Post by Gord on Aug 7, 2008 22:08:52 GMT -8
Yesterday figured I would get out for a little bit to check out the coast. I had a look at the tides...yup, high at about 10am. Perfect!
I got there at about 8:30 which is a lot later than I wanted as I had plans to walk the dyke a little bit. I started from 104th street and headed towards the 'Mansion' After a little bit of walking, I saw that the water was not very close at all. However, there were some birds to be seen. The first little sandpiper I put my scope on was a Semipalmated Sandpiper. There were about three among a dozen Western Sandpipers. Nice to see one after a few years of not getting out there.
Sometimes these guys can be a little tough to distinguish from Western Sandpipers. This is not a reliable fieldmark due to it being small and often covered in mud but you can see the slight webbing that gives this sandpiper its name. Western Sandpipers, or any other local sandpiper in the same genus that Im aware of, do not have this.
The most common sandpiper was Western Sandpipers. They were bombing around everywhere and most lively as they hunted food on the flats. Their longer slightly curved bill and rusty scapulars (the row of feathers on the back) are good clues.
Some are a little more discrete having shorter bills and less bright colouring. This guy is pretty pale for a Semipalmated though especially around the face.
Most of these little guys I saw were juveniles which is typical. The adults migrate first and then the juveniles follow when they can fly. There were a couple adult Westerns though for some variety.
I happened to have the camera out and was able to capture a flyby juvenile Sanderling.
There were lots of Black-bellied Plovers around as well as Semipalmated Plover. The latter did not provide much photographic opportunity.
There were a few gulls. Mostly Ring-billed but a few California Gulls and a lone Glaucous-winged Gull. Two Caspian Terns flew by. A Common Loon flew over my head making me do a double take. Plenty of Great Blue Herons working the shoreline which was not really moving much closer even though my phone said it was 10:30. Hmm.
A Ring-billed Gull
Closer to the Mansion I ran into two dowitchers who by their voice informed me they were Long-billed Dowitchers. A Greater Yellowlegs called from somewhere but I wasnt able to see it. Lots of Killdeer were here too. To this point I had not seen many Least Sandpiper, but they were in decent numbers here.
These are much brighter than the other two similar species Id encountered to date, have a curved bill, heavy markings on the breast and when not covered in mud, have greenish legs. They often like to feed in more shallow water and among the cover.
I was watching for Baird's Sandpiper the whole day but had not seen one until I caught a glimpse of a larger sandpiper going behind a hummock of grass in typical habitat. When it reappeared, its scaly looking plumage and long wings extending past the tail confirmed a Baird's Sandpiper!
Around this time I was informed of a pending crisis back home as the fridge seemed to be losing the battle in keeping things cold. Not a good thing in 34 degree weather so I sorrowfully had to return home and to put my plans to stop at Reifel and Tswasswan on hold for another day.
On the way back an American Kestrel flew past in front of me and went across the bay towards White Rock. That was a bit odd.
Actually Ill be honest when I say Im pretty sure it was a kestrel even though when I first spotted it I was thinking Merlin and a good sized one at that. The wing beats didnt seem to be a kestrel to me, but it was flying into the wind. The light was poor, but I for certain could see a rufous tail and rump and Im pretty sure wings as well. It probably was just the sun beating on me all morning and the fact that I ate three of those little cup things of yogurt in the morning from a fridge not doing the job I trust it to do.
Oh yes, and the tide issue I mentioned further? I looked into that and learned that it was a pretty lame high tide that really did not deserve the handle 'high'. Teach me to check a little closer next time. All the same it was a great outing!
I got there at about 8:30 which is a lot later than I wanted as I had plans to walk the dyke a little bit. I started from 104th street and headed towards the 'Mansion' After a little bit of walking, I saw that the water was not very close at all. However, there were some birds to be seen. The first little sandpiper I put my scope on was a Semipalmated Sandpiper. There were about three among a dozen Western Sandpipers. Nice to see one after a few years of not getting out there.
Sometimes these guys can be a little tough to distinguish from Western Sandpipers. This is not a reliable fieldmark due to it being small and often covered in mud but you can see the slight webbing that gives this sandpiper its name. Western Sandpipers, or any other local sandpiper in the same genus that Im aware of, do not have this.
The most common sandpiper was Western Sandpipers. They were bombing around everywhere and most lively as they hunted food on the flats. Their longer slightly curved bill and rusty scapulars (the row of feathers on the back) are good clues.
Some are a little more discrete having shorter bills and less bright colouring. This guy is pretty pale for a Semipalmated though especially around the face.
Most of these little guys I saw were juveniles which is typical. The adults migrate first and then the juveniles follow when they can fly. There were a couple adult Westerns though for some variety.
I happened to have the camera out and was able to capture a flyby juvenile Sanderling.
There were lots of Black-bellied Plovers around as well as Semipalmated Plover. The latter did not provide much photographic opportunity.
There were a few gulls. Mostly Ring-billed but a few California Gulls and a lone Glaucous-winged Gull. Two Caspian Terns flew by. A Common Loon flew over my head making me do a double take. Plenty of Great Blue Herons working the shoreline which was not really moving much closer even though my phone said it was 10:30. Hmm.
A Ring-billed Gull
Closer to the Mansion I ran into two dowitchers who by their voice informed me they were Long-billed Dowitchers. A Greater Yellowlegs called from somewhere but I wasnt able to see it. Lots of Killdeer were here too. To this point I had not seen many Least Sandpiper, but they were in decent numbers here.
These are much brighter than the other two similar species Id encountered to date, have a curved bill, heavy markings on the breast and when not covered in mud, have greenish legs. They often like to feed in more shallow water and among the cover.
I was watching for Baird's Sandpiper the whole day but had not seen one until I caught a glimpse of a larger sandpiper going behind a hummock of grass in typical habitat. When it reappeared, its scaly looking plumage and long wings extending past the tail confirmed a Baird's Sandpiper!
Around this time I was informed of a pending crisis back home as the fridge seemed to be losing the battle in keeping things cold. Not a good thing in 34 degree weather so I sorrowfully had to return home and to put my plans to stop at Reifel and Tswasswan on hold for another day.
On the way back an American Kestrel flew past in front of me and went across the bay towards White Rock. That was a bit odd.
Actually Ill be honest when I say Im pretty sure it was a kestrel even though when I first spotted it I was thinking Merlin and a good sized one at that. The wing beats didnt seem to be a kestrel to me, but it was flying into the wind. The light was poor, but I for certain could see a rufous tail and rump and Im pretty sure wings as well. It probably was just the sun beating on me all morning and the fact that I ate three of those little cup things of yogurt in the morning from a fridge not doing the job I trust it to do.Oh yes, and the tide issue I mentioned further? I looked into that and learned that it was a pretty lame high tide that really did not deserve the handle 'high'. Teach me to check a little closer next time. All the same it was a great outing!
