Minnekhada Farm, Christmas Bird Count

Another year, another Christmas Bird Count, CBC.  Read about and see a little of what we saw last year  from the 2014 CBC

          This year we had the honour of two more souls, Megan and Jayme joining in the adventure and they helped considerably in raising the species counted, and the quantity.   Plus we were lucky to add a few new species for this walk, the  elusive Brown Creeper, which was always suspected, but was creeping elsewhere whenever we walked through.  And Anna's Hummingbirds which in hindsight I had heard about overwintering here, but we had never spotted before; a few residents along our route had hummingbird feeders setup and filled, so our work was easy, just look for the feeders.

         We were not far along on our adventure when two dogs became interested in us, appearing to live at 4071 Cedar Drive, they followed us for a few kilometers, well into Minnekhada Farm, when a Metro parks staff member, Mellisa became interested in them, being that no unleashed dogs are allowed in the park.  We explained to her the situation and she tried to contact the owners, after reading the dog tags but no one was home. She even drove down to the residence but received no answer. At least from now on we had no dog escort to hinder our count.

I am sad to report the loss of one of the roosters, Gallus gallus domesticus metallii

The one remaining lonely looking Gallus gallus domesticus metallii 

1355 Gilleys Trail   ( Google Streetview 2011 )
Note the larger Gallus gallus domesticus metallii on the stump

         We started our adventure from the DeBoville parking lot at 8:40 a.m., and completed our
mission at 12:40 p.m. back where we started. The weather was overcast, temperature high of 4C, with drifting low-hanging clouds being the norm.

81  Mallard duck's
2  Green-winged Teal
2  Pied-billed Grebe
4  Great blue heron
5  Bald eagles, adult
1  Bald eagle, immature
1  Cooper's hawk
3  Red-tailed hawks
 

6  Anna's hummingbirds
1  Belted Kingfisher
4  Norther flickers
4  Steller's jays
13  Northwestern crows
 5  Common ravens

17  Black-capped chickadee's

22  Bush tit's

1  Brown creeper

5  Pacific wrens

2  American dipper

11  Golden-crowned kinglet

19  Varied thrushes

8  Spotted towhee's

9  Song sparrow's

19  Dark-eyed junco's

2  Red crossbill's

152 Pine siskins

A total count of 26 species, and one metal rooster; with a grand total of 392 tiny souls being counted.

Photo by Megan Willie, of a Red Crossbill

Hard to see, but there is a American Dipper on the rock in the lower middle portion of this photo.

Another photo of the American Dipper by Pamela Zevit

The best photos of the American Dipper were shot by Megan Willie

American dipper, photo by Megan Willie

 Just after entering Minnekhada Farm, along Oliver Road ( pic at Panoramio )

 Eastern portion of the Minnekhada Farm, stables. ( pic at Panoramio )

 Western portions of the Minnekhada Farm, stable complex. ( pic at Panoramio )

 Dairy barn, at Minnekhada Farm  ( pic at Panoramio )

 Sheep barn, damaged corner, extensive rot damage.  ( pic at Panoramio )

 Photo by Pamela Zevit

Photo by Pamela Zevit

Photo by Pamela Zevit

 Ponds at Minnekhada Park  ( pic at Panoramio )

 Ponds at Minnekada Park ( pic at Panoramio )

Panoramic photo of Minnekhada Farm, with
Burke Ridge in the distant background. ( pic at Panoramio )

Many thanks to those who participated, and thanks to Pamela for some of the the photographs:
  Megan Willie; Jamye Brooks; Pamela Zevit; Victoria Otton; Niall Williams

Christmas Bird Count

Tri-City News article:   Counting birds instead of bird kills in the Tri-Cities

Audubon Christmas Bird Count in our Area.    Everyone welcome :)
Saturday, January 3,  2015

Followed in the coming year by the:
BMN  MONTHLY MEETING: Highlights of the 2014 Christmas Bird Count

Tuesday, January 13 2015 at 7:30 PM

More in depth information about the annual bird count from the Audubon folks

Some information links 

Birding in British Columbia

Species, Age and Sex Identification of Ducks Using Wing Plumage

Ducks at a Distance  A Waterfowl Identification Guide ( Still relevant, now online )

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology

And a little closer to home,   E-Fauna  BC   birds   From the folks at E-Fauna

BMN AGM December 9

Tuesday December 9 is our big social of the year - our AGM and Silent Auction. starts at 7 p.m.

I would like to remind everyone there is a SHARE food bank box in the foyer of the church.   Your donation would be gratefully appreciated.

If you are bringing an item for the auction, would you please let me know the value, minimum bid and item description prior to the meeting so that I can prepare a bidding form.  Also, if you are paying your membership it would be very much appreciated if you paid by cheque - saves confusion on my part!

   Slideshow and Silent Auction to benefit Mossom Creek Hatchery

It will be an evening of views, food and the fun of a silent auction at the annual general meeting on Tuesday.   Browse and bid on items and gift certificates donated by local businesses, plus items and services donated by BMN members.

The services offered this year include a canoe trip on Port Moody Inlet, a lesson in Japanese cooking in your own kitchen, computer lessons, lessons in photography for two at Colony Farm Park, handyman services, and more. There will also be a bake table with delectable items for sale, and volunteers from the Riverview Horticultural Centre Society will sell fresh holly and other seasonal decorations.

Funds raised will be donated to help the rebuilding of the Mossom Creek Hatchery and Education Centre. This hatchery began as a project of Centennial School’s salmon enhancement club in 1976, and went on to become a productive hatchery and school teaching facility. It was destroyed by fire in December 2013.

The  meeting will include a brief AGM, seasonal refreshments and live music, after which president Ian McArthur will present a slideshow featuring highlights of the past year’s hikes, invasive plant removal parties, nest box cleaning, public nature walks and other BMN activities. BMN enters its 26th year in the community this year!

This meeting also provides an opportunity to sign up for the annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count held this year on Saturday, January 3rd.  Every year for the past 21 years, the Naturalists have collected data on the numbers and species of wintering birds in the Tri-Cities area as part of the larger Audubon North American census which is the world’s longest running wildlife census, now in its 115th year, and involves over 60,000 birders.  Participation is free, and anyone interested in joining a team of birders can contact BMN at BurkeMtnNats@gmail.com    or call     Victoria at 604-937-5379.

For new members - Tuesday’s meeting will be held in the hall of Como Lake United Church which is located on the corner of Marmont Street and King Albert Avenue in Coquitlam.  Doors open at 7:00 pm and silent auction bidding will end at 9:00 pm.  For further information, please contact 604-936-4108 or 604-461-3864, or see www.bmn.bc.ca.


Hope to see you there.