Author: Sigal Page 4 of 6

Sunday Reifel

On December 5, 2010

If you want to see rare birds, you must learn to recognize the subtle clues in your environment:

A Northern Hawk Owl was perch on a tree on Westham Island Road, bathing in the attention of a flock of photographers:

According to the Vancouver region checklist of rare birds, the Northern Hawk Owl has been recorded here only 5 times within the last century!

From there I proceeded to the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, where I was stalked by Mallards and attacked by a Sandhill Crane.

I was trying to proceed on a road where 3 Sandhill Cranes were pecking the grass (one of them was a chick only a few months ago), and got jabbed by one! I backed up slowly, and got jabbed twice more! There were no rules posted anywhere on how to behave when attacked by a bird. Maintaining eye contact and talking to the Crane in a low voice, I managed to pass by him – slowly.

Four Black-crowned Night Herons were at their usual perch at the entrance of the sanctuary, a Great-horned Owl was sleeping high on a tree, Bald Eagles were disturbing the thousands of Snow Geese on the far west, Trumpeter Swans were blowing their trumpets, Northern Harriers were flying over the fields, and more. Below are a few song birds who agreed to be photographed.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Fox Sparrow

Red-winged Blackbird

Terra Nova

By Sigal

On November 20, 2010

In Birding

I really was supposed to go to Brunswick Point. But somehow I ended up at the wrong meeting place for the car pooling. I forgot my bottle of water, but it was the first day of snow in Metro-Vancouver and snow can be melted for drinking.
So I hopped on public transit again and got myself to Terra Nova. I figured nothing else can possibly go wrong, but even before I got there I noticed the traffic and the honking – overhead.

Snow Geese

Trumpeter Swans

It was my first visit to Terra Nova. There were a variety of waterfowls on the middle arm of the Fraser River, as well as on the Terra Nova pond. That was the first time I saw a mega group of Double-crested Cormorants – 200 of them were fishing at the River. I finally had a male Northern Harrier, and a Golden-crowned Sparrow was actually singing his slurry notes. The birds were generally in a good mood, and so was I.

More and more of Stanley Park

By Sigal

On November 14, 2010

In Birding

Getting up at 8am is more pleasant than getting up at 7am. Therefore I haven’t changed my clocks to winter hours. Well, not all my clocks.
This payed dividends today, when I was heading to a waterfowl bird count scheduled to 10am. When I arrived I was a tad surprised to find it is actually 9am, but then, Al Grass was already there and we had a lovely guided bird walk around Lost Lagoon. At the end of the walk someone mentioned that there’s also a bird count today! Only then did I realize what has happened. I caught up with the bird count at Second Beach. Everything worked out better than planned…

Al Grass gets excited of every Song Sparrow and every American Coot as if he is seeing them for the first time in his life. Right at the start he stopped to admire a Great Blue Heron, a common sight at almost every bird trip here in Vancouver, and produced a truly lovely photograph of his subject. We stopped to admire all the more common birds afresh, and it was a delight.

Eurasian Wigeons at Ambleside Park

By Sigal

On November 8, 2010

In Birding

Ambleside Park is just a pond (and I like ponds – you can almost swim with the ducks), but among the predominant Mallards and American Wigeons there were two Eurasian Wigeons, a male and a female. I noticed anybody who gets to see an Eurasian Wigeon tells about it with a rusty glare in his eyes.

Also in the pond I noticed 7 Buffleheads, 3 Hooded Mergansers, 3 Lesser Scaups and a domesticated black Swedish Duck who I met there a month and a bit ago. A bench near the pond invited an adult White-crowned Sparrow and two young Golden-crowned Sparrows, and next to another bench a Pacific Wren called and granted me a look.

My bonus bird was a Red-breasted Sapsucker in the small tree stand east of the pond.

After Ambleside I decided to explore the trail west of the Capilano River, which, according to Translink’s Metro Vancouver Cycling Map, started just north of Hwy #1. The map seem to think you can cross the river eastward at the north end of the trail. This point on the map is actually Capilano suspension bridge – but I didn’t realize it at the time. Of course, no access there. Somehow I ended up at Rabbit road. Take this map with a grain of salt.

Cycling trail west of Capilano river crosses it - really?

The trail is a place to visit again when there are more daylight hours – surrounded by tall conifers, with some side trails going down the Capilano river. It reminded me the days when I was hiking aimlessly instead of chasing birds.

Suddenly I run into an ambush of Kinglets – I noticed Rudy-crowned, Golden-crowned – if there were only two of them I could have handled it, but they were hiding behind the bushes and I couldn’t estimate their numbers. The situation was intense, and you know how these things usually end up. Luckily a Hermit Thrush passed by. I recognized him, and the Kinglets backed down.

A birder initiation at Burnaby lake

By Sigal

On November 5, 2010

In Birding

She came from Australia to SFU for a semester on a student exchange program. She answered the ad Marc put in the local student newspaper, calling for people who want to go bird watching. She didn’t know what she was getting into.

We set up a birding tour at Burnaby lake. It was all staged. The most charismatic birds went on a parade in front of us: Wood Ducks, a Great Blue Heron, a Bald Eagle, a Belted Kingfisher. A Pileated Woodpecker was hammering at the closest tree trunk to us with his thick, strong bill. She was impressed. She didn’t suspect a thing.

After the show was over, I excused myself and pretended to go the the washroom. The Pileated Woodpecker was just around the corner. “You did a good job” I said. The Woodpecker’s red mustache didn’t flinch. I handed in the money.

Mallards, Green-winged Teals and Long-billed Dowitchers at Burnaby Lake

Second day at Iona

By Sigal

On November 4, 2010

In Birding

A pair of Hooded Mergansers in a channel on the way to Iona

Some days you can walk the Iona south Jetty to the end and back, and although you’re almost in the middle of the sea, just like one of the ducks – the other birds keep their distance. And I haven’t yielded yet to some birds’ demand that I should carry a scope.

Only a few Surf Scoters, Horned Grebes and Red-breasted Mergansers were close by. Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs? I should have seen them right on the jetty with me! They were saving their grace for more experienced birders.

Things picked up once I descended the jetty. A Northern Shrike skewered the birdless gloom, closely followed by a magnificent Western Meadowlark. Both species were in the immediate vicinity of the single building at the center of Iona Island Regional Park.

I went to the ponds. There I was dazzled by the shear number of Northern Shovelers, males now in breeding plumage. When I returned from the ponds I was granted a second look at Shrike and Meadowlark, this time finding that there were at least four Western Meadowlarks around. The Meadowlarks made soft calls. The Shrike was singing a little; always perching on conspicuous branch tips in order not to miss a photo opportunity. He was my 150th bird.

Northern Shrike

Owl shift at Maplewood flats

By Sigal

On November 2, 2010

In Birding

In the last two evenings a Northern Pygmy-Owl was seen attacking Chickadees near the bird feeders at Maplewood Flats (here is an eye witness account of the first incident). So I went bird watching there. Come evening, I stayed near the bird feeders between 4:45 to 6:00pm, and I’m proud to declare that no Chickadee was harmed during my shift! May all our Chickadees be protected and safe.

Splendid Stanley Park

By Sigal

On October 31, 2010

In Birding

An American Dipper chose the Beluga pond in the Vancouver Aquarium as its habitat. The Dipper feeds on small flies who visit the algae at the edge of the pond.
The earliest mention I found of this Beluga pond bird was on winter 2007.
One of the Beluga whales, who is a bird watcher, like me, shows interest in the Dipper. Here’s a video of the Beluga whale observing the American Dipper.
The Beluga and the Dipper can be watched from the periphery of the Vancouver Aquarium for free.

Thanks to a fellow birder, I saw my first Long-tailed Duck among over two thousands Surf Scoters off the shores of the Stanley Park peninsula.

A variety of other ducks were present, males parading their striking breeding plumage: Wood Ducks, Buffleheads, Harlequin Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and Barrow’s Goldeneyes.

A Black Oystercatcher was pecking at the rocks, and an adult Golden-crowned Sparrow was well decorated as his name suggests.

Great Blue Heron

Ring-billed Gull

Harlequin Ducks

Pelagic Cormorants on Siwash rock

Irresistable ducks en route Jericho Park

By Sigal

On October 29, 2010

In Birding

In Granville Island a passionate pair of Mallards were nodding their heads up and down in synchrony, and soon engaged in a brief copulation.

In the small pond at Charleson Park, among the Mallards and the Glaucous-winged Gulls, there was a male Hooded Merganser in breeding plumage; three other Mergansers, a drake and two hens, were floating nearby at False Creek.

A viewpoint to English Bay from Volunteer Park revealed 37 American Wigeons, a Northern Pintail, a pair of Grebes at the distance and ten Harlequin Ducks, 3 males in breeding plumage among them.

In Jericho Park I flushed all the shorebirds and was left with the Geese. 5 Snow Geese, too good for the Geese crowds at Reifel, were on the north lawn; on the west side of the park, among 39 Canada Geese were 7 Cackling Geese.

As I was about to leave, the Crows got all excited. Their nemesis this time turned out to be a Racoon, perched midway up a tree, who gave me an uncomfortable look.

On the way back I ran into a group of people who were operating a stand for free grilled cheese sandwiches. The business model was simple: hand out scrumptious sandwiches to passerby, on a road full of ravenous cyclists who can use any extra calorie. If someone offers you money, refuse. That’s the kind of economical model you learn at the Burning Man festival. Go figure. I had four of these sandwiches. Thanks guys!

Shoreline Park, Port Moody

By Sigal

On October 27, 2010

In Birding

A one way 3km trail hugging the east end of the Burrard Inlet. The trail was busy with dog owners, but birds were still to be seen. The Ducks were a bit far – the Burrard Inlet is not a pond – but one can do without a scope. I was treated to a few male Hooded Mergansers in breeding plumage as well as a Red-breasted Merganser. A female Belted Kingfisher with a fish in her beak was smacking the fish body on a tree branch she was perched on. Multitude of Crows gathered just before dusk, probably due to the presence of a Barred Owl. Dusk brought over 3 hundred Canada Geese who were flying west to roost.