Young Birder Shorebird Trip in Delta
Young birders at Boundary Bay in Delta, BC - Photo: Melissa Hafting
On August 27th, nine young birders came out to Boundary Bay and we walked the dyke from 104th St to 88th St. We started at the foot of 104th St and we saw Baird’s Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Western Sandpipers and Least Sandpipers right up close to the dyke, allowing for great views! Claire showed the young birders her digiscope phone adapter and how she uses it with her optics to digiscope!
As we walked along, we scanned the flocks of shorebirds and saw lots of Black-bellied Plovers further out with Sanderling. We did not see any Golden-Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones, Red Knots, Long-billed Curlews or Godwits out in the flock on the flats but it was great just watching them run around, call, fly and forage!
We stopped at the old pilings and saw Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs. We also saw several Garter Snakes basking in the hot summer sun. Across from the pilings in the field behind us, we saw 16 Greater White-fronted Geese! We then watched 8 Common Ravens fly at the geese and then begin to harass them dive-bombing them until the entire flock took off! I have never seen Ravens do this to Geese before! They were being real bullies like the crows usually are to them! The Common Ravens followed us along the dyke squawking and having what seemed to be a grand ol’ time together.
Greater Yellowlegs at Boundary Bay - Photo: Alex Perrin
Greater White-fronted Geese before the Ravens started to harass them in Delta, BC - Photo: Bentley Colwill
First Common Raven moving in on the poor Greater White-fronted Geese in Delta - Photo: Leo J.
1 of 8 Common Ravens at Boundary Bay in Delta, BC - Photo: Leo J.
Common Raven squawking at us at Boundary Bay in Delta, BC - Photo: Leo J.
Common Raven flying off at Boundary Bay - Photo: Ruth Liu
We continued walking on towards the pumphouse in front of the large mansion near 96th St. The day before, Kevin Louth had found a Stilt Sandpiper in the outflow channel, and Bentley spotted it right away, for our group, in the same spot! It was foraging beside a Short-billed dowitcher. We also had 2 Pectoral Sandpipers in the channel and several Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, peeps and a few Northern Shovelers, Mallards and Northern Pintails! There were many Gulls out on the mudflats, but most were too far out to identify to species.
Stilt Sandpiper at the mansion outflow near 96th St at Boundary Bay in Delta - Photo: Melissa Hafting
After watching the shorebirds, we walked back towards the car and the youth were picking and eating delicious tasty blackberries, the whole way back.
When we got back to the cars, we ate our lunches and then headed towards the Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty. We had hoped to see the long-staying rare shorebirds, that had been present at the jetty for quite some time: 2 Bar-tailed Godwits, Pacific Golden-Plovers, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Surfbird and Wandering Tattler.
When we arrived, we were dismayed to see 2 adults (who should of known better) walking around on the ridge of the compensation lagoon, where the plovers, shorebirds and gulls like to roost! I have never seen anyone do that before. I have seen people walking in the lagoon itself but not the actual ridge. There are 2 big signs at the lagoon saying “keep out, no public access, fragile environmental habitat” but these two disregarded it. When they came out I told them the reasons why this area is off limits but they didn’t seem to care at all about the roost site for the birds.
Saying all this it drastically reduced our shorebird count. There were no Godwits and only a single Black-bellied Plover. We did see one Whimbrel at the lagoon and several Killdeer. There were also 2 Caspian Terns and in the water some Greater Scaup, Common Loons, a Horned Grebe and White-winged Scoter.
Caspian Terns at the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal Jetty’s compensation lagoon - Photo: Bentley Colwill
We crossed the road and checked the opposite side of the jetty, where the Bar-tailed Godwits have also hung out in the past. Sadly, they were not there just some Short-billed, Ring-billed, California and Glaucous-winged Gulls.
We started to walk towards the short term-parking lot, so that we could scan the rocks and the breakwater by scope. As we walked up, we saw dozens of Harlequin Ducks, Black Oystercatchers and dozens of Black Turnstones up close! There were also a few Surf Scoters and Harbour Seals. On the breakwater and nearby large barrels, there were Brandt’s, Pelagic and Double-crested Cormorants. There were lots of gulls and Rock Pigeons on the jetty and a few Black Turnstones. I scanned hard looking for the Wandering Tattler and Surfbird that had been previously reported.
Black Turnstone in Delta, BC - Photo: Leo J.
As I was scanning, 2 Whimbrel popped out of the rocks, near our feet and more Black Turnstones. As I came to the end of my scan I saw a single Surfbird running on the rocks at the tip of the breakwater closest to the BC Ferries terminal and got it in the scope for the youth! I never did pick up the tattler and quite quickly after a fisherman in a boat came too close to the Surfbird and it sadly flew to the backside of the jetty.
Whimbrel at the Tsawwassen Ferry Jetty - Photo: Leo J.
Whimbrel at the ferry jetty in Tsawwassen - Photo: Alex Perrin
As we were leaving we had 2 Ospreys fly low over our heads which was so cool! We all lamented that we would miss them when they travel back south in the fall.
Thanks to all the young birders who came out to our shorebird trip! It was really nice to have Claire and Rose join us for the first time too!
Looking forward to our next trip next month, a Hawk Watch at Cypress Mtn in West Van on Sept 21st!
