August 25 - Point Roberts and Reifel

Another Saturday trip to these two locations. There were a couple of special visitors at Reifel, Point Roberts was still quite inactive.

Point Roberts

It was a good day for photography, but only two species featured in my photos. First were some Pelagic Cormorants.

Pelagic Cormorant - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

The other shots featured House Finches. First a male.

House Finch - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

The other two shots were of a female.

House Finch (F) - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

House Finch (F) - Lighthouse Marine Park, Point Roberts WA

Reifel Bird Sanctuary

My luck changed dramatically as I approached Reifel. A Great Egret has been present for a few days and was easy to find in the slough along the entrance driveway. I'd seen one in Aldergrove in January. It's possible that this was the same bird seven months later.

Great Egret - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

I took quite a few shots of the bird, trying to get something interesting with the reflection in the green water. This is my symmetry shot.

One more in a vertical framing.

From very large to very small, I captured an Anna's Hummingbird near the parking lot. It was nice to get some shots away from any feeder.

Anna's Hummingbird - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

Another great sighting was this Peregrine Falcon, my first for 2019. They habituate the Sanctuary as there's plenty of prey for them. But I haven't had one out in the open like this for quite a while. I believe this is a juvenile bird as the mask is not fully filled in yet.

Peregrine Falcon (Imm) - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC - 2019 Bird #169

I was hoping to see a reported Stilt Sandpiper, but had to settle for this yellowlegs.

Lesser Yellowlegs - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC

A Northern Waterthrush had been reported along the east dyke. They do show up in fall migration, but are very difficult to find. 

This is a plain looking Warbler that skulks around in the underbrush near slow-moving or standing water. With the help of some expert birders it was located. It took me quite a while to get a photo as the bird was constantly on the move. The shot below is my best effort, it is heavily cropped.

Northern Waterthrush - Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta BC - 2019 Bird #170

This was a great bird to end my day with, it had been a good visit to Reifel on this Saturday.