Trip Report by Doug Cooper

Ten keen naturalists, plus Maureen Collier and I, chose to take a chance that the early morning rain would not persist and met at the sanctuary at Hastings Park the morning of March 26th to see what signs of spring might also show up.

We were rewarded with the sweet songs of a number of American Robins and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, yellow-rumped warblers, as well as the ethereal vocalizations of Varied Thrushes. Salmonberry bushes were in early blossom and skunk cabbages were poking out from the muddy edges of the pond. We didn’t spot any Rufous hummers but several Anna’s were in evidence with a female doing a sort of three-dimensional dance over the marshy area at the south end of the sanctuary, perhaps in pursuit of some insects that seemed to be hatching. A visitor to the sanctuary earlier in the week had reported a pair of Anna’s doing what comes naturally in the spring, so perhaps the female was gathering protein for a nestling or two.

Two male and one female Ring-necked Ducks gave us good opportunities to try to spot the males’ eponymous cinnamon-coloured neck bands but we were left to agree that they really should be called Ring-billed Ducks.

At the end of our meandering tour, we were treated to excellent views of the resident pair of Cooper’s Hawks. The male had been seen earlier in the week working on two nests and time will tell which the female will chose. The female took off after one of the local Bald Eagles, as the eagle flew from the area of the nest platform in a large cottonwood on the SE corner of Renfrew and Hastings.

Donna Underhill shared some delicious ginger-snaps at the end, an unexpected but much appreciated gesture. It was very nice to be able to share the diamond-in-the-rough that is the sanctuary at Hastings Park with several people unfamiliar with its existence.