Checklist S50866722

Mostly South Rice's Pond.

All presumed to be this taxon. But who knows!

Mostly South Rice's Pond.

All appeared to be this taxon.

Mostly at the pond by the parking area south of the nature center.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

Note the eye color. I believe that makes this a hatch-year male.

Age:

Immature

Sex:

Male

Widespread in very small numbers.

Mostly along the creek; also two at North Rice's Pond.

Largish concentrations at spots along the river; also at the pond at the parking area south of the nature center.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

A Mallard with...a fish? He's channelling his inner merganser!

Age:

Adult

Sex:

Male

The Fountain Creek "Garganey"! And the gross plumage characters sure to match that species. But I think this has to be considered some sort of "domestic" Mallard.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

Odd duck, Fountain Creek.

Age:

Adult

Sex:

Female

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

The bird also gave a series of Mallard-like female quacks, the hunter's descending cackle. Couldn't get a recording of that, though; only this single, honest-to-goodness quack.

Behaviors:

call

Age:

Adult

Sex:

Female

Playback:

Not used

Recorder:

Olympus LS-10

Microphone:

standard

Accessories:

none

Mostly in two flocks along the river.

Seen by Jesse Cassias and Renee Cassias. Poached. ;-)
It's all good. I am a strong supporter of CBC poaching.

At the pond by the parking area south of the nature center.

3 on the Rice's ponds (2 + 1), 5 at the pond by the parking lot south of the nature center.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

Male by the white starting to come in on the hood.

Age:

Immature

Sex:

Male

Mostly at the pond by the parking area south of the nature center parking lot.

Especially North Rice's Pond, their usual hangout.

Including two appropriately on the Love's gas station sign!

Three way up north, two at the far southern edge.

At the bridge just below the nature center. We briefly saw it on our first pass through here, but not thereafter; amazing how a bird like that can stay hidden.

Including several noisemakers at South Rice's Pond.

1x1 count. Widespread along the creek, as usual.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

This Killdeer, like all the ones we saw, was in association with the sandy/stony banks and and sandbars of the creek.

Age:

Unknown

Sex:

Sex Unknown

Two widely separated birds along the creek.

Flyovers, north end, just above the treetops, evidently coming in for a landing.

At very widely spaced spots along the creek.

Adult female, subadult male.

Adult, north end.

Widespread adults; probably an under-count.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

Red-tailed Hawk, Fountain Creek Park, south of the nature center.

Age:

Adult

Sex:

Sex Unknown

Near nature center.

Perched for a while along the creek; adult female.

Perhaps more. Seemed to be within earshot pretty much continually.

Brief view; not sure of subspecies.

Studied at close range, feeder.

Heard from northeast corner of pond below nature center.

Nature center feeders.

This species seemed scarce.

Male by plumage.

A surprising miss.

Along the creek near the warm water outflow. It had been feeding on the shore, then flew up to a snag to continue feeding, then flew off.

Scarce!

At and around South Rice's Pond.

Including one nicely by voice.

I woulda sworn this was a Chihuahuan when we saw it in the field. It wasn't all that much larger than a crow it was right next to, and, in flight, it appeared relatively short-tailed and short-winged. It also appeared relatively short-billed and with a not-too-shaggy throat. However, the "nose hairs," as in this photo, give me pause. They are extensive, but not all that long.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

Raven, Fountain Creek.

Age:

Adult

Sex:

Sex Unknown

Couldn't turn one into a Mountain... ;-)

Seen-only.

Including one singing a fair bit.

Foraging on the exposed roots of a tree at the bank of South Rice's Pond. More of an earthcreeper!

Both near the north bridge, pond below nature center; one north of the bridge (heard), one south (seen, barely heard).

One in the marsh below the nature center, the other at the warm-water outflow upstream.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

An odd bird. It just perched there, motionless, near the top of a medium-stature tree. After a while, it flew off and fidgeted about and was noisy--the kinglet way. For a while there, though, it had us scratching our heads.

Age:

Unknown

Sex:

Sex Unknown

How did we miss this?

Widespread small flocks.

Two well upstream, another down near the south end.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

Why they used to call this bird WATER Pipit!

Age:

Unknown

Sex:

Sex Unknown

10 at the nature center, only 2 elsewhere.

In association with a Dark-eyed Junco flock, far south end of tract.

This species ("species") was one of the few passerines that seemed to be reasonably numerous. Maybe the weather was just too nice today--scattering the birds from concentration spots with food and shelter.

Including several odd-looking birds, but not especially Cassiar-y.

Widespread, mostly females.

Several pretty ones at the northern extent of our sector.

Numbers low; most at the nature center feeders.

Most (all?) were this taxon.

Widespread, mostly in marshes.

Chipping away at the north bridge, pond below nature center.

Mostly in the cattails in the pond below the nature center.

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© Ted Floyd

Average Quality

Per Peter Pyle and Bob Mulvihill, this is an adult female Red-winged Blackbird, and probably a fairly old one. As Mulvihill astutely noted, the bird is wearing a female band (size 1A) and a well-worn one at that--hence, the conjecture that this bird must be old.

Age:

Immature

Sex:

Male

North end of the marsh below the nature center, just below the bridge. The bird was a male, but perhaps an HY, as the black throat was fairly well flecked. I first noticed that a decently yellow warbler was bopping around in the cattails. The bird responded into pishing, and I could see the yellow throat and breast, the black mask (flecked, as noted above), olive-brown upperparts, and long tail with yellow beneath. The bird called infrequently for a couple minutes, then retreated farther back into the marsh. We went back two other times for photos, but couldn't pish it out; the bird seemed holed up in there quite well.

Something at the pipit/lark divide; heard only, presumably in flight.