dwatsonbirder
Well-known member
Introduction
British Columbia is a diverse state in Western Canada, stretching from the border with the US to the south with Washington State, north and back to the Alaskan border. There are also a surprisingly diverse number of habitats on offer fconsidering the country’s temperate latitude, from the barren mountain slopes of the Rockies, flower filled meadows in the central region to the lush temperate rainforests along the Pacific coast.
The emphasis of our trip was (as always) wildlife, but more specifically targeting mammals. We arranged several trips with tour companies targeting mammals, all of which were successful and highly enjoyable.
Much of the birding was incidental, but I managed to catch up with most of my target birds. In total I saw 105 species of birds, of which 71 were lifers. We saw a total of 15 mammal species including all of our targets.
As others have stated, BC can be a bit on the quiet side for birding, especially during the autumn, when the forests can be silent bar the occasional contact call.
Early September can be a great time to witness not only a lot of mammal activity, but also migration, as birds breeding to the north travel down the Pacific coast to their wintering quarters in the southern hemisphere. There were several surprises whilst we visited but sadly due to an already packed schedule we were unable to witness these; Marbled godwit and Sharp tailed sandpipers in with the wader flocks, multiple Chestnut sided warblers in the greater Vancouver region, and even two species of albatross from a pelagic.
None of these missed birds detracted from what was a great trip, and I hope to convey some of the more memorable moments so that if they are even a fraction as interesting to read about as to have witnessed, I will indeed be satisfied.
On a side note there are four essential pieces of kit for birding in BC: the Sibley guide, a detailed road map, a copy of Cannings “Birding in British Columbia” and also access to the excellent British Columbia birding forums, which are a wealth of knowledge and are masterfully ran so that news is out very quickly.
Day 1 Vancouver
Our first day in British Columbia saw us landing in Vancouver International Airport in bright sunshine. The flight had taken 11 hrs as we had an unannounced stop over in Calgary on the way, which was longer than expected, but we would still have the afternoon free to begin to explore the city.
The first birds off of the plane were observed simultaneously; Turkey vulture and Glaucous winged gull, which was quickly followed by North Western Crow. We would spend a couple of nights in the city before catching the ferry across to the island to explore the North East and South West.
After orientating ourselves a bit we decided to walk along the promenade and into Stanley Park, giving us a much-needed opportunity to stretch our legs, and to allow for some sneaky birding. Along the walk we saw multiple Glaucous winged gulls, and with a bit of effort I located a few California and Ring billed gulls mixed in with them. A few Great blue heron waded in the shallows; whilst further out in the water a Harbour seal joined double crested and Brandt’s cormorant. A little further along the seawall, a sharp call alerted me to a group of sparrows, which contained Fox and Song sparrows – barely an hour since our arrival and I’d already seen 7 new species!
As we entered the park I noted a few American robin skulking under some bushes, and a bit of pishing revealed a fine Swainson’s thrush that was loosely associated with them. The pishing attracted a few more Song sparrow as well as a couple of Rufous sided towee and a few Black capped chickadee.
Up in the trees were more American robin, as well as Bushtit and Downy woodpecker. A Northern flicker showed well on the deck before retreating to the top of a conifer.
Around Lost Lagoon I added Wood duck and singles of Green winged teal, Ring necked duck and Pied billed grebe out on the water, whilst the trees held Anna’s hummingbird and more sparrows (including a couple of smart White crowned sparrow). Whilst watching the sparrows, a group of passerines piled nervously into the top of a nearby tree – I was pleased to find this was a group of 5 Western tanager, and I just managed a single photo before they moved off again. This was the only occasion that I caught up with Western tanager and there was a sense that there were slightly different suites of species on each of the visits to Stanley Park, and the area is basically one massive migrant trap.
Our next stop was the aquarium, which I really recommend – the jellyfish displays are absolutely stunning. There was a slight bonus in the form of our first Racoon of the trip feeding on fruit overhanging the Beluga tank.
From here we headed for Beaver lake, which I had read was generally a hotbed of activity, with the Alder trees pulling in migrants. The first group of birds I saw were 3 thrushes atop a pine, which were a bit too far to make out, so I blasted a couple of shots to check later…
The walk around the lake was pretty quiet, so we cut across one of the tracks back towards the coast. Here I noted a few kinglets feeding, so I began pishing. What a reaction – the bushes exploded! Both Ruby and Golden crowned kinglets immediately buzzed around my head, and were quickly joined but Black capped and Chestnut sided chickadees, then a cracking Black throated grey warbler joined in which in turn attracted even more birds – Bushtit, Brown creeper, Red breasted nuthatch and even a Downy woodpecker. This was much more like it!
We wandered back to the hotel and enjoyed a great seafood dinner, but just before bed I decided to review my photos. I was nearly ill when I noted that one of the thrushes I’d photographed earlier wasn’t an American robin, but a orange breasted bird, with a dark breast band and white undertail coverts – I’d thrown away a Varied thrush, my main target of the trip!
This schoolboy error aside, it had been a great first day and a wonderful introduction to the birds of the Pacific Northwest.
British Columbia is a diverse state in Western Canada, stretching from the border with the US to the south with Washington State, north and back to the Alaskan border. There are also a surprisingly diverse number of habitats on offer fconsidering the country’s temperate latitude, from the barren mountain slopes of the Rockies, flower filled meadows in the central region to the lush temperate rainforests along the Pacific coast.
The emphasis of our trip was (as always) wildlife, but more specifically targeting mammals. We arranged several trips with tour companies targeting mammals, all of which were successful and highly enjoyable.
Much of the birding was incidental, but I managed to catch up with most of my target birds. In total I saw 105 species of birds, of which 71 were lifers. We saw a total of 15 mammal species including all of our targets.
As others have stated, BC can be a bit on the quiet side for birding, especially during the autumn, when the forests can be silent bar the occasional contact call.
Early September can be a great time to witness not only a lot of mammal activity, but also migration, as birds breeding to the north travel down the Pacific coast to their wintering quarters in the southern hemisphere. There were several surprises whilst we visited but sadly due to an already packed schedule we were unable to witness these; Marbled godwit and Sharp tailed sandpipers in with the wader flocks, multiple Chestnut sided warblers in the greater Vancouver region, and even two species of albatross from a pelagic.
None of these missed birds detracted from what was a great trip, and I hope to convey some of the more memorable moments so that if they are even a fraction as interesting to read about as to have witnessed, I will indeed be satisfied.
On a side note there are four essential pieces of kit for birding in BC: the Sibley guide, a detailed road map, a copy of Cannings “Birding in British Columbia” and also access to the excellent British Columbia birding forums, which are a wealth of knowledge and are masterfully ran so that news is out very quickly.
Day 1 Vancouver
Our first day in British Columbia saw us landing in Vancouver International Airport in bright sunshine. The flight had taken 11 hrs as we had an unannounced stop over in Calgary on the way, which was longer than expected, but we would still have the afternoon free to begin to explore the city.
The first birds off of the plane were observed simultaneously; Turkey vulture and Glaucous winged gull, which was quickly followed by North Western Crow. We would spend a couple of nights in the city before catching the ferry across to the island to explore the North East and South West.
After orientating ourselves a bit we decided to walk along the promenade and into Stanley Park, giving us a much-needed opportunity to stretch our legs, and to allow for some sneaky birding. Along the walk we saw multiple Glaucous winged gulls, and with a bit of effort I located a few California and Ring billed gulls mixed in with them. A few Great blue heron waded in the shallows; whilst further out in the water a Harbour seal joined double crested and Brandt’s cormorant. A little further along the seawall, a sharp call alerted me to a group of sparrows, which contained Fox and Song sparrows – barely an hour since our arrival and I’d already seen 7 new species!
As we entered the park I noted a few American robin skulking under some bushes, and a bit of pishing revealed a fine Swainson’s thrush that was loosely associated with them. The pishing attracted a few more Song sparrow as well as a couple of Rufous sided towee and a few Black capped chickadee.
Up in the trees were more American robin, as well as Bushtit and Downy woodpecker. A Northern flicker showed well on the deck before retreating to the top of a conifer.
Around Lost Lagoon I added Wood duck and singles of Green winged teal, Ring necked duck and Pied billed grebe out on the water, whilst the trees held Anna’s hummingbird and more sparrows (including a couple of smart White crowned sparrow). Whilst watching the sparrows, a group of passerines piled nervously into the top of a nearby tree – I was pleased to find this was a group of 5 Western tanager, and I just managed a single photo before they moved off again. This was the only occasion that I caught up with Western tanager and there was a sense that there were slightly different suites of species on each of the visits to Stanley Park, and the area is basically one massive migrant trap.
Our next stop was the aquarium, which I really recommend – the jellyfish displays are absolutely stunning. There was a slight bonus in the form of our first Racoon of the trip feeding on fruit overhanging the Beluga tank.
From here we headed for Beaver lake, which I had read was generally a hotbed of activity, with the Alder trees pulling in migrants. The first group of birds I saw were 3 thrushes atop a pine, which were a bit too far to make out, so I blasted a couple of shots to check later…
The walk around the lake was pretty quiet, so we cut across one of the tracks back towards the coast. Here I noted a few kinglets feeding, so I began pishing. What a reaction – the bushes exploded! Both Ruby and Golden crowned kinglets immediately buzzed around my head, and were quickly joined but Black capped and Chestnut sided chickadees, then a cracking Black throated grey warbler joined in which in turn attracted even more birds – Bushtit, Brown creeper, Red breasted nuthatch and even a Downy woodpecker. This was much more like it!
We wandered back to the hotel and enjoyed a great seafood dinner, but just before bed I decided to review my photos. I was nearly ill when I noted that one of the thrushes I’d photographed earlier wasn’t an American robin, but a orange breasted bird, with a dark breast band and white undertail coverts – I’d thrown away a Varied thrush, my main target of the trip!
This schoolboy error aside, it had been a great first day and a wonderful introduction to the birds of the Pacific Northwest.