CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography
Birding in British Columbia, Canada
It was fairly quiet on the visitor and birding front at Reifel this afternoon. There was, however, one of the regular shore birds that stood out a little from its counterparts.
The worn adult/breeding plumage on this Lesser Yellowlegs was noticeably different than the rest of the Lesser Yellowlegs (non breeding/juveniles). Always a good learning experience to see varying plumages and have them explained by experienced birders.
After some morning errands were completed there was a window of opportunity for me to get out. So I made my way to Boundary Bay for some shore birds. Target bird of the day was Ruddy Turnstone which had been seen the last couple of days. The usual Black-bellied Plovers were at the foot of 104 St., but I continued toward the pilings and just west of them I noticed some activity.
There were two Ruddy Turnstones not far from the dyke.
Being the only one out there, they were comfortable and allowed me to move around with them usually just 25-30 feet away.
As you can see from the above shots they were busy turning over driftwood foraging for food.
Also bark, as in this shot, and rummaging through the seaweed.
The Turnstone were mixed in with a group of Baird’s Sandpipers,
… a few Pectoral Sandpipers,
… and a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs.
So, a good first day out shore birding.
While it was quiet on the visitor front at Reifel this afternoon, there were a couple of interesting birds around. There have been a couple of Sora this week frequenting the northwest marsh across from the tower.
Fortunately for us birders and photographers,
… they have been crossing in the open when moving between patches of reeds.
Sometimes passing right below the new viewing platform on the outside dyke.
At one point the two Sora even got into a bit of spat with each other. The Sora, like the Virginia Rail, are usually fairly secretive sticking to the reeds.
Speaking of Virginia Rail, there was also one of them in the area. Unfortunately it was not quite as cooperative as the Sora had been, but fun to see both at the same time.
In between takes on the Sora, I was also watching a mixed flock of Yellowlegs.
One thing I will try for in situations like this is to get both the Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs together for comparison purposes. On the topic comparisons,
… this mixed flock of Yellowlegs also had a couple of Wilson’s Phalarope.
So the northwest pond/marsh was the place to be this afternoon.