I took a different route than usual for the first leg, heading south rather than west to start. I was rewarded with an American Kestrel on the wires along 104 St in Delta. This road is narrow and quite busy, so I couldn't stop for too long. This was my best shot.
American Kestrel - 104 St. Delta BC
2018 Bird #22
Point Roberts
I proceeded to Point Roberts, my go to spot for grebes and ducks. As usual there were a few Horned Grebes reasonably close to shore.
Our most common gull on the West Coast is the Glaucous-winged. You're never quite sure if the ones you see are pure or are hybrids with Western and other Gull species. I''ll count this one as a Glaucous-winged.
Glaucous-winged Gull - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2018 Bird #24
There's been a solitary female Bufflehead Duck on my recent visits and it was there again.
Bufflehead (F) - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2018 Bird #25
If you want to see Loons, visit this location or the White Rock Pier. I've seen three species of Loon at Point Roberts. The most common one is the Common Loon. They're in their Basic plumage in the winter, occasionally I'll see one in Alternate (Breeding) plumage in early spring.
Common Loon - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2018 Bird #26
The last species seen at this location was the Harlequin Duck. The male is very colourful while the female is more brown and black with a white facial spot.
Harlequin Duck - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2018 Bird #27
Harlequin Duck (F) - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA
Ladner
I left Point Roberts and drove into Ladner for a coffee break. I then visited a private location on River Road where some Mountain Chickadees had been seen in December. I believe they are gone now, but the multiple feeders in the back yard had many birds. I'm not sure if the residents were still welcoming birders, but no one seemed to notice me.The first bird I saw was a familiar ground feeding Sparrow.
Golden-crowned Sparrow - River Road, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #28
Also on the ground was a Fox Sparrow.
Fox Sparrow - River Road, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #29
Perched on top of a feeder bracket holder was a Red-winged Blackbird, my first of the year.
Red-winged Blackbird - River Road, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #30
Although, I like that photo, the next one where he was joined by his mate is one of my favourites of the year.
Red-winged Blackbird - River Road, Delta BC
At the feeders was my first American Goldfinch of the year, a female still in Basic plumage.
American Goldfinch (F) - River Road, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #31
I saw, but did not photograph an Anna's Hummingbird here, this was 2018 Bird #32.
Tsawwassen
My next stop was on the Tsawwassen Indian Reserve. There is a natural area there with a dike and some ponds along the foreshore. I had a good conversation with one of the band members about his dog, who was digging for moles in the dike.
I saw a few other 2018 firsts here:
This photo of a Lesser Scaup shows the high peaked back of the head which distinguishes it from the Greater Scaup.
Lesser Scaup - Tsawwassen Indian Reserve, Delta BC - 2017 Bird #35
Also present was a single Pied-billed Grebe.
Pied-billed Grebe - Tsawwassen Indian Reserve, Delta BC - 2017 Bird #36
I made one more stop on the Tsawwassen Ferry jetty. There is a small pullout on the road that is used by taxis. In winter it is not very busy and is a convenient place to park. I didn't venture far but I did spot a single Black Turnstone on the rocks nearby. I'd see more of them in the coming weeks.
Black Turnstone - Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty, Delta BC
2017 Bird #36
The bird didn't mind my presence and I was able to get a few shots from quite close.
This was a nice end to my day and that was it for this weekend.
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