Extra long weekend Day 3 - Point Roberts. Tsawwassen and another Owl

Point Roberts, Lighthouse Marine Park

On this Sunday at Point Roberts I took as many scenery shots as I did of birds. The light on this morning was special. On arrival it wasn't too unusual but I took this shot to show the views available at Lighthouse Marine Park.



The water was calm today, and this loon seemed to be enjoying it.


Common Loon - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Also close to shore was a male Harlequin Duck.


Harlequin Duck - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

The sun was partially obscured by a bank of clouds which created an effect like a sunrise.



Off in the distance I saw two birds, a loon and a smaller bird beside it. I checked it with my scope and realized it was a Red-necked Grebe.


Red-necked Grebe and Common Loon - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA
2018 Bird #67 (Grebe)

I saw a whitish bird farther offshore and took a couple of shots with my fingers crossed. The first is not too sharp but shows a long tail, the second turned out better. These show the beauty of the male Long-tailed Duck in winter plumage.


Long-tailed Duck - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA



I got one more shot of the Red-necked Grebe, enough to show the distinctive large yellow bill. The red neck doesn't show until it moults into breeding plumage come spring.

Red-necked Grebe - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

As I was about to leave, the sky darkened as the sun was more obscured by the clouds.

Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty

My next stop was the Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty where I hoped to see the oft-reported Whimbrel and also see my first Black Oystercatchers of the year. I decided to park on the south side of the jetty where the road leaves something to be desired. It was a good test for the Subaru.

Many people were using chainsaws to salvage firewood from large logs and stumps thad were blown ashore during a recent windstorm.

The first birds I spotted were Surf Scoters, a bit too far out to get good shots into the sun.

Surf Scoter - South side of Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #68

I walked west quite a way but did not see many birds other than more scoters and some goldeneye. I crossed over to the north side and started walking east. I saw some Scaup in winter plumage and took some photos for ID at home. I confirmed these were Greater Scaup based on the sloping angle on the back of the head as shown in the second photo below.

Greater Scaup - North side of Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #69

In the same area there were a pair of Black Oystercatchers taking their midday break.

Black Oystercatcher - North side of Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #70

After this was taken they both appeared to be taking a nap while keeping one eye open for trouble.

Another Owl in Delta

I had heard by word of mouth that there was a pair of Long-eared Owls at a location in South Delta, and that one of them was out in the open today. I made my way to that location and after walking too far past the site, turned around and came back. I had expected a throng of birders to be present, but there were only a couple.

I did spot the owl and it was in the open with one eye watching the movements of the people on a nearby path. Hopefully it was getting the rest that it required.

Long-eared Owl - Delta BC - 2018 Bird #71

Although the shots above look close, I was using the Nikon super zoom to take them. One more with the Canon and I left.

This was the end of day three of my extended long weekend. On Monday I'd return to North Vancouver for another chance for the Northern Goshawk.

Extra long weekend Day 2 - Finches, Ducks, Hawks and Owl

Vancouver Waterfront near Crab Park

One of my goals for this extended weekend was to catch up with the Gray-crowned Rosy Finches that had been staying along the Vancouver waterfront since early December. They are normally seen at higher altitudes, but will come down lower in winter. They also tend to travel in flocks, which makes them easier to spot.

They had been seen near the Vancouver helijet terminal and on weekends its possible to park nearby. There were a pair of birders on site and they had seen a flock about half an hour earlier.

After waiting a short while they reappeared in a nearby tree,  but were constantly moving from branch to branch. I had difficulty getting focus as they hopped around, but finally got a decent shot.


Gray-crowned Rosy Finch - Vancouver BC - 2018 Bird #63

They moved down onto some rocks along a small inlet and I was still having problems with focus. This was the best shot down there. You can see how they get their name.



I waited for another half hour, but they did not return. My next stop was Maplewood Conservation area in North Vancouver. There has been a Northern Goshawk there since November, a rarity for the Metro Vancouver area.

Maplewood Conservation Area

There is a large creek/inlet separatomg the eastern and western sides. Near the south end there is a bridge that often allows close ups of ducks and other critters such as beavers. Today there was a young Common Goldeneye diving for fish right underneath.


Common Goldeneye (Imm) - Maplewood Conservation Area, North Vancouver

Here it is under water.



Also on the inlet were a pair of Hooded Mergansers.

Hooded Merganser - Maplewood Conservation Area, North Vancouver

It looks like the male caught a fish.

I headed west and observed more Goldeneyes out on the shoreline on Burrard Inlet. However these were the Barrow's Goldeneye. The male can be identified by the angular cheek patch and the white scalloping on the sides.

Barrow's Goldeneye - Maplewood Conservation Area, North Vancouver - 2018 Bird #64

There was no sign of the Goshawk on the west side, I'd missed it by about a half hour. There was much excitement about a Bobcat being spotted in the morning, so everyone was searching for it.

I briefly checked out the East side and heard and saw my first Belted Kingfisher of the year. I was not fast enough to take a photo, so here's one from the same area in March 2017.

Belted Kingfisher - Maplewood Conservation Area, North Vancouver, March 2017

2018 Bird #65

South Delta

I left Maplewood and travelled south to Delta. I wanted to get a better photo of the Short-eared Owls that I'd seen the previous day. On my way, I stopped along 96 St in South Delta to check for a Merlin that had been reported. It was not there, but there was a Red-tailed Hawk, my first official sighting for the year.

Red-tailed Hawk - 96 St, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #66

There location of the owls in Delta is pretty well known as the following photos will attest. I won't mention the exact location by name in keeping with the code of not publishing owl locations.



One hint is that Mount Baker is visible on a clear day.



The Short-eared Owls were active today, I caught this sequence of one running what looks like an obstacle course.


Short-eared Owl - Delta BC





After that exertion, it needed a rest.

And then it was off again...



Wherever there's Owls hunting there are Northern Harriers waiting to steal their catch. This is a male with it's silvery-gray appearance. My camera was acting up again, resulting in an interesting, but over-exposed shot.


Northern Harrier - Delta BC

I returned to 96 Street for another attempt at the Merlin, but only saw another Red-tailed Hawk.


Red-tailed Hawk - 96 St, Delta BC

Day 2 of the extended weekend was over, we'd see what Sunday would bring.

Extra long weekend Day 1 - Delta Birding

It was the BC Family day long weekend and I took the Friday off to make it a four day respite from work.

My plan on day 1 was to stay in Delta and see if I could add some of the owls I'd seen in December to my 2018 list.

My first stop was on 112 St at Boundary Bay, where there were Swans feeding in the fields. I'm fairly sure these are Trumpeters although the beak is quite short for them. The gray around the eyes doesn't help. The gray swan is an immature bird.


Trumpeter Swan - 112 St. Delta BC

I left 112 St and proceeded to the foot of 96 St right on the bay. Last year, I saw a Harris Sparrow at this location, but I'd have to settle for my first White-crowned Sparrows of 2018. This one is in winter plumage.


White-crowned Sparrow - Boundary Bay, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #58

Here's one in the more familiar and descriptive breeding plumage.


White-crowned Sparrow - Boundary Bay, Delta BC

Further along the dike road from 96th, I stopped by "the Mansion" to see what birds were visible. This area has a sewage outfall from the farmlands and you can see a good variety of ducks and shorebirds fairly close to shore.

It was quiet except for some Northern Pintail ducks.

Northern Pintail - 96 St. Boundary Bay, Delta BC

2018 Bird #59

I headed west and set out for some Owl and Raptor watching. I'd seen Barn Owl here on Boxing Day and hoped for a repeat. 

The first bird I saw was the resident Rough-legged Hawk that was also mentioned in my Boxing day post. This bird had been tagged at the Airport and was subject to release inland if captured there again. The tag is not visible in this photo.

Rough-legged Hawk - Boundary Bay, Delta BC

2018 Bird # 60

Easily, the most common raptor at Boundary Bay is the Northern Harrier. Most of the ones seen are the larger females which feature a brownish look with the white rump. However, the first one I spotted was the smaller silver-gray male.

Northern Harrier - Boundary Bay, Delta BC

Northern Harrier - Boundary Bay, Delta BC

There were Short-eared Owls flying around but they were staying high, so this was the best shot for today. I'd see them close up later in the weekend (see subsequent posts). You can see the rounded head below the wings here.

Short-eared Owl - Boundary Bay, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #61

Quite early in the afternoon the resident Barn Owl put in another appearance. I saw it back on Boxing Day as detailed in my 2017 Blog .

I was somewhat more prepared today and had my camera set up for high speed action. This female Owl likes to perch on a fencepost just off the road, protected by a barbed wire fence and heavy underbrush.

Barn Owl (F) - Delta BC - 2018 Bird #62

At one point she dove into the brush attempting to capture a mouse or a vole. I was very lucky to get this magical shot.

Barn Owl (F) - Delta BC

Finally, here she is in action:

This wrapped my first day of the extra long weekend, the following ones would be full of highlights as well.

Point Roberts Weekend

The weather was poor on this weekend so birding was limited. I made two trips to Point Roberts on the Saturday and Sunday for gas (Subaru-Sat, Honda-Sun). I visited Lighthouse Marine Park on each day.

I've seen quite a few Black Turnstones this year, and these were the first birds I saw on the Saturday. It's common to see them in groups like this.


Black Turnstone - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

This shot of a single bird was taken on the Sunday morning.



Back to Saturday, here's a decent close up of a Common Goldeneye male.


Common Goldeneye - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Nearby were a pair of Harlequin Ducks, the colourful male and the mostly black female.

Harlequin Ducks - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

I had my scope with me and was scanning farther offshore for Alcids like Murres and Auklets. But what I found instead was a small flock of Brant. These are ocean going Geese that are rarely seen close to shore. I zoomed the Nikon out as far as possible and was able to take a few poor shots for a record of seeing them.

Although the photo is poor, it is possible to see the dark head and the white neck ring. The overall shape also indicates a goose.

Brant - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2018 Bird #55

Somewhat closer to shore was another rare-to-see species, a Long-tailed Duck. The picture quality is better but still not too sharp. The mix of white and black indicates a male in Basic plumage.

Long-tailed Duck - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

2018 Bird # 56

On the Sunday I photographed my first Pelagic Cormorant of the year. The photo is not great, but it does show the thin dark bill and the slender overall shape.

Pelagic Cormorant - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA - 2018 Bird # 57

My last shot of this dreary weekend was taken at home in the backyard.

Dark-eyed Junco - Backyard, North Delta BC