Nature Vancouver

Forty-six species were recorded by the participants during the half day birding at Reifel Refuge. Our first stop was the House Pond where the group had excellent looks of roosting Long-billed Dowitcher, juvenile Greater Yellowlegs and in amongst the dowitchers a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs. A small flock of Northern Shoveler were actively spinning to draw their food close to the surface. We were surprised to see five Greater White-fronted Geese roosting on a boom at Fuller Slough and with…

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Trip report by Tom Plath Despite dubbed as a shore birding field trip very few were observed possibly evicted by Peregrine Falcons. The dozen or so participants did enjoy an unseasonably warm and pleasant walk from the foot of 104th Street to 96th Street and back. First to greet us were a few small, loose flocks of American Pipit eventually allowing us scope views as they foraged on the decaying foreshore vegetation. There was a continual overflight of Northern Pintail…

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Unseasonable warm weather and a lingering high pressure system likely resulted in a paucity of migrating shorebirds. A walk to the 112th Street pump station from the foot of 104th during the rising tide did not produce the masses of shorebirds expected. At 112th Street were 1,000’s of dabbling ducks mainly Northern Pintail with smaller numbers of Mallard, Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon. At the tip were four Caspian Terns roosting with 20+ Ring-billed Gulls. Shorebirds were limited to four…

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The eight participants that showed up on Saturday afternoon were rewarded with a couple of rarities lingering at Reifel Bird Sanctuary. Robertson slough along the entrance road hosted a Great Egret a rare visitor to the Delta. Shorebirding was good with three Stilt Sandpipers in amongst the dozens of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and both dowitchers at the “house pond”. The former species is an annual but scarce visitor in late August /early September. An obliging dark Great Horned Owl…

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