- Feb 04 12:17 pm
#84086
Hello! Both locations are still excellent for birding. Reifel still has unbelievable diversity, with a great mix of songbirds ( including a pair of Swamp Sparrows at the Blue Tower and a White-throated Sparrow at the visitors centre which is very approachable ), ducks, and owls. The Bohemian Waxwings have been tough as of late, and the middle trail has been mostly birdless. If you go, I would recommend starting at the visitors centre, checking the sparrows for the White-throated, walk down the outer path ( looking for saw-whet and Great Horned Owls, which have been mostly at the sharp turn to the left at the end ), then look for Swamp Sparrows and others at the blue tower ( some nice Purple Finches have been around there too ); a scope at the top of the tower is useful too to snag some swans ( sometimes Mute ) on the edge of the open water, then proceed around the outer path ( it seems more fruitful than the inner path lately ), wrapping around finally to the visitors centre again. Other birds that have been around have been Black-crowned Night-heron - conspicuous at the visitors centre, both Greater and Lesser subspecies of Sandhill Crane - there has been one big Greater hanging out at the junction of the mid and outer paths, on the visitor centre side -, and many others.
Brunswick Point will give you good birds as well, but not in as big amounts as at Reifel. The strategy to bird there right now is simple. Park at the end of the road leading up to it ( the road that you access Westham Island from - I'm so sorry, I'm bad with road names! ), and walk along the dyke that curves to the left. I have not heard of any reports of the Rock Wren lately, but there have been other good birds around. A Swamp Sparrow has been more reliably detected than the Reifel birds, this one feeding in the small area between the bench and the wooden pilings; more toward the bench. It actively calls, so listen for a metallic "chink" note that is a weird combination between a Lincoln's and a White-throated, yet sharper. This bird is hard to get a look at, but you may get lucky. There are Red-throated Loons at the mouth of the river, and some actually come pretty close. It's a wonderful location for Red-breasted Merganser, and you should snag at least a half dozen near your parking space. Keep an eye out for a Gyrfalcon that has been hunting around the area, so check all of those tall trees for a huge falcon on top. Be careful though, because Bald Eagles perch up there too, and from a distance, an immature Bald Eagle can look like a Gyr to even the most experienced birder. The best time to visit Brunswick Point for me personally is evening, when sparrows are more active, and the light is beautiful for viewing the Red-throated Loons at the mouth. Of course, there is an added bonus at this time too, because Short-eared Owls are far more active.
Good luck in your Ladner birding, and either of these options are great!
Take care and good birding;
Have a great weekend;
Logan Lalonde
Eat, Sleep, Bird!
~ Logan, 16 years old ~
Here is my photo page :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/101469605@N02/
... I've been more active at @logan_lalonde_photography on Instagram lately
Only was able to catch Trumpeter swans, harriers and bald eagles and misc songbirds and ducks too far away to identify before strong winds and biting cold had me hurrying back to Ladner exchange by taxi. I would have gone to Reifel but I needed to get warm fast. I'm glad I kind of know the area now though. Will return when the snow melts, hopefully!
- By GMcD