Saturday 29 October 2011

Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, Oct 2011

The plan was to have an evening stroll around the peak, with the chance of getting a nice picture of a Black-eared Kite silhouetted against the dramatic cityscape of Hong Kong.

My astronomical calculations predicted that solar/planetary alignments would be favourable for this, but I failed to take into account that the fire alarm in the bus station might be triggered and we would not be allowed off the bus until the sun had almost set.

A beautiful song carried from high on the mountain. The Hwamei’s voice is rich and fluty, but the bird itself could only be seen very poorly in the evening gloom.

While I was up there, it seemed a shame to waste a chance to see the legendary lights of Hong Kong, so I took the opportunity to get a few shots and then cross to see the laser show from the Kowloon side.

Next day, I returned and left a little extra time in case of unexpected emergencies. Tip for next time; Victoria Peak is ridiculously busy on a Saturday (from the back of the queue, I watched one bus fill up and return to Central leaving me to wait for the next one). 

The kites were very distant and not very accommodating. I had hoped that they would bank on outstretched wings to give a beautiful silhouette against the buildings, but the city provides such a wide column of rising air that there is no need for them to circle to stay in the current. A flat profile against the background of the city proved to be a terrific disappointment, so I had to employ some jiggery pokery to give the desired effect.

Take the bus no. 15A from the bus station at Central. The journey takes 25 minutes and costs HK$9.8 @12 = £1.

 Birds seen; 5

Black-eared Kites 80, Peregrine Falcon 1, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo 15, Pale vented Bulbul 3, Japanese White-eye 4.

Follow the link below for a previous post from Victoria Peak;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2009/09/im-still-here.html

Visit the dedicated Asia Page for more posts from Hong Kong and the Far East.

Thursday 27 October 2011

North District Park, Hong Kong, Oct 2011

With sites such as Long Valley and Mai Po a short bus ride away, North District Park is unlikely to be your focus for the day. It is a short walk from Sheung Shui Station at the top of the East Line in Hong Kong. I went because I had an hour to kill before I needed to return to the city and a very pleasant hour it was.

There is an area set aside as Conservation Corner which has been planted with trees. The common park birds including Red-whiskered Bulbul and Light-vented Bulbul seemed to enjoy the sprinkler system there.

Oriental Magpie Robin are quite approachable and Japanese White-eye fed from the flowerheads of the lower bushes.

A small lake held fish which had attracted a Common Kingfisher and some Eurasian Tree Sparrows chirped in the shrubs near a little pagoda.

Exit from the south-bound side of Sheung Shui Station and walk about half a kilometre to the right. North District Park is across the road at Google Earth ref; 22 29 51N 114 07 59E.
Spotted Dove
Species seen; 7
Spotted Dove 2, House Swift 10, Common Kingfisher 1, Red-whiskered Bulbul 25, Light-vented Bulbul 12, Japanese White-eye 15, Eurasian House Sparrow 20.

Follow these links to find posts from other sites accessible from Sheung Shui Station and the East Line;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/12/hong-kong-twitching-pt-1-tai-po-kau.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/05/hong-kong-hangover-mai-po.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/10/long-valley-hong-kong-oct-2011.html
Visit the Hong Kong section of the dedicated Asia Page for other posts from this region.
North District Park, Hong Kong, Oct 2011

Tuesday 25 October 2011

Long Valley, Hong Kong Oct 2011

For once the Asian Koel was quiet. Normally they greet the dawn with loud hysterical calls, but perhaps the longer nights and cooler mornings that the third week of October brings had dampened their spirits. Pale-vented Bulbuls and Red-whiskered Bulbuls were very common on the approach to Yin Kong, but were completely absent from the intensely farmed area known as Long Valley (Google Earth ref; 22 30 18N 114 06 40E) to the Hong Kong birdwatching community.

Workers were already hunched over their crops, weeding or harvesting, oblivious to the birds around them. Business must be good if this lady can afford what appears to be a Hermes headscarf for use in the field. Plain Prinias called from a fallow plot beside the path and a Siberian Stonechat watched from its perch.



I hastened through the rice paddy fields with flocks of White-backed Munia feeding from the seedheads and perching atop some young banana plants. I wanted to get quickly to a spot where a few unused plots formed a reedy swamp, hoping to catch sight of a rallid or two. Dusky Warblers “tchacked” from the reeds and the first Common Snipe of the morning flushed at my approach.

There were no rails or crakes here today, but my timing was rewarded with a Yellow-breasted Bunting instead.

In a previous post about Long Valley, I conjectured that it was probably a dynamic environment where crops are planted, harvested and rotated with some plots being left fallow. However, on this visit, I noted that the same crops were planted on the same allotments as last time with previously fallow areas still left overgrown.

The results are in and the bird in the photograph above has been confirmed as a Grey-headed (Chestnut-eared) Bunting. Thanks to Vicky at HKBWS and please ignore the paragraph below in italics..
Perched on one of the many wires that run up and down the site was what I took to be a Reed Bunting. Only when I arrived home and started writing up did I realise that Emberiza Schoeniclus would make an interesting sighting for Hong Kong. It winters on mainland China in the neighbouring state of Guangdong which left me wondering why its status in Hong Kong is that of a vagrant or accidental visitor. Perhaps my information is out of date. Perhaps it isn’t a Reed Bunting; the conspicuous eye-ring is a worry, but I put the buff colour of the throat and face markings down to the early morning light. Thoughts on a postcard please.
A Peregrine Falcon flew over, half-heartedly chasing a Spotted Dove as it passed through.

Closer to the river is a chain-link fence with a few wet plots beyond it. I was surprised to see a Plaintive Cuckoo perched there at this time of year. A couple of other birders looked sceptically at me as we chatted later, so I include the picture in case it is of any significance.

My favourite recollection of Long Valley is of the numbers of snipe that may be seen there. In the next few plots, they flushed in all directions as I made my way along the bunds. Occasionally one would allow me a clear shot, posing reflectively.

One plot in particular was popular with the waders. Wood Sandpipers stood silently in the shallow water while Black-necked Stilts fed in the deeper spots where Spotted Sandpipers had to up-end like dabbling ducks. Its a shame that I did not have this shot for 'Poop Week'.

More Snipe flushed as I followed the bund along a plot that had held lotus flowers in the warmer weather. One bird darted to the far bank and crouched there rather than flushing. Its posture was distinctive as that of a Greater Painted Snipe and a quick look with the binoculars confirmed the shorter, drooping bill and characteristic eye marking.

Two birds in the same plot both wore the male plumage which is duller than the females’ who take on much of the stereotypical male duties in this family. Note; Painted Snipes are not related to the true snipes such as Common and Pintail Snipe.

Two rivers, Sheung Yue and Shek Sheung, converge at the northern part of the site. Grey Herons were feeding from a mud-bank exposed by a low tide. Black-winged Stilts and Chinese Pond Herons were also seen there. A Common Kingfisher perched on a wire crossing the river and dived in to catch a small fish as I watched. The herons and the kingfisher blanched as a big catfish, over a meter in length, surfaced.

Back in Long Valley plots were being prepared for the next crop. This rotovator is as mechanised as cultivation here gets.

In a taro paddy a snipe sat well and posed for my favourite picture of the day.

The temperature rose to the high twenties as noon approached and a few dragonflies and butterflies were seen.

The Green Skimmer, Orthetrum Sabina,  which can be seen on the wing until the end of December,  proved to be more common and looked to be getting even more prolific than the Common Red Skimmer, Orthetrum pruinosum, which flies until late autumn.

I will have to come back to you with names for the butterflies as it is still a very new discipline for me. If anyone would care to save me a few minutes by suggesting names or where I could look to find them, I would be very grateful.

Species seen;  51
Great Cormorant 1, Grey Heron 15, Great Egret 6, Little Egret 5, Chinese Pond Heron 25, Eurasian Teal 8, Peregrine Falcon 2, White-breasted Waterhen 1, Common Moorhen 2, Greater Painted Snipe 2, Black-winged Stilt 35, Grey-headed Lapwing 1, Little Plover 15, Common Snipe 65, Spotted Redshank 4, Wood Sandpiper 30, Common Sandpiper 1, Spotted Dove 15, Plaintive Cuckoo 1, Asian Koel 3, White-throated Kingfisher 2, Common Kingfisher 2, Richard’s Pipit 1, Red-throated Pipit 1, Olive-backed Pipit 3, White Wagtail 30, Red Whiskered Bulbul 25, Light-vented Bulbul 15, Sooty-headed Bulbul 6, Oriental Magpie Robin 6, Siberian Stonechat 12, Zitting Cisticola 1, Yellow-bellied Prinia 4, Plain Prinia 2, Oriental Reed Warbler 2, Dusky Warbler 8, Red-breasted Flycatcher 1, Japanese White-eye 20, Black-naped Oriole 1, Long-tailed Shrike 3, Black Drongo 6, Eurasian Magpie 3, Collared Crow 3, Crested Myna 15, Black-collared Starling 15, Eurasian Tree Sparrow 20, White-rumped Munia 150, Yellow-breasted Bunting 1, Grey-headed (Chestnut-eared) Bunting 1.
To reach Long Valley take the East Line train to Sheung Shui station. Across the road to the west is a stop for bus no. 76K. Ask the driver to put you off at Yin Kong, just after the golf course. Yin Kong Road is off to the right from Castle Peak Road and the allotments are about 400m along, beyond the public toilets. The local farmers are extremely tolerant of birders here so please respect their crops and bunds. 

For a previous post from Long Valley with extra directions, please follow the link below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/01/hong-kong-twitching-pt-2-long-valley.html

Visit the dedicated Asia Page for other posts from Hong Kong and China.

Saturday 22 October 2011

High Resolution Images from September 2011

High Resolution Images from September 2011

The images in the main blog have been reduced in size to 600 pixels or less across to facilitate quick loading. It goes against all my sensibilities to reduce the resolution, so each month I shall select a few shots that warrant being seen in in hi-res.

These posts may take slightly longer to load, so please be patient.

The links will take you to the original post.


This was taken using manual focus to get through all the greenery. The Green-lined Brush-finch would not come out to have his picture taken.

Blue-faced Darners were seen by the hundred at Parque Ecologico de Xochimilco. I was thrilled to get this picture of one in flight.


If it is possible to twitch a butterfly, then this was it. The Adonis Blue was hunted down for a special post on 10,000 Birds. Go on, use the link, they need the traffic.

Other galleries can be found at the dedicated High Resolution page.


Wednesday 19 October 2011

Mote Park Cormorant. Oct 2011

It was such a beautiful autumn morning that I couldn't resist a quick turn around the park. The sun was up, the air was crisp and still. The season has caught up with the trees and the temperature has taken a big dip after the heat wave of a fortnight ago.


A couple of people approached me to ask about the "big black bird" that could be seen at the top of the dead tree on the island where the River Len flows into Mote Lake.


So if you are in Mote Park and you see a large, glossy, black bird at the top of a dead tree, chances are it is a Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo.
They feed on fish and may be seen swimming on the water and diving beneath to hunt. They often perch with their wings outspread. a couple of theories about this behaviour suggest that they are either drying their feathers or that they are warming up their bellies in the sun to aid digestion.


For a great composite picture by jel1969 of a Cormorant coming in to land on a branch (it may be the same cormorant in the same tree), follow this link.

 Tufted Duck

  Species seen; 28


Great Cormorant 1, Grey Heron 2, Mute Swan 3, Mallard 25, Tufted Duck 1, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1, Common Moorhen 4, Common Coot 6, Black-headed Gull 65, Common Woodpigeon 35, Great Spotted Woodpecker 1, Grey Wagtail 2, Northern Wren 4, Redwing 8, Common Blackbird 5, European Robin 3, Blackcap 1, Goldcrest 1, Long-tailed Tit 15, Great Tit 6, Blue Tit 8, Wood Nuthatch 2, Treecreeper 1, Eurasian Jay 5, Eurasian Magpie 3, Carrion Crow 35, Chaffinch 2, European Greenfinch 1.

Sunday 16 October 2011

Mushrif Park, Dubai, UAE. Oct 2011

The approach road to Mushrif Park is lined with flowering shrubs with trees behind which today were filled with White-eared Bulbul and Eurasian Collared Doves.


Halfway up the drive is a control gate (25 13 25N 55 27 08E) where you will be charged the entrance fee which currently stands at 6 Dirhams (@ 5 Dirhams = £1). In the unlikely event that you are on foot, the entrance is 3 Dirhams. Just beyond the gate, a leaking drain provides a small oasis that drew in a lot of bulbuls, doves and House Sparrows. Little Green Bee-eaters were easily seen here too. This one appeared to have been eye-deep in soft mud. Would bee-eaters be excavating burrows at this time of year perhaps?


The park is a good example of Ghaf woodland. The Ghaf tree has become endangered and efforts are underway to replant it into the desert. The plantation-style straight lines that can be seen from Google Earth images suggest that this park is aiding the efforts to preserve it.
I had arrived close to dusk and had a very specific target bird in mind, but before it got dark I wanted to explore an interesting looking tract of scrubland beyond the main centre of the park. The spot I sought was beyond the mosque and the restaurant, but I was disappointed to see that it was a picnic area approached through a Smurf inspired arch. There were no picnickers here today so I had a look round, but found little more than I had seen already. 


Beyond the next car park and the cycle track the small trees thinned out and the environment began to resemble a scrubby patch of desert. An Isabelline Wheatear perched on a low bush here and I had to wait for it to fly before I could see its distinctive tail pattern. The Burj Khalifa was visible in the distance through the glowing light of a gulf dusk. The Muezzin began his azan, calling all to prayer, at 17.52 as the sun set on this Thursday evening in the second week of October.


Opposite the mosque is a patch of trees. Pallid Scops Owls are said to be resident here and often give spectacular views as they feed in the spotlights of the administration building there. As I approached, a small, cryptically plumaged bird flew from the top of one of the roadside lights into a tree. Surely it was one of the owls, or would that be too big a presumption to make? It was such a brief sighting that I cannot rule out Little Owl nor Eurasian Scops Owl at the moment and will have to defer the pleasure of getting the red pen out.
Hoping for a better sighting, my eyes were drawn to movements through the trees as I sat on the grass watching the brightly lit areas. Mostly these were bats, but occasionally a dove would clatter out from its roost, wings whirring.
I did hear a soft ‘woo – woo - woo’ call coming from behind the administration building which I took to be the Pallid Scops Owl, but no more sightings were had and families were arriving to set up picnics on the grass to celebrate the start of the Muslims’ weekend.

I had a return flight to London this evening and no firm plans as to how to get back to the hotel, so I left the owls un-ticked and headed home. As my friend Martin often philosophically states, I have a good reason to return to this very pleasant site on another occasion.
To reach Mushrif Park, take the Metro train to Rashidiya Station at the airport end of the Red Line. An all zones pass costs 8.50 Dirhams. Bus 11a runs from here to the park entrance but has an infrequent schedule about once every hour. I took a taxi from the station rank and paid 20 Dirhams.
There is no taxi rank at the park and I was lucky to find one for the return journey. If you are stuck and time is running short, it may be possible to walk about a mile back towards the airport and catch one of three buses that run through the nearby estate as shown in the photo below.


Birds seen; 12
Eurasian Collared Dove 150, Pallid Swift 6, Little Green Bee-eater 8, Indian Roller 3, Eurasian Hoopoe 3, Barn Swallow 8, White-eared Bulbul 40, Red-vented Bulbul 5, Isabelline Wheatear 1, Common Myna 15, House Sparrow 60,
Back at home, I was able to listen to the call of the Pallid Scops Owl on Xeno Canto and am happy that this is what I was hearing. With a couple of pairs resident in the vicinity, it would be too strict for me to deprive my list of the Pallid Scops Owl. I confess that if I didn’t know that the owls were commonly seen  at that particular spot, I may not have been able to identify it, but since it is documented as the likeliest owl to be seen and with a definite call heard, I can afford to be less anal than usual.

Mushrif Park, Dubai, UAE. Oct 2011

Friday 14 October 2011

Ras Al Khor, Dubai, UAE. Oct 2011

It is strange that I have resisted making a visit to Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in Dubai until now. I spent a thoroughly pleasant couple of hours there in this second week of October and looking back, it is difficult to pin down a reason for my previous reluctance. Getting there and back was slightly awkward, but at least it was open.

Here are a couple of facts for the visitor before we start. I want to highlight these as they are important but not well documented. The Sanctuary is open from 09.00 until 16.00 daily, but is closed on Fridays. It is possible to see birds from outside the perimeter fence, but that would be a sad alternative to a place in one of the hides during opening hours.


The roads surrounding the sanctuary are busy 4-lane motorways with no crossing points in case you find yourself on the wrong side. Taxi drivers are not all acquainted with the sanctuary and it is not signposted, so for their information, the southern tip of the lagoon is marked by the interchange of Oud Metha Road (Route 66) and Ras Al Khor Road (Route 44). Use the Emarat petrol station on the south-bound carriageway of Oud Metha Road as a marker for the Flamingo Hide on the opposite side (Google Earth ref; 25 11 34N 55 18 44E).


Ras Al Khor is a 620 hectare complex of intertidal mudflats, lagoons and mangroves at the top end of Dubai Creek. It is internationally acknowledged with its RAMSAR Wetlands Site status and provides a staging post for migrating and wintering birds with up to 20,000 birds present at its peak season during the winter. There are 3 hides; Mangrove Hide is accessed from Ras Al Khor Road, Lagoon Hide which has been closed recently due to construction work around it and Flamingo Hide which is described in this post.


I found myself at the petrol station on the wrong side of the motorway and had to skip smartly across 8 lanes and a central barrier to get to Flamingo Hide. I had missed the tide by a combination of over-sleeping, having to shop for sun-block and by selecting a taxi driver that had not heard of Ras Al Khor. As it was, the water had retreated a little, but the Greater Flamingos were still close enough to the hide to give good views.

Other birds around the hide included Little Stint, Lesser Ringed Plover and Common Redshank. Further out, Black-bellied Plovers and a couple of Eurasian Curlews could be seen. A friendly security guard has charge of a spotting scope which he encourages visitors to use but this is packed away by 15.45 in anticipation of his knocking off time. Through the scope it was possible to see Greenshank, Whimbrel and a larger congregation of assorted waders in the distance.

Overhead a Eurasian Marsh Harrier patrolled the lines of mangroves hoping to catch a smaller bird unawares. An Osprey flew by but looked as if it was heading for deeper water to hunt.
For the most part, the sanctuary was very quiet apart from the rumble of traffic behind us. I shared the hide with the guard and a gentleman, Shafaat, who had come to the hide seeking solace and inspiration from the natural setting. A few other visitors popped in as we watched, but few stayed very long. We were reticent to leave at 16.00 when the guard began his locking up preliminaries. The flamingos appeared to know that it was chucking out time and began approaching the hide and moving towards the road along the screen that covers visitors’ approach to the hide.
There is a drinking water fountain in the hide, but no toilet facilities which may explain some accounts of security guards (who have been on duty for at least 7 hours with no relief) being slightly grumpy come closing time. Our guard today was very pleasant I would like to add.


To get to Ras Al Khor, I took the Metro train to World Trade Centre. From outside the nearby World Trade Centre Hotel , bus number 61 leaves from the stop (Google Earth ref; 25 13 38N 55 17 24E) on the 2nd Za’abeel Rd. I wasn’t sure of the schedule and took the opportunity to hail a cab which immediately turned round and took me the other way, taking half an hour to complete what should have been an easy five minute ride (Tip for next time; bring the name of the place you are visiting, that would have been useful in the increasingly hot backseat of the cab. There are two Emarat petrol stations on Oud Metha Rd. If you can’t see mangroves or flamingos, you are at the wrong one).
My plans for the afternoon had not got as far as figuring out a way to get home from Ras Al Khor, but I was very lucky that Shafaat lived close to a Metro station and very kindly offered me a lift. In other circumstances, I would have had to rely on flagging a taxi down on the busy motorway. Bus number 61 has a stop at the petrol station across the road, but that will take you in the wrong direction. It would have been my fall back plan to board this bus, wrong way or not and take the return journey back to the Metro station at World Trade Centre. If anyone has any other suggestions, they will be gladly received.

Species seen; 19

Grey Heron 2, Greater Flamingo 400, Osprey 1, Eurasian Marsh Harrier 2, Grey Plover 6, Little Plover 4, Kentish Plover 3, Whimbrel 1, Eurasian Curlew 2, Common Redshank 25, Common Greenshank 1, Terek Sandpiper 2, Common Sandpiper 1, Little Stint 25, Gull-billed Tern 3, Eurasian Collared Dove 3, Crested Lark 2, White Wagtail 1, White-eared Bulbul 1.

Other Redganet posts from Dubai can be found via the links below and through the dedicated Middle East Page.

The excellent and comprehensive UAE Birding can be found via this link.

Monday 10 October 2011

Stanley Park, Vancouver, Oct 2011

Nearly 3 years ago I did a trip to Vancouver’s Stanley Park with the inestimable Charlie Moores. It was he that inspired me to start Redgannet (although some less charitable observers have suggested that the blog is perpetrated rather than written), following the style and format of his much-missed charliesbirdingblog. Charlie has given up flying around the world and can now be found talking naturally with guests on his podcast website.

The light came late this morning and I had to back-track to get any decent photographs, so shadow-watchers may see some crazy time lines in the sequence of photos in this post.  Follow W. Georgia St. north-west to Google Earth Ref;  49 17 40N 123 08 14W and you will find yourself at the south-east corner of the 18 (-ish) hectare Lost Lagoon. The season is still a little young for the great variety of ducks that might be found here during the winter. Instead, there was a big head of Canada Geese as first light fell.

I get plenty of bad photographs in my pursuit of half-decent ones, but occasionally I fluke an atmospheric picture through no intention or talent of my own. Often overlooked as a trash bird, the geese were in their place and time today and a smaller version amongst them was a life-first Cackling Goose. The split from Canada Goose was made in 2004, but looking at the size and bill shape makes me wonder what took them so long.

Raccoons were seen on the path as I walked around the lake in a clockwise direction towards the bridge. They are often fed by well-meaning park visitors, but they have become very used to people and often come into conflict with dog walkers and parents with small children.

I was using a bicycle this morning and my intention was to take a gentle ride around the sea-wall, but this meant returning to W. Georgia St. and crossing over to comply with the one-way bike trail which runs anticlockwise. This should be the best way to chase the light, but high trees and raised ground cast long shadows out onto the water to shade anything close to the shore.

Any visit to Vancouver will inevitably include gulls. Glaucous-winged Gulls were the most common today, but in fewer numbers than I recall. The only other species seen was the Short-billed (Common) Gull. One of the Glaucous-winged Gulls was trying to swallow a starfish and looked to be gagging on it. A couple of walkers stopped to watch, but became grossed out by the constant regurgitating to get a better grip. Another passerby was very impressed giving it a high score for technical effort and artistic impression. The fay, English critic gave it a “Yes” and it went through to the next round. For the full performance and to vote for the Glaucous-winged Gull, click this link.

Out on the water were Pelagic Cormorants as well as Double-crested Cormorants with their much thicker bills and orange chin. The only ducks seen along the first stretch were American Wigeon. Good numbers of Horned Grebe were seen and a Harbour Seal came quite close to shore.

At around the 3.8km mark, the Ravine Trail leads up to Beaver Lake. This is always a good place to look for Spotted Towhees, Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. They are often fed here and are very approachable.

Beaver Lake, as the name suggests has a Beaver lodge and the rodents constantly block the overflow drain to increase the depth of the shrinking pool. It is choked with weeds now and is becoming quite swampy with only a tiny piece of open water left. The Wood Ducks love it here and also like to endear themselves to the people who come here to feed them.

Back out on the sea-wall I passed under the Lion’s Gate Bridge and was rewarded with a view out across the open water towards the Strait of Georgia which separates Vancouver Island from the mainland. There was a large flock of Scoters out there.  The big white face and head patches of the Surf Scoters stood out from a distance, but there were a couple of oddities amongst them. I took a seat with Stan and Mary Stanford (who so loved the view from here) and scanned the flock carefully. A small group who stayed very slightly removed from the main flock proved to be White-winged Scoters and there was one Long-tailed Duck mixed in with the melee.

In a small bay close to Third Beach a pair of Harlequin Ducks rode the gentle swell of an incoming tide. I wanted to get a closer picture and clambered down onto the rocky shoreline to wait for them to round the headland, but the tide pushed me back as the ducks paddled further out at my approach.

I had come full circle now and stopped for a passable fish and chips at a café near to First Beach. A Glaucous-winged Gull was keening pitifully for its parent who was watching my chips with a dark eye.

Back at the bridge and the Lost Lagoon, I managed to get a few of the photographs that I missed in the horrible light of an overcast morning. The Raccoons were out in force with at least 8 of them begging for scraps from anyone who passed.

The Great Blue Heron was in a better position with some nice warm afternoon light falling on him, but still he looked grumpy.


Species seen; 29
Horned Grebe 25, Double-crested Cormorant 12, Pelagic Cormorant 35, Great Blue Heron 5, Mute Swan 6, Cackling Goose 1, Canada Goose 400, Wood Duck 15, American Wigeon 120, Green-winged Teal 5, Mallard 80, Harlequin Duck 2, Long-tailed Duck 1, Surf Scoter 350, White-winged Scoter 8, Cooper’s Hawk 2, American Coot 8, Short-billed Gull 15, Glaucous-winged Gull 35, American Robin 2, Varied Thrush 1, Black-capped Chickadee 6, Chestnut-backed Chickadee  8, North-western Crow 400, Spotted Towhee 12, Song Sparrow 40, White-throated Sparrow 3, Golden-crowned Sparrow 6, Dark-eyed Junco 35, Red-winged Blackbird 1.

The path along the sea-wall passes the First Peoples’ totem poles and the attendant interpretative centre.
Stanley Park, Vancouver, YVR