PHOTO: Wood Ducks by Pat Smart….
9 DNCBers met at Piper Spit in Burnaby Lake Regional Park on a cold sunny morning – Roger, Lindly, Lidia, Pat, Lorna, Connie, Mike, Alan and Terry.
There was the usual collection of ducks on and by the water – Mallards, Wood Ducks, Scaup, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead – along with Canada Geese, Coots and Gulls. All were shimmering in the sunlight. The lake here looked very different because all the water lilies have been removed.
On the far side of the lake two groups of Dowitchers were huddled on islands. There are several beaver lodges near the far shore. Double-crested Cormorants were roosting on pilings. Violet-green and Tree Swallows were soaring and swooping over the water, and a Bald Eagle flew over. Alan managed to find a well camouflaged Wilson’s Snipe with his scope.
Near the spit were also Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, Crows, Robins, Black-capped Chickadees, Juncos, Towhees, Golden-crowned Sparrows, a Fox Sparrow and a pair of Hooded Mergansers.
We did our usual walk to the dam. It was nice to see signs of spring – Red Currant, Indian Plum, Pussy Willows and Skunk Cabbage. There was a single Steller’s Jay on a distant tree top. Brown Creepers were climbing up tree trunks, foraging for insects and other morsels. We heard, and finally saw Flickers. We heard, but did not see, squirrels. Anna’s Hummingbirds posed on high branches.
We looked in vain for Dippers and Kingfishers below the dam. At this end of the lake were more Mallards, Wood Ducks, Bufflehead and a group of Ring-necked Ducks. On the loop back towards the parking lot we searched for a noisy Pacific Wren – but it kept hidden in the underbrush. A Cooper’s Hawk flew over.
We had been very lucky with the weather. It clouded over as we returned to our cars and we had a brief hail storm as we drove out.
Report by Terry Carr
Photos are on Flickr.
Next Tuesday & Wednesday (March 25 & 26) the outings will be to Brunswick Point in Ladner.
Meet at 9 am in the new parking lot at the south end of River Road West in Ladner – past the Westham Island Bridge. Parking is no longer allowed at the end of River Road.The parking lot is 1 km before the end of River Rd, near 30B St.
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.
Delta Naturalists Society 