Submitted by Trip Leader – Jan Lowcock

Saturday, April 29, saw a burst of summer-like temperatures and sunshine as a group of 16 Nature Vancouver birders (new and experienced) explored Queen Elizabeth Park. The lower and upper duck ponds were quiet for waterfowl but we had a good look at the colourful breeding plumage of the few Mallards and American Wigeons. The east pond edge was active with Yellow-rumped Warblers, Song Sparrows and Rufous Hummingbirds. As we moved toward the upper duck pond, we spotted a male Varied Thrush who had been singing regularly from that location throughout the spring. Yellow-rumped, Wilson’s and Orange-crowned Warblers were active in the adjacent bushy areas, flitting around with background accompaniment from a Bewick’s Wren. 

The western sections of the park revealed Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Hutton’s Vireo and Hammond’s Flycatcher. We had a good look at several nests and found a beautifully hidden Bushtit nest in the Rose Garden. We didn’t linger too long as the adult Bushtit was sitting on a nearby tree, presumably waiting for safe passage back to the nest. The sun was very warm in the garden, but it allowed a perfect display of the range of colour and iridescence of the male Anna’s Hummingbird gorget. No trip to QE Park is complete without some avian aerial display and the American Crows obliged, mobbing a Common Raven and conducting a one-on-one chase of a Bald Eagle. In total we identified thirty-two species while enjoying the spring flowers and blossoms of the park.  

Yellow-rumped Warbler © Vicky Earle