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<\/p>\nWow. I’d thought that a maritime climate meant that we wouldn’t have to worry about precipitation of the white flavor, but I was wrong.<\/p>\n
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The north shore mountains were white when I stepped outside, and they stayed that way all day. Fortunately, the dusting on roofs and lawns here in town vanished pretty quickly, and my doughty Long Weekend crew had a great morning on Sea and Iona Islands.<\/p>\n
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Here we are standing on the Iona causeway, admiring the same flock of 3,100 Dunlin <\/strong>that caught the eye of an adult Peregrine Falcon<\/strong>. As we watched, he (a small bird) dropped out of nowhere onto a hapless Dunlin, which he carried across the little cove to eat from a conspicuous perch. That’s one falcon that’s got it made for the winter, I’d say!<\/p>\n The sturdy Snow Geese <\/strong>grubbing in the marsh at low tide had nothing to fear from that bird, of course, though I noticed that they deigned to raise their heads and move a bit into the vegetation whenever one of the local wintering Bald Eagles <\/strong>got up and around. Not even the eagles seemed to trouble the Trumpeter Swans, <\/strong>though, grumbling contentedly to themselves a bit offshore.<\/p>\n This species is clearly arriving in the Fraser Valley: we saw small flocks at every one of our stops, and the last was trailed by three Tundra Swans<\/strong>, a nice surprise and an uncommonish bird here on the coast.<\/p>\n Passerine birding was a little bit harder this morning in the cold and the breeze–and it wasn’t made any easier by the presence of two dashing Northern Shrikes <\/strong>on the island.<\/p>\n This one, perched above the outer ponds at Iona Beach, had his eye on the Golden-crowned <\/strong>and Song Sparrows<\/strong>, but I bet he wouldn’t have turned up that hooked beak of his had one of the four late Barn Swallows <\/strong>we found happened to come within easy reach.<\/p>\n Our timing once again proved excellent. Just as we started to get a little tired, a little cold, and a lot hungry, the skies open and we got the first real rain of the day. So it was into the cars and back to Kitsilano for a warming lunch and a review of our list, which after two mornings is now approaching 80 species.<\/p>\n Tomorrow: Vanier and Jericho Parks. I checked Vanier after dropping the group off at their hotel–a nice selection of ducks on the little pond, including the winter resident Eurasian Wigeon<\/strong>, and a couple of thousand Surf Scoters <\/strong>on the waters of the bay.<\/p>\n It’s going to be another good day. Cold, but good.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wow. I’d thought that a maritime climate meant that we wouldn’t have to worry about precipitation of the white flavor, but I was wrong. The north shore mountains were white when I stepped outside, and they stayed that way all day. Fortunately, the dusting on roofs and lawns here in town vanished pretty quickly, and … <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5202\/5190841629_9211e5413f_z.jpg\")
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