Hi All

I was out on my regular run yesterday and thought I would just pass on some
observations.

Around noon, over the Canadian Pacific rail yard in Port Coquitlam, there
was significant CANADA GOOSE activity. Everybody was up for their daily
exercise flights. About 200 of them in flocks of 10-20. Lots of noise and
lots of tumbling and cavorting around. Seeings as they don't fly south they
have to burn all that grain fed energy off some how.

Once we got moving, eastward, one of the more notable sightings was 15-20
MORNING DOVES near Harrison Mills. This particular section of the Fraser
Valley seems to have a significant population of doves as just across the
Fraser River, near Chilliwack, I had seen as many as 30 alongside the
Canadian National RR tracks.

A few miles further east we came across 2 TURKEY VULTURES soaring in a stiff
breeze near the debris trap, east of Aggasiz. One of my mates told me that
he had seen 5 or 6 TVs in the same area, on Monday, and that they had
flushed them off of the carcass of a Black Bear cub that was near the
tracks.

Once we got into the Fraser Canyon the time of year started to become
apparent. Two weeks ago, when I was last up that way, there were a few small
flocks of BAND-TAILED PIGEONS. This time there was about 7-8 flocks with a
total of about 100 birds. One flock flew up from beside the tracks and went
to land in a dead snag and thought better of it when they discovered an
AMERICAN KESTREL already there.

There were lots of STELLERS JAYs, DARK-EYED JUNCOS, 1 BALD EAGLE and CEDAR
WAXWINGS seen as well.

There was also a flock of mergansers that flew up river below us but they
were too far away to ID.

Good Birding

Roger Craik
Maple Ridge BC
rcraik at home.com