With rain threatening but never appearing, nine hardy folks met us in the parking lot at ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park. Several newish and even a couple first timers were in attendance. It’s always great to have new birders along for a walk and several pairs of loaner binoculars were distributed. After some quick introductions we birded the parking lot, but without much success for a change. We noticed a few American Crows and an Anna’s Hummingbird was heard but not seen.

It looks cold and it was – photo by Prabha Kholsa

Heading out along the path a Spotted Towhee called, then sat up in a tree giving everyone decent views. A flock of about forty European Starlings sat chattering in the trees of the community garden.  On the edge of the gardens, five Northern Flickers could be seen probing the ground looking for breakfast. We talked a bit about the red-shafted and the yellow-shafted varieties of Flickers and the possible intergrades you might find if you are lucky. The Flickers we viewed were all red-shafted. Moving along toward the first bridge, we spotted a pair of Gadwalls in the slough by the path. They drifted off behind the brambles at the side of the slough and as we proceeded along the path to the little bridge, we spotted a Pied-billed Grebe and then a male Ring-necked Duck. Hoping for more ducks in Coquitlam River, we carried on across the big bridge. No ducks. I don’t think I’ve ever been to the park in the winter and not seen Common Mergansers or Common Goldeneyes in the river. There weren’t even Mallards today. Perhaps it had something it do with what appeared to be a very high tide.

Fortunately, the slough on the east side of the path by the river had several ducks in it. The first duck we spotted was a female Northern Shoveler feeding with her head down. At first glance she looked like a small Mallard but when she pulled her bill out of the water, her identity became obvious – no other duck in North America has a big honker like that. A splendid male Hooded Merganser paddled and dove further along the slough. A couple more Gadwalls were spotted and then one, two, and eventually three female Buffleheads appeared. The little butterballs, as some hunters call them, were diving and feeding giving everyone nice looks. A couple of male Shovelers were also noted and a pair of Wood Ducks flew in just as we moved on.

Male Hooded Merganser- photo by Darragh O’Reilly/Sinéad Spain

On the other side of the trail a Great Blue Heron flew in and landed just in front of us.

Great Blue Heron – photo by Prabha Kholsa

Marching on to the duck pond in the increasing and rather cold wind, we didn’t see a single sparrow on the edge of the path. That’s really unusual, as this trail is usually very good for several sparrow species. Before reaching the duck pond we started to see several small groups of ducks flying about, and on reaching the duck pond we could see why. Volunteers were out in the marsh doing Swallow nesting box maintenance and among the ducks, only a few Buffleheads seemed undisturbed by their presence. Many Red-winged Blackbirds called, flew and chased each other around the marsh, also not bothered by the human activity. Interestingly, we didn’t spot any females among all the Blackbirds in the marsh. As we turned to head back, we noticed two Red-tailed Hawks sitting in a distant tree, not too far from what appeared to be their nest.

Red-winged Blackbird framed by mountains – photo by Darragh O’Reilly/Sinéad Spain

Returning the way we came, ducks continued to fly over. Green-winged Teals, Gadwalls and Mallards, and Northern Shovelers were among the species we could ID in flight. Two American Wigeons had joined the Buffleheads by the time we reached the fork in the trails. We took the fork heading west this time and walked for a couple hundred metres before seeing any birds except a towhee. A Bald Eagle flew in and landed on a hydro tower, making an impression with its large size; the word “majestic” was mentioned. Up in the sky, a Red-tailed Hawk soared by. We turned back at this point and finally came across more than one sparrow.  A few Song Sparrows flitted about deep in the brambles, while five Golden-crowned Sparrows came out to feed on the edge of the path. Nearby, a Towhee performed its little jumping jack moves searching in the leaf litter for food.

It was still cold at the end of the walk – photo by Darragh O’Reilly/Sinéad Spain

As we neared the parking lot, we heard American Goldfinches and then spotted three of them up in a tree with two House Finches. Both these birds are usually common at the park, but today they waited till the last minute to show up. Back at the parking lot, folks mentioned that their favorite birds of the day were the Bald Eagle, the Hooded Mergansers and the Red-winged Blackbirds.

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