PHOTO: Varied Thrush by Grant Edwards…..
Another fine spring day greeted the crew for the day as we embarked on an outing to Joe Brown Park in Surrey. I consider this park a bit of a hidden gem in the city, as it’s never that busy and you can usually have a respectable bird outing.
The crew for the day consisted of Thea, Rick, Grant, Nadine, and Rosemary.
We started on the Jim Arnold trail that enters the park on the east side. We soon had Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Purple Finch and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Pacific Wren and Pine Siskins on our list. Further along a sole Varied Thrush was spotted, followed quickly by a Hermit Thrush on the trail. We all got nice views of the Hermit Thrush with its loverly rufous tail before it melted away into the underbrush. As we stood in the lovely forest listening to many birds, we had the quote of the day: “Sound in the forest is fabulous”!
Thea led a brief detour off the trail to the grassy baseball field and we were blessed to see eight more Varied Thrush scattered about the turf! A few Robins, White-crowned Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos were also seen along the edge of the field. A further scan up into the nearby trees revealed some Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers. The haunting call of a Pileated Woodpecker reverberated throughout the forest.
An owl pellet and suspected owl feathers were then discovered on the field. Field biologist-to-be Thea sprang into action to begin dissection of the pellet. Lots of feathers and some claws were identified.
Continuing along the forest trail below the ball field, a mystery bird buzzed by us and got us all excited. But alas, it was “Just a Robin” – but careful, we should not upset the birding gods! More lovely Purple Finch and Brown Creeper songs snapped us back to the present. Red-breasted Nuthatch and more Kinglet calls kept us company on this lovely forest walk.
The loop around the relatively new dog park was quiet. Downy Woodpecker taps and calls were tracked down until it was spotted high up. Another Orange-crowned Warbler identified by its trill song. A few Spotted Towhees and Song Sparrows made brief appearances.
On the road back out of the park, we scanned hopefully for more warblers but alas we were just a bit too early for the anticipated migration push. A couple of House Finches, a soaring Eagle and more Chickadees helped fill the lull. But we were not done yet, as the haunting call of the Pileated Woodpecker quickened our pace back towards the cars. Then lots of heavy tapping. We eagerly searched the edge of the forest until at last we spotted the male tapping on a tall snag. A hole below him suggested a recently made nest. Then the female burst from the forest and flew right over our heads and landing on a nearby utility pole, giving many the best views of this species they ever had!
Another nice Saturday outing thus came to a satisfying end. A respectable 31 species were seen and/or heard which we thought wasn’t half bad since we had no “duck species fillers” to boost the list! Bird of the day was the Pileated Woodpecker, with honourable mention to the Hermit Thrush and the group of Varied Thrush.
The species list included: Eurasian Collared-Dove, Anna’s Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird, Glaucous-winged Gull, Bald Eagle, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Norther Flicker, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Pacific Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Varied Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, House Finch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Yellow-rumped Warbler.
Report by Grant Edwards
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.
Next Saturday, April 27, there will be 3 outings. They are part of the iNaturalist City Nature Challenge.
1. Centennial Beach, Tsawwassen (498 Boundary Bay Rd, Delta). Meet at 10 am in the concession/washroom parking lot.
2. Deas Island Regional Park, 6090 Deas Island Rd, Delta (off River Rd east of the Massey Tunnel). Meet at 10 am in the parking area near the rowing club.
3. Delta Nature Reserve (Burns Bog). Meet at 10 am at the Planet Ice parking lot,10388 Nordel Court, North Delta.
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.
Delta Naturalists Society 