PHOTO:
Since the Tuesday forecast was very wet again, some of us decided to move the outing to Monday. It was a gorgeous day. Nine birders met at the Tsawwassen Ferry Causeway. A large flock of Dunlin was putting on a display – flying and landing. There were small groups of several duck species – Wigeon, Mallards, Green-winged Teal, Surf Scoters, White-winged Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, Harlequins, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail and Common Goldeneye – along with Loons, Canada Geese, Black Oystercatchers, a Killdeer and 3 Hudsonian Godwits.
Our next stop was the heronry at the beginning of the causeway. The hundreds of Great Blue Heron nests are visible now before they are hidden by leaves. Many Herons were sitting on nests and others were flying in and out. A pair of Bald Eagles was perched above the heronry. A flock of 20 Trumpeter Swans flew over in single file. A Red-tailed Hawk was sitting on the roof of one of the TFN buildings on Tsawwassen Drive.
We were joined by 6 more birders at the parking area by the TFN pond at 41B Street. Our group of 15 walked to the dyke where the tide was perfect. A very large flock of Dunlin was flying and landing close to shore – making lovely murmuations.
Mixed in were a few smaller Western Sandpipers, larger Black-bellied Plovers and 2 much larger Hudsonian Godwits.
Along the way several Marsh Wrens were singing and some showed themselves. A more heavily patterned Pacific Wren showed itself as well. There were also Red-winged Blackbirds, Robins, Starlings, Towhees, Herons, Eagles, Flickers, Song Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, House Sparrows, a Lincoln’s Sparrow and an Anna’s Hummingbird. There were several duck species – Mallards, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Pintail, Green-winged Teal and Gadwall. Northern Harriers were patrolling in the distance. A couple of Tree Swallows were performing acrobatic twists and turns and in the very far distance we saw a flock of Western Meadowlarks flying close to the ground.
A real highlight of walking here is seeing Yellow-bellied Marmots – and we saw 4 of these cute, inquisitive animals.
They must have arrived in Delta on trains from the interior and are now established in the rocks beside the path. There may be young ones soon.
After leaving the parking area, some of us stopped at the boardwalk hoping to see the Meadowlarks again – but with no luck. While driving along Tsawwassen Drive we wondered if there would be a Kingfisher at ‘Kingfisher Bridge’. Sure enough one was perched on a wire above the bridge and flew to a nearby tree – a perfect ending to a very enjoyable outing.
Report by Terry Carr
Photos are on flickr
eBird checklists
Ferry causeway
TFN Dyke
Delta Naturalists Society 