December 3, Brunswick Point, Delta:
On this Saturday I set out for Brunswick Point again in hopes of seeing any of these birds:- the American Tree Sparrow that I had chased earlier in the month
- the juvenile Gyrfalcon that I narrowly missed on my last outing due to time constraints
On my way I spotted some Trumpeter Swans in a farmer's field and stopped to have a look. There were swans in the field along with some Northern Shoveler Ducks.
Trumpeter Swans and Northern Shovelers - 33 Ave and 34 St, Delta BC
Also in the area were a good number of Robins feeding on the berries in the trees.
American Robin - 33 Ave and 34 St, Delta BC
I parked and headed out on the dike along Brunswick Point. There's a couple of benches along the trail that are good marking points for directions. Just past the first bench, there was a photographer in the field looking for Short-eared Owls. I took the movie below of an owl in flight, not sure how it will turn out here.
A long walk along the trail resulted in no Tree Sparrow and no Gyrfalcon. I did get a nice photo of this Bald Eagle.
Bald Eagle - Brunswick Point, Delta BC
December 4, Pitt Lake Regional Park, Pitt Meadows BC
Unlike the day before, I was on a tight schedule on this Sunday morning. I had to cook a family dinner in the afternoon for Sunday evening. There had been reports of over 100 Bohemian Waxwings on the Nature trail at Pitt Lake. It was a 45 minute drive each way, so I knew I'd have little time to find the birds.
As a bonus I spotted an American Kestrel on the way out. It's not a great photo, but nice to see:
American Kestrel - Rannie Rd. Pitt Meadows BC
I parked and headed out on the Nature trail. I only had to walk about 5 minutes before encountering a flock of 50 - 100 Bohemian Waxwings. I had both cameras with me and took shots with both. Two other birders. Melissa and Bridget, showed up. Melissa is the author of the Lower Mainland Rare Bird alert site, and Bridget was the young woman who first found the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker in Vancouver. This is my first shot so I at least had a record of the birds.
Bohemian Waxwings - Pitt Lake Regional Park, Pitt Meadows BC
I took about 50 photos and tried to get close-ups of individuals wit both cameras.
Bohemian Waxwing - Pitt Lake Regional Park, Pitt Meadows BC
Bohemian Waxwing - Pitt Lake Regional Park, Pitt Meadows BC
Bohemian Waxwing - Pitt Lake Regional Park, Pitt Meadows BC
Here's a photo of the Pitt Lake area on this beautiful day:
I spotted a bird as I was heading for my cat and snapped a shot. I only realized what it was after the photos were downloaded to my computer.
It's not surprising that a large number of small birds would attract a predator such as as Northern Shrike.
Northern Shrike- Pitt Lake Regional Park, Pitt Meadows BC
I jumped in the car and headed home to start dinner.
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