Colony Farm Swallows

I checked the Rare Bird Alert on Sunday Night and  saw that a Northern Mockingbird had been seen in the gardens at Colony Farms in Coquitlam. I took my camera to work and planned a brief lunch time outing across the Port Mann.

I arrived in good time and made my way through the community gardens. Many of the people put up Swallow boxes on their plots, probably hoping for some insect control. Tree Swallows use most, but not all of the boxes.


Tree Swallow - Colony Farms Regional Park, Coquitlam BC

I think this is a mated pair:



I was making my way to the back corner of the gardens where the Mockingbird had been found, but all I was seeing were Tree Swallows.

I met another birder that I knew and he told me he had seen a Lazuli Bunting earlier, close to where we were sitting. We walked over to that area, but there was no Bunting present. However, we were quite close to a Violet-green Swallow guarding a nest box.


Violet-green Swallow - Colony Farms Regional Park, Coquitlam BC

This is a male based on the head colour. In my opinion, these are beautiful birds that are unknown to most non-birders.



One last shot and it was time to go.



The Mockingbird was not seen again, it probably moved on to more accustomed habitat.

I would catch up with the Lazuli Bunting a couple of weeks later, that's a story for a different post.