Birchwood Park birding

Last week, one of my birding trips was to Birchwood Park.  It's a small neighborhood park, mostly urban park style with picnic tables, basketball court and a kid's playground.  But all of those things are closed off right now and it abuts the trail that runs from Squalicum Creek Park down to Squalicum Beach.  I have had good luck finding warblers along this trail so I went to check it out.

I was pleasantly surprised at the variety and number of birds.  Alas, only one warbler, an orange-crowned, but lots of other birds and lots of good camera shots.

White-crowned sparrow was my first camera volunteer. 

The next up for the camera was a Spotted Towhee.  There's a staircase up from Squalicum Creek and at the top of it, there's a cluster of trees that get sun so it's usually an excellent place to catch some birds singing.  Spring is the time to see these towhees as they are usually shy and skulking in the bushes.  In springtime, they are bold and fearless. 

My final camera volunteer was a Bewick's Wren found along the side trail that leads down to Squalicum Creek from the end of a neighborhood street.  He was at the top of a snag where I often find hummingbirds. 

Also found but not photographed:  bushtits, chickadees, flickers, gulls, crows, robins and a finch.  For a short walk, it was a good birding experience.