PHOTO: Bushtit by Terry Carr………………..
Six Delta Nats met at the Brunswick Point parking lot on River Road in Ladner – Dawn, Teresa, Terry, Lorna, Julie and Jeff. Lindly joined us after the group photo was taken bringing our number to 7.
A non-native Mute Swan was in the river near the houseboats at an earlier stop before the parking lot. Across the river were Canada Geese, Mallards and Killdeer. Although we complain about the new parking lot being so far from the beginning of the trail, it is a very birdy part of the walk. There were Robins, Herons, White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Starlings, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Towhees, Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer’s Blackbirds, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Bushtits, Goldfinches, House Finches, Gulls, Cormorants and a Kestrel.
There were more of the same birds on the trail itself – including huge flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds. There was a Northern Harrier flying the distance but surprisingly none flying close to the path. The tide was far out and we could see a flock of huge white birds resting on the sand a long way off – the American White Pelicans that have been seen here for a few days. There were cormorants resting on the sand but their usual perching spots on the pilings were empty. Canada Geese and a Northern Shoveler flew by. Goldfinches were feeding on Goldenrod and a Black-capped Chickadee was pulling caterpillars out of a caterpillar nest.
This warm sunny morning also brought out bees, butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers and caterpillars. A dog walker told us that he often sees ant-mimicking jumping spiders on the logs here – but he did not find any to show us.
Report by Terry Carr
Photos are on flickr
Next Tuesday & Wednesday (September 15 & 16) the outings will be to Serpentine Fen in Surrey.
Meet at 8 AM in the parking lot on King George Blvd by the bridge over the Serpentine River.
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.