A cool bright morning greeted us at our meeting spot at Terra Nova in Richmond. One of the first birds we found was a Band-tailed Pigeon at the top of a conifer beside the parking lot, reinforcing the first rule of birding: bird the parking lot. As we headed out, a Northern Harrier was seen soaring fairly high overhead.

We headed to the pond and found two Mallards and a Gadwall, as well as a Pied–billed Grebe. Looking to the north section of the pond, we saw Yellow-rumped Warblers and a Western Warbling Vireo searching for bugs in the overhanging trees.

Pied-billed Grebe

We headed off to a nearby hedgerow which turned out to be a very good spot, with several Savannah Sparrows, House Finches, American Goldfinches, two Downy Woodpeckers, and a Lincoln’s Sparrow. Vaux’s Swifts circled overhead and at one point we counted 28 in one group. A flock of about 35 Greater White-fronted Geese flying south were also spotted.

Downy Woodpecker

Moving on towards the community garden, we hoped to see the usual group of several species of sparrows on the garden path, but there were no sparrows. As we advanced, a Cooper’s Hawk burst into the air from the side of the path. That explained the lack of sparrows.

The community gardens were quiet, though a Greater Yellowlegs made a flyover, calling loudly.

We then walked the loop from Westminster Highway to the dyke, finding Cedar Waxwings, Yellow Warblers, and Common Yellowthroats. Toward the end of the loop, a few of us were lucky enough to hear a Barred Owl calling. We next headed north along the dyke where we found many more American Goldfinches, a few Purple Finches, a couple of Fox Sparrows, some Song Sparrows, and a few Anna’s Hummingbirds . A few folks saw a flyover of 2 peeps (either Western or Least Sandpipers).

Yellow Warbler

Passing out of the wooded foreshore area along the dyke, we spotted an immature Peregrine Falcon and several Goldeneyes (likely Common Goldeneyes) flying past. Eventually, we came to the mouth of the Fraser and found about 50 Double-crested Cormorant, 40 American Wigeons, and a Western Grebe. We ended up with 50 species(!) on what was a great morning outing. The ebird list for our walk is here https://ebird.org/checklist/S273195176

Thanks to Christine Balkwill for the photos.