PHOTO:Horned Lark by Glen Bodie…..
A select group of 5 Casual Birders met at Blackie Spit this morning: Glen, Liz, Alan, Margaretha, and Anne. The sky was grey, and it looked like it might rain. Not letting that deter us, we headed off down the spit trail in search of birds.
Some gulls drifted overhead – mostly Ring-billeds but a few Glaucous-winged and a couple of California Gulls (largish gulls with wing tips that look like they were dipped in black ink). We could see a large group of roosting herons in the distance.
Turning to head back along the spit, we saw a single Horned Lark fly in and settle on the grassy sand. This was a fun sighting to get early in our walk, and interestingly, the timing of this migrant was similar to one we saw last year on 6 September. The weather remained grey, and birds were quiet as we walked back down the spit, turning east towards the Rene Savenye Environmentally Sensitive Area. (Rene was a well-respected member of the White Rock and Surrey Naturalists.)
American Goldfinches and House Finches flitted in and out of the trees and a couple of crows flew over. The most noticeable birds were the Purple Martins that were flying overhead giving their curious chirping calls. Purple Martins were rare in southern BC a few decades ago, but the provision of nest boxes over the water have encouraged them to stay for the summer, and their numbers have expanded. A group of Great Blue Herons and a few yellowlegs were standing in the marsh. Anna’s Hummingbirds zipped around, and a Red-breasted Nuthatch called. A lively flock of Bushtits flew past, the first of two flocks we saw this morning, for a total of at least 40. Bushtits flit through the bushes and trees in a very characteristic style. They can be difficult to count unless one is very systematic.
We backtracked to the main trail around the marshy slough area and the sun began to emerge. We started seeing more birds – a couple of Steller’s Jays, a Downy Woodpecker, Pine Siskins, and Black-capped Chickadees. Spotted Towhees gave short calls (this normally noisy bird is quieter mid-summer) and a single White-crowned Sparrow briefly perched. At the southwestern corner, where the resident Anna’s Hummingbird buzzed us, we saw a Warbling Vireo quite close by.
The long ditches that line the trail to the pumphouse were full of birds. The western side had numerous Yellowlegs – many Lesser as well as Greater. We got a good view of a Stilt Sandpiper wading in the water among the yellowlegs. It was very similar to the yellowlegs, but quite a bit smaller and had a droopy bill. On the way back, a second Stilt Sandpiper was seen in the same area. The eastern ditch was full of ducks most of which were in moult. Sharp eyes spotted a single Green-winged Teal here along with the Mallard and a couple of Pintail. A Belted Kingfisher flew by, calling.
By the time we walked back, the sun was out. We took the route through the forested area, but it was rather quiet. As we emerged among the shrubs near the car park, another large flock of Bushtits flew through. As a finale to our walk, we checked out the bay using Alan’s scope. At least 4 Common Loons, a couple of Double-crested Cormorants and more gulls were spotted. I thought that brought our total to 40 species, but I miscounted as once I checked properly, we finished with a respectable 40 taxa and 39 species – one of the list was “dabbling duck species”!
Report by Anne Murray
Photos are on flickr
Next Tuesday & Wednesday (Sept 3 & 4) the outings are to Point Roberts, USA. Bring PASSPORT or NEXUS.
Meet at 8 am at Lighthouse Marine Park (811 Marine Drive). Some people may stop first by Kiniski’s at the west end of Gulf Rd.
Delta Naturalists Society 