Canada Day Lazuli Buntings at Island 22 Regional Park

Mary-Jean and I had planned to come here on our June 27th outing but arrived later than planned. I had to leave immediately for my golf game but Mary-Jean stayed around for awhile. Later that afternoon she sent me a beautiful photo of a Lazuli Bunting taken on a telephone wire just outside the park.

We agreed that this site needed another visit and Canada Day was a good choice. Island 22 is on the north side of Chilliwack butted up against the Fraser River. It is primarily used for equestrian events, but it also has a dog park and plenty of forested areas to explore.

We did see a male Lazuli Bunting upon arrival, but my photos were badly overexposed. The day was cloudy with a threat of rain and photo conditions were less than optimal.

The first acceptable photo I took was of a Cedar Waxwing.

Cedar Waxwing - Island 22 Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

We wandered around for a while hearing the occasional Willow Flycatcher, Western Wood-pewee and the ever elusive Swainson's Thrush.We tried another area that bordered a small lake and it seemed more promising, with sounds of bird activity.

We found a small path to the lakeside and quickly realized we had company, a family of Lazuli Buntings including both parents and a fledged juvenile.

The parents were squawking at us so we grabbed a few photos and backed off. Closest to us was the female.

Lazuli Bunting Female - Island 22 Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

The young bird was about 10 feet away from the mother closer to the lake. It appeared to have just finished eating something, probably an insect.

Lazuli Bunting Juvenile - Island 22 Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

Mary-Jean got a better close-up of the baby:

Lazuli Bunting Juvenile - Island 22 Regional Park, Chilliwack BC by Mary-Jean Payeur

The male was more elusive and it took a few tries to get a good shot of him.

Lazuli Bunting Male - Island 22 Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

We walked back to the parking lot and I heard a Pewee calling. I tried to point it out to Mary-Jean but it was very poorly lit and she did not see it well. Here's a photo that I've manipulated a bit to show more detail. The primary identification method is the call, the visual details are very similar with the small flycatchers. It has a bit more of a peaked head as well.


Western Wood Pewee - Island 22 Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

Just before we left, we made a quick trip back to the Bunting location. On the way I saw this butterfly, which sat still long enough for a good photo.  Butterfly identification is very difficult, I know for sure it is a Skipper. There are over 30 pages of Skippers in the Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies. The Woodland Skipper seems to be a good fit for this one.

Woodland Skipper - Island 22 Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

As we were driving out, I heard and spotted a Willow Flycatcher on the wires overhead. Mary-Jean missed it as she was looking at a Tree Sparrow a bit further up the road.

This flycatcher is also easiest identified by sound, it makes a call that sounds like fitz-bew. Notice also the more rounded head compared to the Pewee photo.

Willow Flycatcher - Island 22 Regional Park, Chilliwack BC

That ended our Canada Day excursion.