Twenty-four folk enjoyed a glorious Wednesday morning wandering the trails of beautiful Campbell Valley Regional Park (CVRP) in Langley. And we had lots of neat sightings, many up-close-and-personal as you can see in the photos on our Flickr site.
Some car-pooled from Petra’s at 7:30 a.m. and we all met at the 16th Avenue entrance to the Park at 8:15 a.m. Following the usual welcoming “tongue wag,” especially of the three Metro Vancouver Park Interpreters, David and Ladner Jack Mac took our obligatory Group Photo in front of the CVRP sign. Then our huge convoy took off along the Little River Loop Trail, a gorgeous forest walk on manicured trails. There were a lot diverse and new personalities on this outing, so the chatfest was rampant; nonetheless our sightings were magnificent. Hilights included: many Black-headed Grosbeaks, Yellow and Common Yellowthroat Warblers, Rufous Hummingbirds, singing Swainson’s Thrush, Willow & Pacific-Slope Flycatchers, Brown Creepers, Cedar Waxwings, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, a domestic hybrid Duck, and a banded Turkey Vulture with a telemetry pack. Whispering Bridge was especially good for close-ups of many species including a pair of Steller’s Jays and Yellow Warblers feeding young. Roger Two enjoyed feeding the Black-capped Chickadees from his hand. And later Pat, and I, had similar thrills when a Red-breasted Nuthatch landed on our hands.
We stopped at the bridge over the pond where the old Nature Hut used to be located and tried to identify the bugs, butterflies and Bullfrogs. We admired White Rock Al’s bench, fondly recalling some of his tales on the many outings he led here. A Downy Woodpecker drummed on a dead tree trunk nearby.
We decided to visit the new Nature House at the Red Barn. It was open with several volunteers tending the very informative displays, and parents and young children arriving to participate in a kids craft workshop. Barn Owls were in the barn attic tending three owlets. We followed the South Valley Trail back to the parking lot. We saw too many invasive eastern Gray Squirrels, but fortunately there were many of the native Douglas Squirrels, and chipmunks too. A Bushtit nest with adults feeding young inside was exciting. According to David’s eBird list, we had 26 bird species on this CVRP outing.
Now noon at the parking lot, seventeen of us decided to go for lunch just around the corner on 200th Street at the Artful Dodger Pub. A super decision; everyone enjoyed the food, comfy décor, Kathy’s efficient service, and very decent prices. My full order of liver and onions (wow) along with two pints (Coors Light then the house pilsner) was simply ecstatic. And I was home around 2 p.m. in time to assist Sandra in grandparenting of two, Juliette (6) and Thomas (2). Another awesome DNCB outing.
The 24 were: Roger & Mike B with newbie Anita DD & PB Lorna, David & Noreen with Organizer Terry, Guru Anne with Mike B2 & Roger K2, North Delta’s Pat S, Liz S & Johnny Mac, Torontonian Brian R, Metro Vancouver Park’s Vanessa plus two interpreters (I forget their names), Mike B2, returnee New Yorkers Chief Bill & Caroline, Ladner Jack Mac, returnees Jonathan & Lorraine, and me.
Next Wednesday, July 3, is a local outing to Tsawwassen Ferry terminal, TFN Boardwalk, then Reifel Bird Sanctuary. We’ll leave Petra’s at 7:30 p.m., be at the TFN Boardwalk at 9 a.m., then go to Reifel for the rest of the morning. For more info on our outings, reports and photos, visit our website at www.dncb.wordpress.com. As always, your comments are encouraged. Enjoy Canada’s Birthday & Cheers: Tom
Tom Bearss, President, Delta Naturalists Society
