On Thursday, last, our birding correspondent John Tschopp shared an update on the very successful Breeding Bird Survey conducted on Saturday 7 June 2014.

“We had good participation by birders and birds. Heather Baines provided the attached list. We thank the property owners who opened their gates to us.

Do you remember the Prairie Falcon rescued November 2013 at Clover Road ? It spent the last six months at Owl Rehab Center at Boundary Bay. On Sunday it returned to Clover Rd. by helicopter. It did not need any encouragement to find its freedom. Within seconds of opening the box, it started circling and gaining altitude. After about three minutes it was so high, it disappeared from sight. We wish it good luck.

He also reported, to my great happiness (as I am developing a bit of a crush on this bird, despite never having seen it… which I guess makes me a groupie), that as of last Wednesday, the two Sandhill Cranes were still in the valley.

Here is the list of birds Heather Baines noted from the walk:

• Mallard
• Turkey vulture
• Bald eagle
• N. Harrier
• Smerican kestrel
• Sandhill crane
• Band-tail pigeon
• Vaux’s swift
• Rufous hummingbird
• Alder flycatcher
• Willow flycatcher
• W. Kingbird
• Warbling vireo
• Red-eyed vireo
• Crow
• Raven
• Tree swallow
• Violet-green swallow
• Barn swallow
• Veery
• Swainson’s thrush
• Robin
• Catbird
• Starling
• Cedar waxwing
• Yellow warbler
• Yellow-rump warbler
• MacGillivray’s warbler
• Yellowthroat
• W. tanager
• Spotted towhee
• Savannah sparrow
• Song sparrow
• White-crowned sparrow
• Black-headed grosbeak
• Lazuli bunting
• Red-wing blackbird
• Brewer’s blackbird
• Cowbird
• Bullock’s oriole

Do you have photos of these birds? Share them with us, and we’ll build a gallery, all the better for rookies like me to learn a few of the local winged things.