bleeding Hearts and a small crop of Trilliums. Bird life was scarce, but we did add a Red-breasted Nuthatch. We short-circuited the trails and headed back, adding good looks at Hummingbirds (Anna’s and Rufous) to our list. Once back at the lagoon we added a Cooper’s Hawk (at distance). But we never saw Lorna’s Kingfishers!
A gorgeous sunny day for birding rewarded us with 38 species.
Report by Glen Bodie
Next Saturday April 20 the outing will be to Joe Brown Park in Surrey. Meet at 8 am at 5381 125A St. There should be enough room to park below the traffic circle on 125A St.
Next Tuesday & Wednesday April 23 & 24 the outings will be to Tsawwassen Ferry Causeway & Reifel Bird Sanctuary. Meet on the ferry causeway at 8am. The parking area is part way along the north side of the causeway. Meet at Reifel at 9am. DNS has been booked as a group. You do not need to book parking – just tell the gatekeeper that you are part of the DNS group booking. Non-Reifel members will need to pay admission.
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.
Delta Naturalists Society 