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Post by kenneth2019 on Jun 9, 2022 19:47:14 GMT -8
Wednesday night after we went out for dinner we drove up to Silver Lake PP. The lake is high, coming up into trees. There were Swainson's Thrush singing and I found a number patrolling the shore in the brush, they did not mind me being a few feet away. On the trail I could hear birds I did not recognise, Merlin Sound ID kept coming up with Northern Waterthrush but they were off in the distance so there was nothing to hear on the recording. I reviewed NOWA this morning and decided there was a good chance there had been a NOWA. I returned with foot wear ready for the muddy trail leading south from the lake. The trail follows an old river bed that barely flows, treed with heavy under story it looks like Nowa habitat. I went up the trail until I was past the end of the lake and came to a point where I would have had to start crawling. It is a little more open at this point and the channel wider and deeper. I could hear the NOWA all along the trail, but at this point they were the clearest. I stood in the rain recording the song and watching, trying to see movement, the rain got heavier and the sound got louder. Maybe the rain hid me, because a NOWA showed in the channel very close to Me, good views. And the rain got heavier, very wet and muddy by the time I got back to the truck. I saw two Red-breasted Sapsucker at the lake, with them in sight I pointed My mike at them, Merlin guessed Red-naped, close but not the right Sapsucker. Always check your work! Very wet but still warm I checked out beach area. There was an insect hatch of some sort going on in the lake and all species of swallow were cruising low over the lake with Vaux's a little higher. The insects were settling brush along the shore, so the bushes were full of warblers, Tanger, Grosbeak, and none were worried about me, great show. I loaded a couple a of NOWA recordings into ebird. ebird.org/checklist/S112544656Ken in Hope |
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Post by Chris on Jun 10, 2022 19:29:31 GMT -8
Nice sighting Ken. Great habitat for one there.
Definitely want to check your work with Merlin! A few weeks ago the app was suggesting Redstart but when I physically saw the bird it was a Yellow Warbler.
It's too bad about the road. I heard the Silver Skagit Road might not be completely fixed even by next year!
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Post by kenneth2019 on Jun 11, 2022 8:28:24 GMT -8
Nice sighting Ken. Great habitat for one there. Definitely want to check your work with Merlin! A few weeks ago the app was suggesting Redstart but when I physically saw the bird it was a Yellow Warbler. It's too bad about the road. I heard the Silver Skagit Road might not be completely fixed even by next year! Yes, check twice, I am better at viewing the waveform from Merlin than hearing the song. However the Yellow Warbler and Redstart song waveform are so incredibly close I would not call a Redstart unless I saw the bird (really should be the rule anyways). As far as the Silver Skagit the rock trucks are hauling from the north end of the lake still, so a long ways to go |
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Post by Dave on Jun 11, 2022 9:54:37 GMT -8
Thanks Ken for posting your trips. Went up there mid-morning and had nice views of 4 Northern Waterthrush. Was able to snag a few pictures also. Very difficult to get a pic of these birds as they dart around in the thick understory. Constantly singing does help. Also had the Red-breasted Sapsuckers in the deep mud at the end of the trail.
Tried out Merlin a bit and it claimed redstarts also that actually were Yellow Warblers.
Singing nearby were Olive-sided Flycatcher, Varied Thrush, Townsends Warbs, Red-eyed Vireo. Had an American Dipper at the bridge.
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Post by Gord on Jun 19, 2022 22:15:34 GMT -8
We checked on the Waterthrushes yesterday. We got two singing males. One at the boat launch and one further down the lake. He's quite active but did sort of pop out in an open area for a bit of a look and some pictures.  _0223207 by Geordie LaForge, on Flickr  _0223210 by Geordie LaForge, on Flickr A hen Barrow's Goldeneye with nine ducklings was a cute find. She swam out further and joined three other lone hens.  _0223184 by Geordie LaForge, on Flickr Great find, Ken. There's records for them at Silver Lake but I don't think there's ever been more than one. |
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Post by Chris on Jun 20, 2022 16:12:15 GMT -8
Had one Waterthrush calling right at the boat launch. A new Fraser Valley bird for me.
Also had a Red-breasted Sapsucker.
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Post by Randy on Jun 20, 2022 20:36:38 GMT -8
Had one Waterthrush calling right at the boat launch. A new Fraser Valley bird for me. Also had a Red-breasted Sapsucker. Chris, I guess that waterthrush you and I had at Manning a number of years ago was outside the Fraser Valley region? ebird.org/canada/checklist/S14250995 |
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Post by Jon on Jun 20, 2022 21:00:40 GMT -8
Randy, The checklist's pin is outside the valley. You can see the region next to the location name.
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Post by expiallyd on Jun 20, 2022 22:09:06 GMT -8
Nice sighting Ken. Great habitat for one there. Definitely want to check your work with Merlin! A few weeks ago the app was suggesting Redstart but when I physically saw the bird it was a Yellow Warbler. It's too bad about the road. I heard the Silver Skagit Road might not be completely fixed even by next year! I had the same experience a couple of weeks ago at Matsqui Trail Park. Still waiting to locate my first restart. |
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Post by Jon on Jun 21, 2022 6:28:18 GMT -8
Nice sighting Ken. Great habitat for one there. Definitely want to check your work with Merlin! A few weeks ago the app was suggesting Redstart but when I physically saw the bird it was a Yellow Warbler. It's too bad about the road. I heard the Silver Skagit Road might not be completely fixed even by next year! I had the same experience a couple of weeks ago at Matsqui Trail Park. Still waiting to locate my first restart. I found a Redstart, and tried Merlin. It couldn't come up with a suggestion at all, despite it being quite clear! 🤪 Still a great tool despite it's shortcomings 🙂 |
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Post by kenneth2019 on Jun 21, 2022 7:42:42 GMT -8
I had the same experience a couple of weeks ago at Matsqui Trail Park. Still waiting to locate my first restart. I found a Redstart, and tried Merlin. It couldn't come up with a suggestion at all, despite it being quite clear! 🤪 Still a great tool despite it's shortcomings 🙂 Yes, when I found the Redstart at North Bend I nearly left it unchecked as the Veery were very vocal that day and I had never heard or seen a Veery, so I was on a mission to figure out how to see one. I waited it out though and saw the bird, but getting a good waveform was hard as a couple of Yellow Warblers were out singing it and the Veery were calling Me away. Merlin suggested an Indigo Bunting was around that day also, if it was there I didn't see it. |
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Post by ed on Jun 24, 2022 22:14:22 GMT -8
The Waterthrush still persists at Silver L today.
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Post by Bentley on Jun 27, 2022 20:33:20 GMT -8
Three waterthrush were present today. On the walk from the day use parking lot I did hear a Ruffed Grouse as well.
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Post by Gord on Jul 15, 2022 20:44:03 GMT -8
There's breeding Northern Waterthrush at Silver Lake but that's probably not unexpected news. There was at least one young one being fed deep in the bushes. The male is still singing which helped us find them initially. Amusingly his young has a longer tail than he has as he's lost his entirely. Overall he's looking a bit ratty as he's in molt. They breed in Sumallo area and likely at the north end of the checklist area along the Coquihalla Lakes area but this is the furthest west I'm aware of.  _0223358 by Geordie LaForge, on Flickr |
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Post by kenneth2019 on Jul 16, 2022 8:12:37 GMT -8
I was talking to the Park Host a couple of days ago. He was telling Me that there had been people there from Texas A&M University, working through UBC. They were interested in banding the NOWA as they are a species that winter in Texas.
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