It’s great when Environment Canada weather forecasts are wrong in the right way. Instead of an 80% chance of rain, the sun was out and there were only a few clouds to greet us. We started the walk at the beach in front of the washrooms. It was high tide and we spotted a group of Green-winged Teal and one immature Glaucous-winged Gull, but no other ducks and no shorebirds. After this less-than-stellar start, we moved on to the base of the south jetty. Here we found several Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows, and a Fox Sparrow. Heading east along the ’pipe’, we looked into the outer pond. Three Ring-necked Ducks, a Pied-billed Grebe, and a female Bufflehead could be seen on the water, along with several Lesser Scaup, which prompted a discussion about how to differentiate them from Greater Scaup. And of course, a few Marsh Wrens chattered angrily at us. When are Marsh Wrens not angry?

Looking out at the south jetty

Continuing along the pipe, we peeked in the southwest inner pond. There weren’t a lot of ducks present but a few Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, and American Wigeons swam about in the muck. In the tree above us, a Bald Eagle sat silently, probably contemplating its bad luck that none of the ducks below appeared lame.

Scoping the southwest inner pond for ducks

We headed north along the trail beside the inner ponds, hoping for sparrows. We found a few Song Sparrows, but no other species. Many Red-winged Blackbirds called from the marsh and, yes, more Marsh Wrens squabbled in the reeds.

Looking north over the outer pond

We ran into three other birders by the bird banding hut, looking for the Tufted Duck which has been around since last November. We hadn’t seen it and neither had they. We did find a Bewick’s Wren nearby however.

Moving along, we peeked into the northwest inner pond and while no Tufted Duck was present, many Northern Pintails, some Green-winged Teal, and a few wigeons were feeding there. In the woods behind us, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet was foraging in the sun.

Turning towards the Fraser River, we could see a few ducks on the far shore, mostly pintails and wigeons. An Anna’s Hummingbird perched in sight for a couple minutes, and Fox Sparrows and Spotted Towhees worked the leaf litter for food. We counted over a dozen Great Blue Herons on the edge of the small outer pond. A few Short-billed Gulls cruised the river. A female Common Merganser fished in the river just beyond the log booms. Far on the other side of the river four Trumpeter Swans fed lazily beyond the sandbar where gulls often sit.

As we headed back, we talked about some birds we had expected to see but didn’t: no flickers, Golden Crowned Sparrows, White-crowned Sparrows, goldfinches, or cormorants. In summary it was a beautiful sunny day and a great outing all around. Our eBird list is here https://ebird.org/checklist/S300617578