2019 Birding Blog: August 11 - Point Roberts and Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Many of my posts will feature these two sites together. A typical Sunday has me driving to Point Roberts for gas and a quick stop at Lighthouse Marine Park. From there it's quite easy to get to Reifel on the back roads in Tsawwassen and Ladner.

Point Roberts

Only one photo on this day from the Point, a nice one of the Ring-billed Gull. This shot shows the adult field marks very well:

Yellow bill and legs
Black ring on bill
Small size
Yellowish eye

The birds in the background are immature Glaucous-winged Gulls, quite a bit larger than the Ring-billed.

Ring-billed Gull - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Reifel Bird Sanctuary

I was in a hurry to get to Reifel as there was a rare bird alert for a Black Phoebe along the East Dyke trail there. I've seen the bird in California a few times over the years, but this was my first chance to see it in Canada.

I photographed a few other birds as made my way to the trail. First was this Downy Woodpecker near the Sanctuary entrance. I'd say it's an immature male based on the patchy red spot on the back of the head.

Downy Woodpecker - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

This isn't a great photo but Brown Creepers are hard to see. This is the rear end of one quickly creeping up a tree.

Brown Creeper - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Equally elusive was the Creeper's close relative, a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

Red-breasted Nuthatch - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

I arrived at the area where the Black Phoebe had been seen, there were a few birders present. Normally Flycatchers are hard to see, but this one is quite large and reasonably sedentary. The birders told me to look down at a snag in the creek on the north side of the trail. The bird appeared quite quickly and posed for some shots.

Black Phoebe - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC - 2019 Bird #163

There was a bonus bird in the same area, a Solitary Sandpiper. This is a mid-size sandpiper that is similar to the lesser Yellowlegs. However, it has a dark tipped beak and white rings around the eyes that look like spectacles.