Text and Photos by Doug Cooper

With the coming and going of the PNE reminding me of the fact that summer has now officially departed, I thought it was time to summarize the nature happenings for the spring and summer of 2021 at the sanctuary at Hastings Park.  

The trend of more birders visiting the sanctuary has continued.  I now frequently check eBird to see what goodies other folks have spotted.  Since March, postings of note have included Green Heron, Northern Waterthrush (part of the wave that hit our region in August) and Pileated Woodpecker.  I’m particularly jealous of the last sighting, as I’ve been hoping to see one at the sanctuary for years now.

Two hybrid birds were also seen, a White-crowned x Golden Crowned Sparrow that was present for a few days in May and a drake Mallard x Northern Pintail that stayed around for a number of weeks in March and April.  

• 

• 

A pair of Cooper’s Hawks nested again this year and fledged at least two offspring.  I never did see a nest that I was sure was active, but other eBird posters did.  

• 

• 

I photographed these two Cooper Hawks about an hour apart one day in late March.  I think this first bird was the male of the pair that nested, with the second bird being its mate.  It’s hard to tell from the photographs but the first bird appeared somewhat smaller than the second.

• 

• 

I photographed these two juvenile Cooper’s in the same tree on August 2, the first depicted bird somewhat smaller and slimmer than the second, and also quite vocal.  I’m presuming they were products of the reported nest.

There were a number of other noted successful nesting species, including Anna’s Hummingbirds, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Northern Flickers and Downy Woodpeckers.  I must give credit to John, a photographer who very kindly pointed out the Anna’s nest to me.  He had spotted another nest earlier that apparently was predated on by crows.

• 

• 

• 

• 

I think the object in the beak of the fastidious Red-breasted Nuthatch was a fecal sac on its way out of the nest cavity. There were at least two, and possibly three, young Northern Flickers stuffed into their nest cavity near the agriculture barn.

• 

• 

• 

• 

I had a good lesson in scaup identification in May as instructed by Melissa Hafting via eBird. I thought this was a Greater Scaup but it is Lesser, in the three photos with different views.

This Ring-necked Duck drake was showing off its rarely seen eponymous neck ring in mid-April.

• 

• 

• 

This Red-tailed Hawk was just trying to find some thermal lift over the Agrodome on a sunny but cool day in April, but attracted a number of outraged (now American) crows.

Over last winter a nest platform was erected in one of the poplars on the SE corner of Hastings and Renfrew that has been used by the resident pair of Bald Eagles in the past.  The eagles adopted the platform and raised two fledglings successfully.

A great Blue Heron appeared to have grown horns, again in April, that appeared to have been itchy.

• 

• 

• 

The bluebird was not actually seen in Hastings Park but I was in Hastings Park when my son alerted me by mobile phone to the presence of what he thought might be a bluebird of some sort while he was walking his dog at the Burrard View off-leash dog park one sunny morning in late March.  I hustled my way over to the park keeping my fingers crossed all the way, and got there in time to see this lovely male Mountain Bluebird calmly flying from various low perches to the ground and back, looking for food.

Mourning Dove one evening in May, an uncommon visitor to the sanctuary area.

Brown Creepers remain one of my favourite birds.

• 

• 

This sighting that didn’t show up on eBird, but I did post it on iNaturalist.  This Polyphemus Moth caterpillar was slowly crossing the sanctuary path one day a few weeks ago.  I wasn’t sure at first which end was which, but think the head is on the left of the photo.  It was a big as my little finger.

This last sighting is also not from Hastings Park.  I had not seen an American Pika for decades and I made several trips up to Manning Park this summer in particular search of one.  I include it only because they are just so darn cute.  

I’m thinking of restarting the monthly nature/bird walks in October.  I think I would feel most comfortable if all participants were double vaccinated against Covid.  Similar to what Nature Vancouver guideline are, I would ask all interested attendees to be free of any possible Covid symptoms and from recent contact with any possible Covid patients.  I will limit the participants to 8 or 10.  I would appreciate any comments at  hdcooper@gmail.com