Trip report by Anne Greig

Even though it was a bit of an ordeal to get to the meeting location for this walk because of the BMO Marathon taking place and all the ensuing road closures,  11 of us enjoyed this beautiful, unseasonably warm morning, 20 C degrees. 

We left from the parking lot of University Chapel, headed along Salish trail to Spanish trail, then followed Spanish trail across the bridge at the “beaver pond” and into the woods for a few hundred metres. 

Majority of yellow-rumped warblers were in the deciduous trees (mostly maples) along the Salish trail. We enjoyed watching them flit around the tree branches hunting insects. 

A couple of red breasted nuthatches were easily visible on the branches of a couple of dead trees. 

We witnessed a brown creeper busily creeping up a cottonwood tree. 

Down at the beaver pond a considerate Rufous hummingbird perched on a dead snag for 3-4 minutes while we all got good views with the binoculars. 

28 species in all. We clearly heard the orange-crowned warbler, but they did not present themselves. However, we were inundated with the robins and their calls.