Chickadee, Vireo + Kinglet

A little breezy and overcast, but at least it was not raining. There was also a half decent crowd when I arrived at Reifel to help out this afternoon. There was not anything out of the ordinary reported from the morning,

Dark-eyed Junco
Dark-eyed Junco

… and along the east dyke trail it was mostly regulars like this Dark-eyed Junco.

Gadwall
Gadwall

Hard to walk around Reifel without spending some time with the waterfowl. Today it was this Gadwall.

Black-capped Chickadee
Black-capped Chickadee

Along the inside grassy trail I found a pair of Black-capped Chickadee busy excavating a nesting hole in an old Birch snag. While watching them a beautiful Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler was flitting about overhead, but would not come lower and cooperate for a photo.

Later in the afternoon along this same stretch I notice several Ruby-crowned Kinglet in the trees along the east dyke trail. Once I had made my way over there,

Hutton's Vireo
Hutton’s Vireo

… I was delighted that the first photos I took were of a Hutton’s Vireo.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Next up was a Ruby-crowned Kinglet I originally came over to get. Both these species are usually quite busy and can be challenging to get photos of. They are also quite similar in appearance and this was a good opportunity to see them together for comparison.

A Ducky Day

Daylight saving time.
Did you remember to change the clock on your camera along with all the others today?

With the next storm front delayed, it meant there was a slight break in the weather today. Unfortunately it was still fairly windy and on the cool side. Being Sunday, I headed out to Reifel to help on the trails. From a birding perspective, it is still fairly quiet at the sanctuary. Wanting to stay out of the wind, the display ponds provided some waterfowl opportunities.

Greater Scaup
Greater Scaup

First up was this male Greater Scaup,

Greater Scaup
Greater Scaup

… followed by a female.

Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail

Next up were some male Northern Pintails,

Northern Pintail
Northern Pintail

… busy strutting their stuff as spring approaches.

Bufflehead
Bufflehead

Then the smaller male Bufflehead,

Bufflehead
Bufflehead

… whose head is iridescent in the right light.

Gadwall
Gadwall

The inside sloughs had some Gadwall,

Northern Shoveler
Northern Shoveler

… and Northern Shoveler.

To finish the afternoon off, a couple of portraits.

Wood Duck
Wood Duck

This female Wood Duck,

Wood Duck
Wood Duck

… and her male counterpart that were hanging around near the entrance.

Duck, Gull, Sandpipers & Plovers

Not having been there in several days I headed out to Reifel this afternoon. It was fairly quiet for a Sunday as far as people go. It was also relatively quiet on the birding front as well. New arrivals are still showing up,

Gadwall
Gadwall

… but the Gadwall due tend to be a little later with their broods.

On the shore bird front there were a number of Yellowlegs present.

Lesser Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs

Today most of those present,

Lesser Yellowlegs
Lesser Yellowlegs

… were Lesser Yellowlegs.

One bird I would not expect to find on the inner ponds,

Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull

… was this Bonaparte’s Gull.

Bonaparte's Gull
Bonaparte's Gull

Around here you would normally find them in open water and along the shore line.

Red-necked Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope

There were four Red-necked Phalaropes,

Red-necked Phalarope
Red-necked Phalarope

… but they were not coming very close to the dyke.

After Reifel I headed down to Boundary Bay Regional Park in Tsawwassen for the high tide. A Pacific Golden Plover had been seen there earlier in the week.

Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Plover

It had been seen frequenting the area with some Semipalmated Plovers,

Killdeer
Killdeer

… and Killdeer. While I managed some shots of the Semipalmated Plovers and Killdeer, there was no sign of the Golden Plover.