Sunday, February 18, 2018

Sunday at Point Roberts and Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Winter ends early on the West Coast, but we had a dump of snow just before this weekend. My outings today included a brief one at Point Roberts (gas fill-up) and then over to Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Ladner.

Point Roberts

There was no trace of snow here, probably due to the proximity to the Pacific Ocean. There was little activity at Lighthouse Marine Park other than seeing a few Black Turnstones.

Black Turnstone - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Here's a short movie that shows how quickly these birds move around.


The only other bird I photographed was this Common Goldeneye.

Common Goldeneye- Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Reifel Bird Sanctuary


I crossed back into Canada and made my way to Reifel. As is normal for a Sunday morning, there were many people visiting. There was some evidence here of the recent snowfall.



At  Reifel in Winter  there are plenty of ducks on display. The first was a male Ring-necked Duck. In this photo you can see some of the Orange ring around the neck.

Ring-necked Duck - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

The female looks quite different, but she's quite an attractive duck as well. Looking at both of them, it's hard to figure why they weren't called Ring-billed Ducks.

Ring-necked Duck (F) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

The common Mallard male is featured in this picture. We often take its beauty for granted.

Mallard - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

A duck that looks somewhat similar is the Northern Shoveler. This bird gets its name from using its enormous bill to filter food as it swims in shallow ponds. It also uses it to stir up pond bottoms for mollusks and other small creatures.

Northern Shoveler - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #74

Here's the male together with the plain female, who resembles the female Mallard.

Northern Shovelers - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

A common winter duck at Reifel is the showy Hooded Merganser. This male is in full breeding plumage.

Hooded Merganser - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC


A far less glamorous bird is the American Coot. However, it was my first of the year.

American Coot - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC - 2018 Bird #75

In the winter, the Sandhill Cranes are out among the people. In nesting season, they disappear and should not be bothered if seen. Here they are eating bird seed off the ground.

Sandhill Cranes  - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

These birds have a great profile, and they're so tall that pictures like these are taken at our eye level.


One of my targets for this visit was the Eurasian Wigeon. I took one last photo of the Cranes and didn't realize my target bird was in the background. It happened that the sanctuary manager was nearby and had just pointed the Wigeon out to someone else.

Sandhill Crane and Eurasian Wigeon (2018 Bird #76) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Of course, I took some more shots of this beautiful bird. They are increasingly more common here, but are outnumbered about 20 to 1 by the American Wigeon.

Eurasian Wigeon - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

This next shot shows the male Eurasian and a female bird. According to my field guides, it appears to be an American Wigeon as the female Eurasian has a grayer head. There is some hybridization between the two species. 

Eurasian and American Wigeon - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

And finally, what makes a better photo than Wood Ducks with snowy backgrounds? First the female...

Wood Duck (F) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

The male also wanted to strut his stuff...

Wood Duck - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

This ended my day at Reifel. It would be another week before I'd get back out for more birding.

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