{"id":10971,"date":"2018-04-05T18:41:27","date_gmt":"2018-04-06T01:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/?p=10971"},"modified":"2018-04-05T19:47:57","modified_gmt":"2018-04-06T02:47:57","slug":"vancouver-day-three-swartz-bay-ferry-tsawassen-jetty-stanley-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/05\/vancouver-day-three-swartz-bay-ferry-tsawassen-jetty-stanley-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver Day Three: Swartz Bay Ferry &#8211; Tsawassen Jetty &#8211; Stanley Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"Swartz Bay\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41264660651\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/808\/41264660651_e7e8cb60a9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Swartz Bay\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Dark, dim, and drizzly: the perfect day to bird from the comfort of a ferry across the Salish Sea. Soheil and I caught the first sailing from Tsawassen this morning, then rode straight back, giving us two shots at Active Pass.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"California sea lion\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41263362251\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/816\/41263362251_05dd0480d5_z.jpg\" alt=\"California sea lion\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We didn&#8217;t see the particular mammals for which this crossing is famous, but\u00a0<strong>harbor seals\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>California sea lions\u00a0<\/strong>are a treat even when the black and white cetaceans stand you up. If birding was not quite as good as I&#8217;ve seen it on the route, it&#8217;s still always fun to see good numbers of\u00a0<strong>pigeon guillemots\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>rhinoceros auklets,\u00a0<\/strong>along with a very few\u00a0<strong>marbled murrelets<\/strong> and just two\u00a0<strong>common murres<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"pigeon guillemot\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41263346491\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/891\/41263346491_f1cb9549a7_z.jpg\" alt=\"pigeon guillemot\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Surf, white-winged<\/strong>, and\u00a0<strong>black scoters\u00a0<\/strong>were in good supply, too, as were\u00a0<strong>Bonaparte\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>mew gulls<\/strong>;\u00a0<strong>Pacific loons\u00a0<\/strong>were scarce, only three or four total, but what they lacked in abundance they made up for in nice close views on our way back to the mainland.\u00a0<strong>Brandt cormorants\u00a0<\/strong>were present in small numbers on the channel markers; our best views of\u00a0<strong>Brandts\u00a0<\/strong>were actually at the Tsawassen terminal, where a few perched on the breakwaters among the abundant\u00a0<strong>pelagic cormorants<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"black turnstone\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41263400881\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/900\/41263400881_c1a0099126_z.jpg\" alt=\"black turnstone\" width=\"640\" height=\"419\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The rain was steadier still when we arrived back at Tsawassen, so we decided to bird the lower jetty road from the car. The experience was very different from yesterday: only a handful of\u00a0<strong>black brant\u00a0<\/strong>were in sight, and even gull numbers were low.\u00a0<strong>Black oystercatchers\u00a0<\/strong>were still carrying on in the air above us, though, groups of three performing their &#8220;piping&#8221; displays above the road and the water, wing beats shallow and stiff and wide-open bills pointing to the ground. And with the tide falling, we found a flock of 22\u00a0<strong>black turnstones\u00a0<\/strong>on the cobble beach, where they fed utterly unconcerned about us and only slightly wary of the two off-leash dogs running the road.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"black turnstone\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41263402411\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/809\/41263402411_d39606868d_z.jpg\" alt=\"black turnstone\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;d had an early start to the day, and were wet and cold in spite of the layers we&#8217;d piled on, so pulled in to Circle O for a very late breakfast. Time and traffic looked good for a drive across Vancouver and a visit to Stanley Park, where I hoped there might be some birds at the few parking lots with good views.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Stanley Park\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41264661761\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/821\/41264661761_34f31c80f9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Stanley Park\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the rain had grown even heavier, and we had to limit ourselves to brief excursions out of the car, where we saw just the usual birds:\u00a0<strong>Barrows\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>common goldeneye\u00a0<\/strong>and<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong>surf scoters<\/strong> were the best of the ducks, while our passerine encounters were nearly non-existent.<\/p>\n<p>Tomorrow we&#8217;re supposed to be back to Vancouver sunshine, so we&#8217;ve planned to do a couple of sites where we can walk our legs back into functioning after a day on and in vehicles. Should be fantastic, as each day so far has been.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Birds<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Black Brant, Canada Goose, Trumpeter Swan, American Wigeon, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Greater Scaup, Surf Scoter, White-winged Scoter, Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Barrow\u2019s Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Merganser<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Common Loon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Horned Grebe<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Double-crested Cormorant, Brandt Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Great Blue Heron<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Black Oystercatcher<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Black Turnstone<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rhinoceros Auklet, Marbled Murrelet, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mew Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Bonaparte Gull<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rock Pigeon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Northwestern Crow<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Black-capped Chickadee<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>American Robin<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>European Starling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oregon Towhee, Song Sparrow, Oregon Junco<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Mammals<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Eastern Gray Squirrel<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>California Sea Lion, Harbor Seal<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dark, dim, and drizzly: the perfect day to bird from the comfort of a ferry across the Salish Sea. Soheil and I caught the first sailing from Tsawassen this morning, then rode straight back, giving us two shots at Active Pass. We didn&#8217;t see the particular mammals for which this crossing is famous, but\u00a0harbor seals\u00a0and\u00a0California &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/05\/vancouver-day-three-swartz-bay-ferry-tsawassen-jetty-stanley-park\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Vancouver Day Three: Swartz Bay Ferry &#8211; Tsawassen Jetty &#8211; Stanley Park&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,665],"tags":[664],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10971"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10971"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10972,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10971\/revisions\/10972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}