Sparrows, Sandpipers and a Hawk

Oct 20 2015 Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary Sunny T-shirt weather.

The day began at Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. Bonaparte, Mew, California and Glaucous-winged Gulls were busily preening on the foreshore. Several hundred Double-crested Cormorants were resting on the spit while around them were an equal number of American Wigeon and Northern Pintail. Sharing the shoreline were small flocks of Greater Yellowlegs and Dunlin.
Further out, more than a hundred Horned Grebe were diving for food, beside them a small flock of White-winged Scoters were chasing each other for no apparent reason. As I walked toward the ferry Song Sparrows jumped out of blackberry thickets to check out the camera wielding intruder.
It was time to move on to Reifel where I asked a couple of birders how there morning had been. They had seen a single Sharp-tailed Sandpiper with the flock of Long-billed Dowitchers. Hopefully it would be closer than the one I had seen earlier in the year.

Fortunately it was, sleeping alongside a pair of Long-billed Dowitchers.

Safety in numbers. A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper with Long-billed Dowitchers.

The sharpie was sleeping. I didn't have to wait long though as a Rough-legged Hawk spooked the flock.

Rough-legged Hawk

They flew around the pond returning back to their original roosting spot. The hawk was more intent on chasing larger prey and made it's way out to where thousands of Snow Geese and ducks were feeding on Spanish Banks. Eventually the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper returned.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. A rare visitor from Asia with perhaps less than half a dozen recorded each year.

On my way out of the sanctuary and across from the warming hut I noticed a sparrow that was a little different than the others, it seemed more skittish. I waited for it to come back out to forage. Anyway it turned out to be a gorgeous White-throated Sparrow which was feeding with a resident flock of European House Sparrows.

White-throated Sparrow on fence with nice clean background. 

A White-throated Sparrow forages amongst with autumn leaves. Way more storytelling than the previous picture. 

On my way home I dropped into 72nd Ave and found this Lincoln's Sparrow, a real nice way to close out another beautiful day in paradise.

Lincoln's Sparrow.
This shot with the Nikon 200mm-500mm and D7100.

 Some images from Oct 13/15 Reifel.

As an afterthought I include the two images from the same flock of Long-billed Dowitchers taken a few days earlier than the sandpiper images above. Pic#1 shows a Dunlin and Long-billed Dowitcher and the other a Pectoral Sandpiper with same flock of LBD.

Pix #1 Long-billed Dowitcher and Dunlin.

Pectoral Sandpiper with Long-billed Sandpiper (rear) and Short-billed Sandpiper.

Pectoral Sandpiper bathing with Long-billed Dowitchers.

Just thought it's interesting how the Long and Short-billed Dowitcher flock plus a few Greater Yellowlegs stay put and other sandpipers seem to come and go on a regular basis. Always worth a good look Eh!

"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

BC Canada

New Years Day Birding

Jan 1 2015 Boundary Bay. Sunny and cold 3c

Now that 2014 tucked away in the 'ye olde' memory bank it was nice to kick-start off the new year with a few hours of relaxing birding in one of my favourite locations, 72nd Ave. It is also a favourite for joggers, walkers, families, horse riders, bikers, photographers and birders.
When I arrived there were a number of photographers already set up waiting for the Golden Eagle. It was just too busy so I headed out on to the dyke pathway in search of some winter sparrows.
It's a place where a tripod and long lens attracts questions like, What can you see? What are you looking at? How big is your zoom? and without fail, are there any Snowy Owls? I think I spent as much time chatting and socializing as I did actual bird photography!
Despite all the foot traffic, hunters blasting ducks out of the sky and dogs running loose a few of the smaller bird species still hung around. In the distance a Golden Eagle could be seen chasing flocks of Northern Pintail while a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers were flitting around on a frozen section of the foreshore. They were quite far way but I have included one record shot.

First bird up was a Lincoln's Sparrow, a species I don't see too often. I've also seen them at Brydon Lagoon in Langley

Lincoln Sparrow (melospiza lincolnii)

Next up was an American Tree Sparrow, another species that is not that common and only found in a few locations. There are three possibly more at 72nd, they seem to hang out in the same area each year with a flock of White-crowned Sparrows.

American Tree Sparrow (Spizella arborea)

Next up along the trail were a small flock of Yellow-rumped Warbler feeding on a sheet of ice. There seemed to be something on the ice that they interested in, possibly seeds from the yarrow plants now beaten down by the wind and laying on the ground.

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Dendroica coronata)

Then a noisy Marsh Wren. According Sibley's Bird Life and Behavior the Marsh Wren has been known to have as many as 219 different songs. All I know is one can usually hear the tek-tuk-tjejejejejeje before you can see it .

I look for reward to corresponding with many of you throughout the year as I travel the Lower Mainland, BC and Canada so until then I wish you a Healthy and Happy 2015.

2015 Birds so far
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Harrier
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Peregrine Falcon
Lincoln Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Northern Pintail
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
North-western Crow
Kildeer
Dunlin 
Meadowlark
Northern Flickr
North-western Crow
Glaucous-winged Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Marsh Wren



"It's never too late to start birding"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Owls and Sparrows

Boundary Bay, Delta, British Columbia.  March 12, 2012. Sunny breaks and warm.

Barn Owl (Tyto alba)

I hadn't even thought about going birding but the sun kept poking through the clouds so I quickly loaded the car and off I went to Boundary Bay. It began to rain as I drove through Surrey but when I arrived at the coast it was sunny and warm. I had no plans to target a particular species but I did need some exercise before the next big storm rolls in and soaks everything. The weather lady calls for three days of rain and wind.
Am I glad I got off my backside, I had only been on the dyke a few minutes when I spotted what I thought was a Short-eared owl but as the distant speck approached it became clear it was a Barn owl. They are not often seen during the day, the Bald eagles tend give them a hard time and they are normally nocturnal hunters. I managed about 7 shots with six in focus and 2 with good expressions before the bird was out of range.

The underside is adorned with small black spots

On my way back to the car I met a birding "duo" from Prince George who pointed out a Lincoln's sparrow to me. I had seen them in the Caribou but this was my first for the Lower Mainland.

I'm glad I didn't say home, the Newcastle v Stoke game which I had on the PVR can wait for a rainy day.

Lincoln sparrow (melospiza lincolnii)
The bird skulked around the undergrowth, occasionally coming out to bathe in a ditch.