PHOTO: Cooper’s Hawk by Bob Winston….
The mist was just rising off the fields as six Delta Nats met at the Serpentine Fen – Dottie, Bob, Colin, Stephanie, Lee and Jeff. The Belted Kingfisher had returned – a female sitting on the wires overhead. The other notables returning were the salmon, both Chinook and Coho, according to a fisherman heading down to the riverbank. Fishing lines were crisscrossing the whole first part of the river and large fish were jumping out of the water, which was at low ebb. Greater Yellowlegs walked in the mud and one Great Blue Heron stood by the water, but no birds were swimming on the river.
A massive mowing had taken place recently, all along the riverbank and twenty feet or so into the bushes. Things were so bare we feared the birds may have been chased away, but the sheared-off blackberry thickets and trees by that first bend in the water were filled with small birds – White-crowned Sparrows, a Bewick’s Wren, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Savannah Sparrows, a Spotted Towhee, Black-capped Chickadees, and a female Common Yellowthroat.
Approaching the first tower, we saw two raptors, a low-flying Northern Harrier and a perched Cooper’s Hawk. Also in the vicinity of that first tower were American Crows, Robins, a Northern Flicker, Cedar Waxwings, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, more Yellow-rumped Warblers and House Finches.
We left the anglers behind as we moved on to the second tower, but still no birds on the river, just the exposed oyster beds you don’t often see. The pond behind the second tower was dried and cracking, with no birds, but there was still some water in the ponds in front. In these we saw Mallards, Northern Shovelers and Green-winged Teal. A Cooper’s Hawk was perched again in a nearby tree, and another, smaller raptor flew above it, possibly a Merlin. From the tower we had a great view of a Cackling Geese flock as it approached and flew overhead.
Bob and Jeff saw a Kestrel near the crackling high-tension towers, which were populated as usual by Starlings. Three Eurasian Collared-Doves were in a tree by the freeway. Only two Canada Geese were in the field that we saw. As we headed to the old parking lot and picnic area, both largely grown over, a Raven gave a croak and flew over our heads. Lee found the first Anna’s Hummingbird as Colin scouted the barn.
Beyond the third tower we heard a Purple Finch but couldn’t see it. There was water in the ditch beside the trail there, but none visible beneath the swallow boxes. The cattail stands were still healthy though. We heard Marsh Wrens calling as we crossed the fen, and several flocks of Cackling Geese flew over, each seemingly larger than the one before — a good ending to a nice walk on a beautiful day.
Report by Dottie Uhlman
Photos are on Flickr
Next week Sept 23 (Tuesday only) the outing will be to Brunswick Point in Ladner. Meet at 8 AM in the new parking lot near 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 