Ten Delta Nats met at the Boundary Bay Dyke at 104th Street by the Heritage Airpark – Terry, Jim, Lee, Julie, Dottie, Christine, Chris, Lorna, Lori, Bob. We walked toward 96th Street. The tide was high and the bay was densely packed with millions of ducks – mainly Pintail, Wigeon and Green-winged Teal. There was a line of Scaup farther out.
The trees and shrubs along the dyke were active with House & Purple Finches, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Cedar Waxwings, Goldfinches, Starlings, Song Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Savannah Sparrows, Robins and Yellow-rumped Warblers.
Along the shore were Yellowlegs, Killdeer, Herons, Short-billed Gulls, Glaucous-winged Gulls, Crows, Ravens and a single Shoveler.
We decided that a flock of shorebirds camouflaged in the seaweed were Pectoral Sandpipers. They were about the same size as Yellowlegs and they did have yellow legs – but the colouring was different and the bill was shorter and slightly downcurved.
Pectoral Sandpipers by Terry Carr
At 96th Street a huge flock of dark birds was flying in and out of the trees. When we got closer we realized that they were Red-winged Blackbirds – not Starlings. An Eagle was surveying the area from the highest tree before moving onto the roof of a more distant barn.
There were some Black-bellied Plovers and Dunlin scattered on the sandbars past 96th Street – but not the huge swirling flocks that we had expected to see.
On the return walk we had close views of a Harrier and Eagle eating ducks.
Report by Terry Carr
Photos are on flickr
Next Tuesday & Wednesday (October 20 & 21) the outings will be to Terra Nova Rural Park in Richmond.
Meet at 9 AM by Terra Nova Adventure Play Environment, 2340 River Rd (at the west end of River Rd and west of the north end of No 1 Rd).
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.