July Backyard Birds

We have had a great variety of birds in our backyard over the years. We live above Burns Bog and have been feeding birds since the early 80's. However, our primary bird seed feeders are located in spots that don't lend themselves to photography.

However, the hummingbird feeder is on our back porch, and down below we have a nice large flat bowl that we keep filled with water. I always take my camera out with me when sitting on the back porch.

This is a sampling of birds seen while enjoying the summer heat on the porch.

Anna's Hummingbird

We keep the feeder filled year round as the Anna's here do not migrate south in the winter. They have a very early breeding season to avoid competition with the much more aggressive Rufous Hummingbirds. They arrive in early March and take over for a couple of months.

I believe the birds in the photos below are juvenile male Anna's. The photos were taken two weeks apart, so it might be the same bird. The second one is definitely a male.

Anna's Hummingbird (Imm) - Backyard, North Delta BC - June 30 2016

Anna's Hummingbird (Imm) - Backyard, North Delta BC - July 13, 2016

We have resident chickadees year round and not just Black-capped.

Black-capped Chickadee - Backyard, North Delta BC.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee - Backyard, North Delta BC.

The American Goldfinches come and go, sometimes we see them in winter in their dull basic plumage. In the summer we see them in alternate (breeding) plumage.

Here's a male that I waited just a bit too long to snap the shutter.

American Goldfinch - Backyard, North Delta BC.

About 15 minutes later I was more alert and captured this female at the water dish.

American Goldfinch (F) - Backyard, North Delta BC.

American Goldfinch (F) - Backyard, North Delta BC.

We also have an apple tree in the back yard which attracts birds when the apples ripen.We see Downy Woodpeckers practically every day at our suet feeder, but it was a treat to see one in the apple tree.

Downy Woodpecker - Backyard, North Delta BC.

Another bird I hear in the yard but struggle to see is the Bewick's Wren. I have heard it numerous times this year, but have not seen it, never mind taken a picture. There's still a third of the year to go so I still have hope.

That's it for this post, the next one will be from August.

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.

Young birds at Reifel Bird Sanctuary and Terns at Tsawwassen

It was a rare Saturday with no golf, so I went birding instead. I had not been at Reifel Bird Sanctuary in a while and thought it might offer some good photo opportunities.

I was informed by Vari, the woman who greets guests at the ticket booth, the the Sandhill Crane chick had survived this year and was wandering about the sanctuary with its parents. As I was heading in, I saw these three cranes and I believe the one on the left is the chick. I could be totally wrong on this assumption.


Sandhill Cranes - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

There were some shorebirds about in the West Field but not close enough for photos. As I was walking I noticed this Barn Swallow just outside an open shelter just off the trail.


Barn Swallow - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

I ducked into the shelter to see what was in there and was surprised to see a nest full of chicks.  It was too close for my lens, so I got my phone ready and ducked in for a second and got this shot. I think there were four in the nest. The look pretty close to fledging.

Barn Swallows - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

A bit further along I saw this recently fledged Tree Swallow, with parents nearby.

Tree Swallow - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

There wasn't much other bird activity, so I tried to get some nice profiles of the ducks that were around. I always admire the lovely female Wood Duck.

Wood Duck (F) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

And here was a cooperative female Mallard.

Mallard (F) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

I left Reifel and took a side trip to the Tsawwassen Ferry jetty. There had been reports of 50+ Caspian Terns in the Compensation Lagoon on the north side of the Causeway. I pulled into the taxi spot and was lucky that there were some spaces.

A short walk to the Lagoon and I was rewarded, I counted 85 Caspian Terns. Photo conditions were challenging, but I got a couple of shots of a lone tern hunting closer to my position.

Caspian Tern - Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty, Delta BC

Caspian Tern - Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty, Delta BC

That was the end of my day, the Terns were the first for the year, a nice addition to the 2016 list.

Return to Point Roberts

A week after my last successful visit I set out again for Point Roberts. It was a windy day (which would prove to be very important later in the day) so I was again pessimistic about seeing much on the water.

On this day I was right, the wind was blowing quite hard and there was nothing to see out on the water. I did get another good White-crowned Sparrow shot, possibly the same bird I'd seen last week.

White-crowned Sparrow - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Since I had spent so little time at my first stop, I decided to try Lily Point Park on the south-eastern edge of the Peninsula. The park is at some elevation and overlooks the Strait of Georgia to the south-west. There is a trail loop from the parking lot that takes you through a mature forest.

As I was walking I heard Pacific Wren singing nearby. I managed to locate the bird and draw it out with a very short playback from my phone. It was in a very shady area in the forest and I struggled with exposure. The bird also kept moving and was aware of my presence. Here are the two best photos I managed, my first for  the year for this elusive species.


Pacific Wren - Lily Point Park, Point Roberts WA

The next photo is in mid-call and I was able to crop it to show more detail.


Pacific Wren - Lily Point Park, Point Roberts WA

I also heard a few Swainson's Thrush on the walk, but could not see one, let alone take a photo.

Here's the view overlooking Georgia Strait.


Lily Point Park, Point Roberts WA

On my way home I took Highway 17 (the Perimeter Road) and noticed a large fire burning in the distance. After crossing Highway 99, I drove right by the Burns Bog fire, probably about an hour after it had started. I did not stop to take a photo, but took this one from our street when I got home.

Burns Bog fire from North Delta

Fortunately the weather turned wet the next day and the fire was put out within a week of it starting.

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.

Hope Airpark and Cheam Lake Wetlands

I had this Monday off as I was playing golf in Abbotsford in the afternoon. I contacted my friend Mary-Jean, who lives in the Chilliwack area, and we agreed to do some early morning birding. There had been reports of Kingbirds at the Hope Airpark, so that was our first stop.

The Hope Airpark is just west of Hope in a somewhat secluded area just off Highway 1. The airpark has grass runways and is used by hobbyists. It is not unusual to see planes towing gliders into higher altitudes.

Although Eastern Kingbirds were featured in the reports, the first and only sighting we had was a Western Kingbird. The early morning light fooled my camera, but with a bit of post-processing the results were very rewarding.


Western Kingbird - Hope Airpark, Hope BC

Here's a photo my friend Mary-Jean took at about the same time.

Western Kingbird - Hope Airpark, Hope BC by Mary-Jean Payeur

The other bird we saw in the area was a Savannah Sparrow.

Savannah Sparrow - Hope Airpark, Hope BC 

Other than these two birds, the rest of the area was quiet. We headed back west towards the Cheam Lake Wetlands. We had a bit of a problem finding the correct route and Google maps only confused the situation. However, human memory kicked in and we found our way. 

Cheam Wetlands is a beautifully scenic area just off Highway 9 on the way to Agassiz from Highway 1. The side panels of this blog were shot at Cheam Wetlands.

Our first sighting was a male Belted Kingfisher far off in the distance.I'd left my scope in the car, so I had to hope for a decent exposure with the camera. It's a bit fuzzy.

Belted Kingfisher - Cheam Wetlands Regional Park, near Popkum BC

Mary-Jean saw a bird out on the lake and I identified it as a Pied-billed Grebe. It helped that I had already heard the unmistakeable call of this species.

Pied-billed Grebe - Cheam Wetlands Regional Park, near Popkum BC

We soon realized that the adult Grebe was not alone, it had a number of young chicks swimming around nearby. You can see them in the border photo and also in the one below.

Pied-billed Grebe - Cheam Wetlands Regional Park, near Popkum BC

We spent quite a bi of time watching the antics of the family. I was really kicking myself  for leaving the scope in the trunk of the car (but was too lazy to go get it).

Nearby our lookout was a singing Song Sparrow. It appeared briefly for this photo.

Song Sparrow - Cheam Wetlands Regional Park, near Popkum BC

The last bird we saw was this Great Blue Heron. Although common on the coast, sometimes they present nice photo opportunities.

We had planned to finish at Island 22 in Chilliwack, but had burned all our time in Hope and Bridal Falls. Mary-Jean did get there and found a beautiful male Lazuli Bunting. Here's her photo:

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

This was too much for me to resist and we made a date for July 1 (Canada Day) to explore this site in Chilliwack.

Sunday Morning at Point Roberts

This is the first summer post for what was previously called the 2016 Spring birding blog. The URL was too good to waste, so I've updated the title as seen above. This blog covers my birding activities in the Lower Mainland area, including Point Roberts across the border. There may be another blog created for our July trip to Calgary and other points east.

When I arrived this morning, I was not too optimistic. The sea was choppy so I did not expect to see many ducks or sea-birds, and if I did it would be challenging to photograph them. I did not see any ducks and I was right about the challenges. Bur there was plenty of bird action for a brief period.

The first birds I saw were three Pelagic Cormorants darting north towards the pilings by the boat launch.


Pelagic Cormorant - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

I then saw a few small birds quite far out. When I got my scope on them, I got excited. They were Rhinoceros Auklets, a smallish sea-bird that seldom comes close to shore. I had barely seen one on a pelagic cruise in September 2015, so it was not a lifer.

At first I tried to get a digiscope photo with my phone, but results were not great. Suddenly, a sea lion, which I had briefly seen, caught something big underwater. Here it is with a digiscope video capture just before it dove.

Sea Lion - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

As blood and guts rose to the surface, a mob scene ensued. There were Glaucous-winged Gulls, Cormorants, and Auklets fighting for the spoils.


Glaucous-winged Gulls and Pelagic Cormorant-Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Now the Auklets were close enough for my camera.

Glaucous-winged Gull and Rhinoceros Auklet - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

In the photo you see the little horn sticking up, hence the name.


Rhinoceros Auklet - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

I saw a few other species at this location including Belted Kingfisher and Purple Martin, but only got one worthwhile photo.


Purple Martin - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

As I was leaving a White-crowned Sparrow presented a much better photo opportunity.


White-crowned Sparrow - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

I made a quick stop at Centennial Beach in Tsawwassen on my way home. I only saw a few sparrows, but when I downloaded my photos I realized I had been lucky and seen my first Lincoln's Sparrow for the year (and so far the only one).


Lincoln's Sparrow - Centennial Beach, Boundary Bay Regional Park, Delta BC

This bird is closely related to the Song Sparrow, but is identified by the buffy colour on the belly and fine streaks on the breast. It is grayer and lighter coloured than its cousin.