After some morning errands I headed out to Reifel for a short walk this afternoon. One bird of note that had been spotted recently was a Swainson’s Thrush. With this in mind I started off along the east dyke trail. On speaking to a couple of other visitors one had apparently been heard by the northeast corner. Having no luck there I made my way to the outer ponds and dyke to see what might be around.
There were lots of Western Sandpipers moving around the northwest pond.
Some taking a time out from foraging for food to take a bath.
Several Greater Yellowlegs were present as well,
… and more spread out amongst the outer ponds.
There were also a few Lesser Yellowlegs mixed in with the Greater.
A couple of groups of Long-billed Dowitcher,
… and small numbers of Semipalmated Sandpipers rounded out the shorebirds. With more starting to show up now it is probably time to dig out the rubber boots in preparation for trips out to the Boundary Bay area.
The resident Sandhill Cranes were also in the outer ponds. It is unfortunate that this years colt did not survive more than a couple of weeks.
A nice surprise this afternoon was this brief glimpse of a Cedar Waxwing nest.
On my way back I stopped again at the northeast corner. This time I could hear a Swainson’s Thrush and then saw it moving between the trees. Unfortunately for me it stayed tucked away amongst the branches and I could not get a photo before I ran out of time. While watching this one, I could also hear another one singing not far off. Too bad as I have yet to get a picture of this species for my list, but there is always next time.