Long-billed Dowitcher – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper

Not having been getting out as much as I used to, I headed out to Boundary Bay this afternoon. It was mixed sun and cloud and the tide was out when starting my walk along the mud flats. Not seeing much initially,

… I did come across a small group of Long-billed Dowitchers that were quite cooperative.

There were a few Baird’s Sandpiper present as well. Then things started to pick up,

… with hundreds of Pectoral Sandpipers arriving. With all of the Pectoral Sandpiper present, the search was then on for a Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. A Northern Harrier kept hampering these efforts hunting along the dyke and flushing the shorebirds.

My patience was eventually rewarded when I found this lone Sharp-tailed Sandpiper.

Yellowlegs + Dowitcher

It was another warm day as I made my way to help out on the trails at Reifel this afternoon. There were not too many people and unfortunately not much in the way of birding activity either with the grassy trails being fairly quiet.

Luckily some Greater Yellowlegs were present in the inner ponds feasting on the small stickleback.

There were also some Long-billed Dowitcher coming into the inner ponds as well.

As it got closer to the end of the day I made my way to the west field. There were no Phalarope or Stilt Sandpiper present this afternoon, but high tide was still over an hour away.

Still had some fun though watching the regulars like this Lesser Yellowlegs coming in for a landing above other feeding Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs.

Odd man out today in the southwest field was this Canada Goose hybrid.

Kingbird & Shorebirds

While the afternoon at Reifel started off overcast with the odd light shower, the weather did improve slightly. While fairly quiet on the visitor front, there were a couple of interesting birds around. There is still a pair of Eastern Kingbird frequenting the trees along the island as you head out towards the west dyke.