PHOTO: Surf Scoters by Glen Bodie…..
On the Lunar New Year, 9 DNCBers arrived at the White Rock Pier at (or soon
after) 9AM: Douglas and Christine, Colin and Stephanie, Susan, Lindly,
Lou, Richard and Glen. The deck of the pier was hoary with frost (and a
little slippery) but the sunshine soon melted that away. The water was
smooth, calm and clear giving us great views of far-off birds. It also
allowed great views in the depths as we watched the Buffleheads dive and
swim around. The bay was quiet with mainly Buffleheads and Surf Scoters. As
we got a little further out, we saw a bit more: White-winged Scoter,
Red-breasted Merganser, Common Loon. At the breakwater were Black
Turnstones, Black Oystercatchers, the usual Pigeons, and a Bald Eagle. In the
waters further out, we added Long-tailed Ducks, Pelagic Cormorants, Common
Goldeneye and several flocks of Dunlin zipping by. We left the pier just in
time to reach our cars by 9:59 (before the parking charges start). We had 18
species.
At Blackie Spit we started with one of many Greater Yellowlegs and very many
Wigeon, both American and Eurasian. Heading out to the point we were amazed
at the number of Bald Eagles in the trees, on the beach, on the pilings –
Stephanie’s count was 16 but there may have been more. At the edge of the
water we saw, hidden among the Wigeon, a Black-bellied Plover, more
Yellowlegs and a small white bird which seemed to be a solitary Dunlin. The
number of Bald Eagles may have been suppressing the passerines in the
bushes.
Looking out over the slough we startled the first of two Wilson’s
Snipe in among some Green-winged Teal, Wigeon and Yellowlegs. bThe bushes had
Purple Finches, a Bewick’s Wren, some Ruby-crowned Kinglets (one of which
seemed to be nesting in a Purple Martin house) and the first of several
Anna’s Hummingbirds.
We found the greatest riches at the point of the Rene Savenye area, under
the watchful eye of yet another Bald Eagle: large flocks of Wigeon (both
types), some Buffleheads and Red-breasted Mergansers, Northern Pintails,
Mallards, a dozen Great Blue Herons on the pilings, 3 Marbled Godwit, more
Yellowlegs and several clusters of some kind of Sandpiper which no one
managed to identify and for which we have no pictures. It’s a good thing
that Lou brough his scope or we might have only seen half of that. As we
were leaving that area the bushes seemed to wake up and we had Black-capped
Chickadees, Spotted Towhee and more Anna’s Hummingbirds. Walking towards the
Dunsmuir Gardens we added a Song Sparrow, a Red-winged Blackbird and more
Purple Finch, Green-winged Teal and Yellowlegs.
By that point it was noon-ish and several of the group had to leave,
including yours truly. Only 4 carried on to the pump house and back and I
have no info on what they saw. If it was only “more of the same” then our
total for Blackie Spit was 30 species (+2 taxa) for this part of the walk.
Combining the 2 lists (and eliminating duplicates) gives us an overall total
of 42 species plus gull sp. and peep sp. It was an excellent day to be out
and about in White Rock. Gong Hey Fat Choy.
Report by Glen Bodie
Photos are on Flickr
eBird checklists:
White Rock Pier
Blackie Spit
Next Tuesday & Wednesday (February 4 & 5) the outings will be to Blaine, USA (Drayton Harbor & Semiahmoo Spit).
Meet at 9 AM at Blaine Marine Park. Approximate address is 235 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA, USA.
Bring passport or Nexus. Cross the border at Peace Arch and take the immediate exit 276 for highway 548 into Blaine. At the traffic circle before the shops, turn right onto Marine Drive, cross the railway tracks and park on the street by the small lookout (across the street from Sundance Yacht Sales). We’ll look for birds there and at the pier at the end of Marine Drive. Then we will drive around the bay to Semiahmoo Resort. Before going to the resort we will park by the APA museum in Semiahmoo Park (at the beginning of the spit on the left).
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.
Delta Naturalists Society 