{"id":10974,"date":"2018-04-06T21:14:37","date_gmt":"2018-04-07T04:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/?p=10974"},"modified":"2018-04-06T21:26:36","modified_gmt":"2018-04-07T04:26:36","slug":"vancouver-day-four-blackie-spit-mount-seymour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/06\/vancouver-day-four-blackie-spit-mount-seymour\/","title":{"rendered":"Vancouver Day Four: Blackie Spit &#8211; Mount Seymour"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a title=\"Mount Seymour\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41243380822\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/902\/41243380822_428a3745c7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mount Seymour\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A day of wonderful contrasts and wonderfuller birds, from sea level along the shores of Boundary Bay to the hemlock and red cedar forests of Mount Seymour. We started on a misty early morning at Blackie Spit, a site I hadn&#8217;t been to very many times but that I hoped would produce some good shorebird watching.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Blackie Spit\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/26414450467\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/808\/26414450467_46cf6a4543_z.jpg\" alt=\"Blackie Spit\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We wound up seeing only six individual shorebirds (!), plus a heard-only\u00a0<strong>black-bellied plover<\/strong>. But you&#8217;d have to be a churlish birder indeed to complain about\u00a0<strong>greater yellowlegs, black oystercatchers<\/strong>, and the traditional stars of a Blackie Spit winter,\u00a0<strong>marbled godwits<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"marbled godwit, Eurasian wigeon\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/27413802608\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/808\/27413802608_4e2e7fbb49_z.jpg\" alt=\"marbled godwit, Eurasian wigeon\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Those big prairie pipers are spectacular enough on their own, but it&#8217;s twice the fun to see what strange roost-fellows they come up with. This morning the two godwits were sticking close to a little flock of\u00a0<strong>Eurasian wigeon\u00a0<\/strong>(with a few\u00a0<strong>American wigeon\u00a0<\/strong>mixed in), creating some disconcerting views.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Eurasian wigeon\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/40389434595\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/882\/40389434595_4d12bd049c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Eurasian wigeon\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Just as interesting, to me au moins, was a female\u00a0<strong>purple martin<\/strong>, notably early for the location.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"purple martin, Blackie Spit\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/40389429915\/in\/photostream\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/879\/40389429915_7487244453_z.jpg\" alt=\"purple martin, Blackie Spit\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>She spent much of the morning sitting stoic in the mist, while a\u00a0<strong>bald eagle\u00a0<\/strong>dried its wings, cormorant-like, a couple of feet away.<\/p>\n<p>Out on the waters of Boundary Bay, the many\u00a0<strong>common loons\u00a0<\/strong>were joined by a few\u00a0<strong>horned grebes\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong>red-necked grebes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"red-necked grebe\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/40389886835\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/810\/40389886835_fa0d0ede9f_z.jpg\" alt=\"red-necked grebe\" width=\"640\" height=\"439\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I enjoyed seeing all three species in breeding plumage, and wondered whether perhaps the red-necked grebes would be moving inland to Pilot Bay, where their weird summertime quacking is the constant background to quiet Kootenay camping trips.<\/p>\n<p>By noon the mist had turned to light drizzle. A lunch break in White Rock was a chance to negotiate our afternoon plans. There was risk involved &#8212; rain down here could mean snow up there &#8212; but given tomorrow&#8217;s weather forecast, this might be our last chance to get up Mount Seymour for a taste of the higher-elevation forests.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Soheil birding Mount Seymour\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/40572782404\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/894\/40572782404_4d06fa2982_z.jpg\" alt=\"Soheil birding Mount Seymour\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It was very quiet up at the ski lift parking lot, where only the croaks of a\u00a0<strong>common raven\u00a0<\/strong>and the cackling of\u00a0<strong>northern flickers\u00a0<\/strong>broke the silence. We turned back down the mountain, carefully and mostly unsuccessfully checking the edges of the roads and scraped parking lots for bird. From one lot, while we were watching a raven and a lone and lonely\u00a0<strong>Oregon junco<\/strong>, we heard the deep booming of a\u00a0<strong>sooty grouse<\/strong>; the fog made it impossible to find the bird, even though it sounded like his song perch was not far away.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Mount Seymour\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/40389892485\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/816\/40389892485_6092f9199f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mount Seymour\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>To our delight, a band of sunshine crossed the mountain when we arrived at the lower picnic area, and our walk there through the lush, damp forest was fantastically beautiful, a hint that true spring is on its way.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Mount Seymour\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41243392042\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/802\/41243392042_d399039495_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mount Seymour\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Another\u00a0<strong>sooty grouse\u00a0<\/strong>hooted and boomed from the hillside, and a cute little\u00a0<strong>Pacific wren\u00a0<\/strong>paused in its busy scurrying to sing a few times. A few\u00a0<strong>varied thrushes\u00a0<\/strong>played hide and seek on the edges, while a frantic flock of fifteen or twenty\u00a0<strong>chestnut-backed chickadees\u00a0<\/strong>fed their way through the long catkins of the tall alder trees.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"soheil watching Pacific wren\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/rickwright\/41243388512\/in\/dateposted\/\" data-flickr-embed=\"true\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/farm1.staticflickr.com\/817\/41243388512_c209990f2b_z.jpg\" alt=\"soheil watching Pacific wren\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" \/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The bird list was short today, I suppose. But the birding was great.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Birds<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Canada Goose, American Wigeon, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Merganser<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Sooty Grouse<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Common Loon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Horned Grebe, Red-necked Grebe<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Double-crested 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-bellied Plover<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><b>Greater Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwit<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>Mew Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Rock Pigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Anna&#8217;s Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Northwestern Crow, Common Raven<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Violet-green Swallow, Purple Martin<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Black-capped Chickadee, Chestnut-backed Chickadee<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bushtit<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pacific Wren<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>American Robin, Varied Thrush<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>European Starling<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Cedar Waxwing<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Audubon&#8217;s Warbler<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oregon Towhee, Song Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Sooty Fox Sparrow, Oregon Junco, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Red-winged Blackbird<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>House Finch, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>House Sparrow<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Mammals<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Harbor Seal<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A day of wonderful contrasts and wonderfuller birds, from sea level along the shores of Boundary Bay to the hemlock and red cedar forests of Mount Seymour. We started on a misty early morning at Blackie Spit, a site I hadn&#8217;t been to very many times but that I hoped would produce some good shorebird &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/06\/vancouver-day-four-blackie-spit-mount-seymour\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Vancouver Day Four: Blackie Spit &#8211; Mount Seymour&#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":[31,2,665],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10974"}],"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=10974"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10979,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10974\/revisions\/10979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/birdaz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}