White Rock Pier and Blackie's Spit

I had the day off as I was playing in a golf event in the afternoon. I took the opportunity to head south and visit the White Rock Pier and Blackie's Spit at Crescent Beach.

The wind was up - again - so there were no ducks, loon or grebes visible from the pier. It was probably too early in the season as they are more prevalent in fall through early spring.

I did see a Great Blue Heron on the hunt.


Great Blue Heron - White Rock Pier, White Rock BC

I left and made my way north and west to Crescent Beach. As I was pulling into the parking area I spotted some Gulls on the sand. I was still missing Ring-billed Gulls from my my year list, but these turned out to be adult and immature California Gulls. Most birders would rather see these than Ring-billed.


California Gull - Blackie's Spit, Surrey BC

The key identification features for this adult are:

• the red and black spot on the bill
• the yellow legs
• the dark eye

The black wing-tips are normally seen in younger birds, so perhaps this is not quite an adult yet.

Here's a photo of a younger bird:

California Gull (Imm) - Blackie's Spit, Surrey BC

The younger California Gulls only have black on the bill and the legs have a blueish tint to them. In all the photos I took of this bird, it seems the left leg is bluer than the right. I think this is a first-summer gull (about 1 year old).

I left the parking area and walked east to the small nature area. On my way, I saw Anna's Hummingbirds floating around like nymphs, quite different from the Rufous which are like fighter jets. They were too elusive for a photo, but I did see this House finch perched in a tree top.

House Finch - Blackie's Spit, Surrey BC

I wanted to check out the Purple Martin boxes that are mounted on piers about 50 metres from the shore. I had been here in the spring and did not see any Martins. This time there were a few pairs and I suspect some babies inside the boxes.

Purple Martins (Female on left) - Blackie's Spit, Surrey BC

A bit of drama ensued when a juvenile Bald Eagle arrived on the scene and perched on a piling near the nest boxes. The Martins started dive-bombing the Eagle, pulling up just around its head.

Bald Eagle (Imm) and Purple Martin - Blackie's Spit, Surrey BC

I tried to catch this on video with my IPhone through my scope:

As I was leaving the area, I spotted this Northern Flicker on a nearby tree-top. It's a common bird, but I haven't taken many good photos of them this year.

Northern Flicker  - Blackie's Spit, Surrey BC

The last bird I saw was another common one, the unpopular invasive European Starling. I have to admit that sometimes they can be very attractive subjects.

European Starling - Blackie's Spit, Surrey BC

It was time to go play golf in Delta. The wind really came up in the afternoon and we were right on Boundary Bay for a taste of Links golf in the Lower Mainland.