As mentioned in another topic in this board I am a birder. Today I went birding in the Lower Mainland around White Rock, Twassen and Ladner. Not far from Ladner is the Reifel Bird Sanctuary and........the snow geese are in! There are two very large fields just covered in white. They say they get 50,000 geese that come through every spring and fall. More will be coming but the first ones are there. They are on their way to some island in the Artic.

Other birds I was were:

1. Mallards (thousands everywhere)
2. American Wigeons
3. European Starlings
4. Great Blue Herons (saw at least 20 if not more)
5. Pied-billed Grebe
6. Northern Shoveler ducks
7. Northern Pintail duck
8. American coot
9. Wood Duck
10. Canadian Geese
11. Red-winged Black Bird
12. White-crowned Sparrow
13. House Sparrow
14. Night Heron
15. Dark-eyed Junco
16. Fox Sparrow
17. Song Sparrow
18. Spotted Towhee
19. Purple Finch
20. Black-capped Chicadee
21. American Crow
22. Common Raven
23. Rock Pigeons
24. Bufflehead duck
25. Brewers Blackbird
26. Green-Winged Teal
27. Lesser Scaup
28. Common Goldeneye
29. Sandhill Crane (two)
30. Gadwall duck
31. Bauld Eagle (two)
32. Double-crested Cormorant
33. Robin

I was some other birds such as sea gulls but didn't stop to identify them. It was a great Spring day for birding.

This weekend we saw an unusual sight. Well, it was unusual to me. We visited Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island and along the edge of the water were about 15-20 Bonaparte Gulls. They were lined up catching something that was being washed in. What a wonderful place! Certainly wouldn't mind living along the beach in a place like that.

This post was last modified: 02-12-2007 01:21 PM by darlene.

Hey, you are into extreme birding - what a list! We had some snow geese in my area in the fall and they were a spectacular sight in the fields.

My favourite place for birding is off McConachie Drive in Richmond - benches have been set up and there's a pleasant little park where one can view Boeings, Airbuses and the occasional old Lockheed and Douglas.

I have never been to that location in Richmond. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the lead surveyor!

As of the end of January I now have 201 birds on my lifer list. Haven't done a lot of birding lately but, really love it.

Here's my European Bird List. We were mostly in Germany from May 6-20, 2008.

Germany List – May 6-21, 2008

1. Little Grebe - Bird Sanctuary
2. White Stork
3. Glossy Ibis
4. Bewick’s Swan
5. Canada Goose
6. Shelduck
7. Mandarin Duck
8. Mallard Duck
9. Northern Shovler
10. Teal
11. Eider Duck
12. Kestrel
13. Pheasant
14. Moorhen
15. Coot
16. Avocet - Sanctuary
17. Woodpigeon
18. Stock Dove
19. Snowy Owl – Bird Sanctuary
20. Great Grey Owl – Bird Sanctuary
21. Barn Owl – Bird Sanctuary
22. Swallow
23. House Martin
24. White Wagtail
25. Black Redstart
26. Blackbird
27. Song Thrush
28. Mistle Thrush
29. Blue Tit
30. Great Tit
31. Starling
32. Magpie
33. Carrion Crow
34. House Sparrow

Also saw quite a number of birds in a Bird Sanctuary that I can't count. Oh, well....

I now have 223 birds on my life list. Now that's not very many for some people. I know of some who have over 800 on their list but, these people have been in many countries and continents. I've only been on two and haven't been a heavy birder. So....I'm proud of my accomplisments!

This post was last modified: 10-25-2009 07:35 PM by darlene.

DARLENE

WELL you have more than I do

I DON'T have any


dgrimm60

You need to buy yourself a pair of birding binoculars and get started!

I once took a course from the Fraser Valley College called Birds of the Central Fraser Valley and they told us that birding binoculars are ones that are 7 x 35 or 8x 40 powered and if you are really serious you can also get a scope. Then you'll be all set!

DARLENE

WELL I have a pair of binoculars but I AM not sure of power
I just checked out the instructions and it said 40 ft on 7 power
models-------50 ft on 8 power models-------and 80 ft on 10 power
models. I ALSO checked out my binoculars and it said
Bushnell 7x3.5wa 490 ft at 1000 yds

SO is this good for birding?????

dgrimm60

Sounds like you're all set. The 7 x 3.5 I think is similar to 7 x 35. (Lot I know! :- ) So.......when are you going birding?

Around January/February of this year my car and several other cars in my townhouse complex in Abbotsford was broken into and the only thing they took from my car were my binoculars. When I left the BC Conference to move to the Alberta Conference ten days ago, I was given several farwells. At two of them I was given $ to buy a new pair of binoculars. Well on Friday I finally bought a pair of 10x36 Pentax birding binoculars. So, now I'm all set.

My sister and I thought we would go birding on Sabbath afternoon, but, with company, etc., things just did not work out. So,there is always this week and this coming Sabbath afternoon. Not many birds around here though since most of them have gone south for the winter. Still a few though and I'm going to see them!!!

DARLENE

WELL I am glad you got a new pair of binoculars
hope you can use them soon


dgrimm60

Today I noticed that the ponds around this part of the world are not frozen now and I even saw some ducks on them. Maybe Sabbath afternoon I will be able to go birding. Maybe I'll even see some lifers......

Today I also found out that our Ministerial Director, my next office neighbour, is also a birder and he has a few more birds on his lifer list than I do. So, now I have to play catchup.....

And, by the way, I'm learning to whistle. My office neighbour likes to whistle and I'm learning how from him. He said that he often whistles outside while birding and the birds are attracted to him and talk to him. He said that one day a baltimore oriele even followed him home. Now, do we believe him?

DARLENE

WOW that is neat that your coworker can do that


dgrimm60

On Friday I saw a huge bird sitting in a tree, I think it was an owl...but, I didn't have my binocs with me. Sad!

The place where I am living now has gotten very cold. This morning it is -30 and on Tuesday it is supposed to go down to -39 C. So....how can birds live around here? I've only seen 2-3 in the last week.