It was a perfect spring day. The skies were clear, the winds were calm, and the temperature was about 10 C for the 13 birders who joined Harvey and Michelle for an Easter Saturday birdwalk at Iona Beach Regional Park. After introducing ourselves and sharing a small Easter treat in the parking lot, we headed towards the pond to start our exploration of this great birding hotspot.

There was a moderate collection of less-common ducks visible from the boardwalk: Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, and American Coots (which are not, of course, ducks). We also heard the chattering of Marsh Wrens and the clear calls of the friendly Red-Winged Blackbirds, while several Tree Swallows swooped over the water.

From here we headed towards the beach. Just behind the washroom building we found a pair of Savannah Sparrows foraging on the sandy soil. Once we reached the water’s edge we spotted a small group of Green-winged Teal and Northern Pintails feeding and lounging in the water next to the South Jetty, a group of Greater Yellowlegs on the mudflats close to shore, and a medium-sized flock of gulls near the North Jetty. Examining the gulls yielded Glaucous-Winged Gulls, Short-Billed Gulls, Ring-Billed Gulls, and a single Bonaparte’s Gull. Eight Great Blue Herons were feeding in the water, and we heard the distinctive call of a Killdeer as we turned to leave.

Next we walked towards the river, where we spotted our first Rufous Hummingbird perched high on a bare twig. Rufous Hummingbirds have been back in Vancouver for at least 3 weeks, but this was the first of the year for several of us. The path along the river also yielded Yellow-Rumped Warblers, a flying flock of calling Killdeer, and several additional Rufous Hummingbirds.

A few of us were lucky enough to spot a Wilson’s Snipe flying into the reeds on the far side of the North pond, but it vanished before most in the group arrived. However we all saw the numerous Ruby-crowned kinglets flitting through the trees and shrubs surrounding the Wild Research Banding station, and a couple of us even managed to spot their often-hidden red crowns.

As we headed towards the path at the back of the South pond, were were serenaded by a Bewick’s Wren who very politely posed high in a tree to give us all a clear view. The next big thrill came after Istvan identified the croaking calls of at least three Virginia Rails. One of the rails flew low over the reeds while another briefly walked over some flattened vegetation close to the path. It was wonderful to see these elusive birds.

By this time we’d been birding for almost 3 hours, so we took a brief look at the fenced ponds (Northern Pintails, Gadwall, Mallards, and a single Brown Cowbird), and then headed back to our starting point. In the end we found 50 species (51 if you count the Rock Pigeon that one of us noticed just before the walk began): https://ebird.org/checklist/S316949451