Birding, July 4, 2026: Greedy Grebelings gobbling goodies

Where: Blakeburn Lagoons Park (Port Coquitlam), Blackie Spit (Surrey), Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake (Burnaby) Weather: Mostly sunny, 17–20°C In which I wore sunblock and did not get roasted. Blakeburn Lagoons Park One of the lagoons, framed by wildflowers. We returned to Blakeburn to take in the baby Grebes again and this time we arrived in the morning, which was apparently nap time, because all the waterfowl, Mallards, and Grebes alike, were mostly dozing. But after a short time they started stirring and soon enough the Grebelings began chasing a parent, desperate for food. We observed one getting a big ol’ fishy from the parent and watched as it horked it down in about three gulps. We also saw a heron–but not a green one, just the great blue kind. It flew right past in front of us. I got a blurry action shot. Elsewhere around the lagoon, we spied a Northern Flicker, a robin hanging out by a sewer grate and lots of pollinators. It was unofficial Pollinator Day. At the second lagoon, we…