Tag: Maplewood Flats

Bohemian Waxwings @ Maplewood flats

Nonconformists as birds, showing up for a group of dedicated bird watchers who arrived for Maplewood Flats’ bird count on time was not their style.

The Bohemian Waxwings have no permanent addresses, they hold no territory and opportunistically stay wherever fruits are available.

I was 10 minutes late. I stopped near the bird feeders, and Birder Gordon appeared. Gordon pointed out the 4 birds on a short tree in the nursery. They were dressed for a party, with black eye masks and gray gowns that blended into brown at the upper body, with some gaudy color sprinkles on the wings. They were making short trips from their perch on the tree to the berry bushes.

We were invited for the party, so we stayed for a while and mingled.

Owl shift at Maplewood flats

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.

The weather’s great… if you’re a duck

After two days taking cover indoors and checking the weather forecast every half an hour, I figured clouds and drizzles is the best I’m going to get, so I ventured outside in 9oc for a test run, and birded Maplewood flats.

I arrived at high tide. There were three good spots:

1) The east-most viewpoint of Maplewood Flats looking over the mudflats and the Burrard Inlet (you can’t get there from the trails going from the Nature House, you have to continue east along Dollarton Hwy. That was the first point I visited with my bicycle, then I headed back and parked near the nature house).
At this viewpoint I had 5 Common Mergansers, 2 Hooded Mergansers, a Greater Yellowleg, 20+ Mew Gulls and some other Gull who didn’t identify themselves.

2) The Nature House window, where I was warming up. I had 12 species just looking out the closed window, including a Belted Kingfisher and a Varied Thrush.

3) The inner pond. I was delighted to see a variety of ducks there, the few dabbling ducks I saw on the mudflats were too far for me to identify. Three male bachelor Ring-necked Ducks were among them (I point that out for the benefit of all bachelorettes Ring-necked Ducks who may be reading this blog).

Other pleasing sights were a couple of Pine Siskins visiting the bird feeders and a flock of about 200 Canada Geese flying south in two arrowheads.

I was wearing 6 layers that would keep me roasting on any sunny day… but thankfully there was a kind volunteer at the Nature House who provided me with hot tea and cookies when I stepped inside shivering. Looks like I should adjust my attire in future birding trips. I’m just not sure how at the moment.

The Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats is preserved thanks to the Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia. Free birding trips happen every second Saturday of the month. Here are the list of reported birds and a site guide for Maplewood Flats.

One day, three parks

Up and out by 8:15am, a bicycle ride to Ambleside Park, West Vancouver (3 hours birding); then to Harbourside Park (2 hours) and from there to Maplewood Flats (2 hours). Returned home by the Second Narrows bridge.

Amleside Park: ducks kingdom, and a female Brewer’s Blackbird on the grass near the parking lot. Read more about birding Amleside Park here.

Harbourside Park: 13 Black Turnstones, in the company of 23 Harbour Seals. On an abandoned field (that sounds wrong, allow me to rephrase: In an undisturbed habitat) east of Fell Avenue: 3 Western Meadowlarks!
Notable on the West side of the Park were 4 killdeers and a Horned Grebe.
For a more detailed description of Harbourside Park birding look here.

Maplewood Flats: a Bewick’s Wren! This cutie was on my wish list for a while!

Lifers total: 6! woo-hoo!

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