About 25 DNCBers enjoyed another beautiful, and productive, Wednesday (Sept. 19) morning at Iona Regional Park. Check out the photo evidence on our Flickr site at: https://www.flickr.com/search/?group_id=3027315%40N23&text=2018-38&view_all=1.
Some left Petra’s at 7:30 a.m. and met me and others at 8:15 a.m. at the Iona parking lot. Some highlights of the walk included: meeting some neat Toronto visitors and other newbies, watching the Wild Research bird banders in operation and seeing warblers and sparrows really up-close-and-personal, wandering the sewage ponds and identifying several shorebird and duck species. Lunch at the Flying Beaver was apparently a real treat with Marilyn Monroe as the waitress (I missed lunch as I had my first Wednesday Noon Hockey).
Some Sightings in no particular order included: either Willow Flycatcher or Western Wood-Pewee, Warblers (Common Yellowthroat, Wilson’s, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, some with leg bands), Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Long-billed Dowitchers, lots of Pectoral Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpiper, Killdeer, flock of Peeps (Westerns?), Ducks (Northern Shovelers, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeon, Mallards), American Coots, Common Loon, Sparrows (Fox, Song, White-crowned, Savannah, Lincoln’s), Finches (House, American Goldfinch), Gulls (California, Ring-billed, Glaucous-winged), Marsh Wrens, Anna’s Hummingbirds, Raptors (Red-tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon, Northern Harrier), Northern Flicker & Downy Woodpecker, Caspian Terns, Barn & Tree Swallows and perhaps a lingering Purple Martin, Pine Siskins(?). We saw other stuff, but I forget, and I don’t mention common stuff like Redwing Blackbirds, Towhees, Herons, Crows, Cormorants, Starlings, Doves. Peter C had Western Meadowlarks and Lapland Longspur on the jetty.
The 25 were: Terry, Roger & Mikie B, Guru Anne M, Richmond Brian & Louise, newbie Richmonders Paul & Carol R, Langley Bob McC, Bird Box Team Chris McV & Jim K & Mike B2, Roy (Thanks for carrying Scope) & Solveig, Kirsten W, time-challenged Margaretha & Gabriele, reliable David & Noreen, North Deltan Pat (w/o sister Maureen), North Van Richard H, fleeting member Peter C, and newbie Toronto visitor Brian R & his Vancouver sister Mavis, and me.
There was lots of neat chatter; we got back to the parking lot around 11:30 a.m. when some went home, some continued birding, some went to the Flying Beaver, and I went to hockey. A grand DNCB outing.
Note that DNCB outings move to Tuesdays effective October 2.
As always, your comments are encouraged. Cheers: Tom
Tom Bearss, President, Delta Naturalists Society
