Me and the bf headed out to Iona on Monday armed with rubber boots so we could take a walk out on the flats. Nice day for it! There was a large flock of mallards and pintails way out there and lots of gulls, all to be expected, but I also saw a large flock of mixed sandpipers, most of which were firsts for me! I really liked the 2 Plovers, I'm not sure what kind they were, but they were so pretty! It was very exciting We also saw 5 Caspian Terns. I only really noticed terns here last year, but it seemed to be much later in the year. Is this the time they usually start showing up?



Lauren

Once we get to Iona Beach Park, where do we go to see the yellow headed blackbirds?

The plovers were probably Killdeer, they are the most common. I was at Iona on Saturday and saw the terns too, they're really pretty. They usually start to arrive in May and then peak in the beginning of June. They'll probably start to leave in September and be mostly gone by October.

For the Yellow-headed Blackbirds, I saw them in the reeds at the southwest edge of the north pond, to find the spot on google maps search 49.220652,-123.211627

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Else Mikkelsen
Vancouver, B.C.

I've seen the yellow headed blackbirds right in the parking lot across from the bathroom and in the pond that borders the river. They fly around all over the park though, and they're hard to miss, especially if they're calling.

The plovers weren't killdeer, they are the only species of plover I know how to identify they didn't have any of the bands on the chest and they had black bellies, which I think means they were either golden plovers or black-bellied plovers?

You did see the Black-bellied Plovers i'm sure, I was there on Thursday evening and saw a dozen west of the bathrooms right at the shoreline at high tide. There were also lots of Dunlin and a couple Least Sandpipers.

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Mike Baker

http://mikebakerphotography.zenfolio.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/canonshooterman/

Well, that was another first then I've had quite a few of them lately, actually. I was having dinner in my boyfriends parents backyard on Sunday and two Brown-headed Cowbirds came to have a bath in their pond! Never seen those before, that's for sure. Thought they were Brewer's Blackbirds at first, but they didn't have the bright eyes. About 5 minutes before that, a Peregrine flew 20 feet above us, being mobbed by 15 or so starlings.

Iona is a great spot for birding. saw a few interesting guys there.

Love the peregrine falcon picture very nice!!

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Patrick