A very early start to avoid rush hour and an impending rain storm resulted in a very pleasant and successful bird outing for one DNS member! Despite the looming rain clouds many birds were singing and showing up on my two hour walk along Katzie Marsh trail and the drive past Catbird Slough where I stopped briefly to record the rare Yellow-breasted Chat! I took a short walk to the viewing tower to inspect a thriving colony of Cliff Swallows busily collecting mud to build their gourd-shaped nests. One pair had completed construction way ahead of the rest of the colony of over 35 birds. A lone Trumpeter Swan continues on in the marsh for several weeks now. I had seen it on my last visit a month ago. The third rare bird on today’s trip was my target bird the Least Flycatcher – the smallest of flycatchers but very vociferous, which I managed to record for the Rare Bird Sighting report. It was now in its fifth day at the same location, originally found by Melissa Hafting, Metro Vancouver’s volunteer Rare Bird Alert Coordinator. Luckily a young birders group she was leading also saw almost 60 birds on their weekend outing at Grant Narrows.
After a coffee at Golden Eagles Golf Club, I spoke to the Greenskeeper who said she saw a young Sandhill Crane colt along fairways 16 & 18 with the pair of Sandhill Cranes that nest there. As I listened to Western Flycatchers sing behind the clubhouse, a Pacific Wren burst into its cheery long song – despite the impending downpour that soon ensued! I decided to return to Sturgeon Slough area where I briefly stopped enroute to Grant Narrows and was delighted this time to see and hear two Lazuli Buntings. Another male was farther down the trail where I stood for half an hour inspecting the skies after a Common Nighthawk started to call out and forage high above the blueberry fields. I was treated to a lone Black Swift and a pair of Turkey Vultures! A lone male Northern Harrier was hunting over the grass meadow next to the blueberry field by the noisy rock quarry!
When departing, I was delighted to see a colourful American Kestrel perched on the roadway hydro line – making my total of well over 60 species and a very successful day at the Pitt Addington Marsh Wildlife Management Area. It was a benefit to travel there very early morning.
Oh did I mention the four Eastern Kingbirds greeting me along the quiet roadway when I drove in! They later flew into the inner marsh chattering up a storm where I stopped to record the meowing calls of the Gray Catbird!
Three recordings are on my ebird lists below which also include the three rarities for this area: Least Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Chat and a Trumpeter Swan which should be up north at this time of the year!
Report by Debbi Hlady
eBird checklists
Sturgeon Slough
Grant Narrows
Golden Eagles Golf Club
Next week (June 24 & 25) the outings will be to Blackie Spit at Crescent Beach.
Meet at 8 am in the gravel parking lot at the NE end of McBride Ave in Crescent Beach. Go past the paved parking lot and sailing club.
Delta Naturalists Society 