On a gorgeous, hot (record high near 25 degrees) last Wednesday morning, eighteen DNCBers visited Beach Grove Park, then several parks in Ladner. Check out the photo evidence on our Flickr site at: DNCB Flickr site.
On leaving Petra’s at 7:30 am before going to Ladner, eight of us decided to stop briefly at Beach Grove Park to check on the Great Horned Owls. We found Mom and her two owlets perched in the tree above their nest cavity. We also found the two Anna’s Hummingbird nests, but they were both empty as the young had already fledged. Interestingly, the trees in Beach Grove were alive with Yellow-rumped Warblers, both Myrtle and Audubon. We commented on the similarity with the large number of Kinglets seen last Wednesday at Queen Elizabeth Park.
We got to Ladner Harbour Park at 8:30 am where Roger was already touring with the rest of our group. We met at the play structure and David took the obligatory Group Photo of all eighteen. A pair of Hermit Thrushes (my Bird of the Day) were openly visible along the path behind the play structures. In the trees were lots more Yellow-rumped, and we also got good looks at a few Orange-crowned Warblers, even the orange. Later, some saw a Wilson’s Warbler, but we were blanked on the reported Black-throated Gray Warblers.
Wandering along the Swenson Walk, lots of other neat stuff caught our fancy, including an active Bushtit nest, Varied Thrushes, trunk-climbing Brown Creepers, copulating Downy Woodpeckers (Spring is in the air), and Eurasian (no Mourning seen) Collared-Doves. Roger’s group earlier saw a Hairy Woodpecker and of course we saw a few Northern Flickers. Lots of common stuff too, such as White- and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Finches, Juncos, Towhees, etc. Anna’s Hummingbirds were around and I think we saw a couple of Rufous too. Veering off the trail to the Fraser shoreline, lots of Marsh Wrens in the bulrushes; we also saw Bewick’s and heard Pacific Wrens. Waterfowl seen today included Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, Scaup (Lesser probably), Gadwall and later Common Mergansers, Ring-necked and beautiful Wood Ducks.
Close to the Lookout by the Dog Off Leash area, we rustled up two or three Wilson’s Snipe. They kept flitting from deep grass to deep grass, preventing me from getting real good looks. Otherwise, they would have been my Bird of the Day. A resident Mute Swan was cruising along the Ladner Slough past the fishing boats and beautiful float homes. Lots of Tree and Violet-green Swallows around and we saw a few Barn Swallows. This is really a quaint and pristine setting, popular for photogs and artists, and a pleasant spot for us naturalists too, especially on a beautiful morning like today.
Around 10:00 am we drove to Ferry Road to the trail along the slough between the road and the Links at Hampton Cove Golf Course. A large Red-eared Slider Turtle was sunning on a log while more warblers flitted in the trees between the slough and the homes. A Mallard had nine ducklings following her. Lots of Bald Eagles around and we suspect that she’ll lose one duckling a day. It’s a lovely walk along this trail and we saw many of the above-mentioned species but nothing rare or unusual. In past years, a rare here White-throated Sparrow and something else I forget were seen along this trail.
Approaching 11:00 am, we moved on to South Arm Marshes Wildlife Management Area (SAMWMA), another very pleasant walk. More Warblers, the Bewick’s Wren, an “almost” Black-throated Gray Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, a pair of Black-capped Chickadees preparing their nest cavity, but we couldn’t find a Red-breasted Sapsucker. Some saw a Flycatcher. The view from the Lookout was splendid. Approaching Noon, we walked quickly back to our vehicles parked on Ferry Road.
*****
On a personal note, I saw this nesting falcon!
It's a beautiful sight to see one nesting high up in a majestic Eucalyptus tree!
I've seen many remarkable nature photographs over the years but this photo of a nesting Falcon in an old tree is perhaps the most remarkable nature shot I've ever seen. I wonder how many of the younger set recognize it?
