Birding, October 17, 2026: A scurry of scampering squirrels

Where: Terra Nova Rural Park, Richmond Nature House (Richmond), Piper Spit, Burnaby Lake (Burnaby)Weather: Sunny, 15–17°C We’re in the second half of October and still wearing shorts! Also: So many squirrels, a group of which can be known as a scurry. :themoreyouknow: Terra Nova View looking toward the North Shore mountains. We started at Terra Nova and I quickly made my airplane shot quota, then took a few more. Some distant clouds, mountains, and good light actually made a few of the shots pretty decent. But onto birbs: We saw birbs. There were towhees, but they were coy enough that the best I could manage was one blurry shot that can’t even pass off as artsy, it’s just out of focus. We also saw some fleeting bushtits, Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Golden Crowns, but the area was dominated by Song Sparrows, who were all over the place, singing, posing, and hiding behind berries. We watched as a woman with bird seed gathered together a crow army that followed her as she passed by. There…