PHOTO: Barred Owl with rodent by Christine Gaio…..
15 DNCBers met at Alaksen National Wildlife Area when the gates opened at 8am – Grace, Christine, Henry, Naoko, Jonathan, Roger, Mike, Susan, Dorothy, Margaret, Connie, Lorna, Lorraine, Douglas and Terry.
Alaksen NWA is located next to Reifel Bird Sanctuary and is the location of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Pacific Wildlife Research Centre. The grounds are open to the public during the week. Alaksen is a Musqueam word meaning flat land facing seaward.
We looked in vain for Barred Owls in the cedar trees along the road. Barn Swallows had many nests on the buildings and they were swooping around hunting insects. There was quite a bit of bird activity behind the buildings, but it was challenging to locate them in the foliage. We did see House Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Starlings, Red-winged Blackbirds, Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinches, House Finches, Bullock’s Orioles, Yellow Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroats and Western Tanagers.
We then moved on to the triangle trail where we appreciated the shade on this very warm day. There were fewer birds here, but we did see Eagles, Herons, Chickadees, Robins, Towhees, Juncos and a Willow Flycatcher. A Kingfisher flew by, and groups of Double-crested Cormorants flew over. We were very excited to see a Barred Owl sitting in a tree beside the barn. It flew off and caught a rodent – and then posed briefly again for photos.
We walked back past the parking lot to the wildflower garden and along London Slough to the birdy area behind the buidings again. In the slough were Mallards, a female Hooded Merganser and a Wood Duck family. A Spotted Sandpiper was walking on the other side of the slough.
Report by Terry Carr
Photos are on Flickr
Next Tuesday & Wednesday (August 5 & 6) the outings will be to Deas Island Regional Park, 6090 Deas Island Rd, Delta (off River Rd east of the Massey Tunnel).
Meet at 8 am in the parking area near the rowing club.
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.
Delta Naturalists Society 