Short-eared Owl

Harrier, Short-eared + Lincoln’s

It was a half decent day with a light overcast and I decided to head out for a late afternoon walk. The destination was the Boundary Bay area to look for migrating and overwintering sparrows. I started form 72 St. and made my way east along the dyke. While checking for songbirds,

… there was the expected Northern Harriers,

… and Short-eared Owls active over the marsh. Beyond the end of the golf course I eventually found a group of active sparrows. They were busy going back and forth from the tree line to the marsh. It was a mix of White-crowned, Golden-crowned and Song Sparrows.

Then one of my target birds made an appearance. This Lincoln’s Sparrow popped up from the ground and posed nicely on the side of the trail for me. This area is also a good spot to see American Tree Sparrows, but I could not locate any today.

Grebe & Merganser

I headed out to Brunswick Point in the sunshine this afternoon. The goal today was Northern Shrike. It did not take too long before finding one hunting the marsh from the tree tops adjacent to the dyke. Unfortunately it was not in a good spot for photos. I made my way a little further along to a better location for photos and one they tend to frequent. While waiting,

… the Short-eared Owl and Northern Harrier were active and harassing each as they often do. The Northern Shrike, alas, did not show up.

Prior to starting my walk along the dyke I noticed the usual cormorants along with Horned Grebe, Common Goldeneye and Red-breasted Merganser in the river. With the sun starting to go down and the water calm I made my way back.

One of the Horned Grebe was fishing in fairly close to the river bank.

The Red-breasted Merganser were a little further out but I did manage a shot. The Common Goldeneye had moved off to far. The mouth of the river at Canoe Pass can be a good spot to see some these sea ducks.

I initially took a quick swing by the ferry causeway again, this time for the Horned Larks. On speaking to some fellow birders, apparently they had not been seen today. Not having been there in a while, I then headed out to Brunswick Point to see what might be around.

Having discussed if there were any Short-eared Owl around this location with the birders at the causeway, it was good to four active above the marsh.

No real opportunity for closer shots today, but the Short-eared Owl will likely provide more chances throughout the winter.