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June 22, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > 100 Mile House, Bird Watching
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Attention avid bird watchers!! I came across this bird watchers paradise while hiking in the South Cariboo. Located by the South Cariboo Visitor Center, the 100 Mile Marsh is home to many bird species. I saw a red winged and yellow headed black bird, Canadian geese, ruddy duck, pilealted woodpecker, and even a blue heron. Nice 20 minute walk around the trail circling the marsh offers plenty of opportunity to view the wildlife. Good ideas everyone…happy travelling!
May 13, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > Clearwater, Bird Watching
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We took an early morning hike about a half hour from the lodge to a site where Osprey’s have built a nest. Apparently, the nesting pair have returned to this same location for many years. It’s an easy walk into the area with lots of scrub pine and soil that is much more sandy that I would have expected. The weather was great with a bit of cloud and sun so we didn’t get overly heated by the walk.
Once there we sat on one of the many sand dunes that over look the nesting site. No doubt you’ll have brought a camera, but one with a good to great zoom is better so you can get some good close-up shots. You can hear the hollow chirping of the Osprey long before you see them, but we didn’t get the opportunity as we had to head back. Bernward said that they are a bit shy of strangers this early in the season and we would have to wait a long while for them to return so we departed.
Other birds I saw while here were the colorful Rufous Hummingbirds that frequent the feeder on the front porch, a young eaglet that was swaying in the wind currents at the southern tip of the Tatlayoko Lake, and a frisky Wiskey Jack that was looking for a handout that never came. Of course there are the loons on the lake and Gisela said there are probably four to five pairs that reside here from spring to fall. Other birds you might see include several varieties of pigeons, ravens, sandpipers, bluebirds, hawks, and any number of ducks. You can walk into many of the areas to see birds, but you can also paddle around the lake or take the all terrain vehicles to go into the back country areas.
May 1, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > North Vancouver, Bird Watching
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I know this type of bird as a whiskey-jack, but it goes by a long list of other names: Gray Jay (its official name), Canada Jay (its past official name), meat-bird, and camp-robber (the last two are due to its cheekiness and appetite).
Whiskey-jacks are curious and bold. Many like to supplement their natural diet (insects, berries, mushrooms, carrion or small animals) with people food (trail mix and sandwiches).
On a recent snowshoe trip at Mount Seymour, this particular whiskey jack zipped over as soon as we stopped to admire the view. My only offering was a sad, old apple I found at the bottom of my backpack. You can almost see the confusion on the bird’s face – “What the heck am I supposed to do with this?!”
My favourite whiskey-jack feature – aside from the fact that they’re pretty darn cute, especially when you get a photo of one sitting on your head – is how they store their food. They have large salivary glands and use them to coat their meal in bird-spit, and then hide these saliva-laden packages in the trees. This food storage technique helps them survive winter in snowy forests.
So, next time you’re in the mountains and stop to take a breather, look around. You may gain a feathery lunchtime buddy if you’re willing to part with a little bit of trail mix
January 23, 2009 | Tips from Travellers > McBride, Bird Watching
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If you're visiting or driving through the Robson Valley, take a few minutes and stop at Horseshoe Lake just outside of the McBride townsite. It's a beautifull little lake surrounded by towering mountains. When I was there, it was early fall and the peaks were covered with the first snow of the season. In spring and early summer the lake is a great spot for bird watching and the gazebo and picnic table on the shore provide a perfect vantage point.
November 11, 2008 | Tips from Us > Mission, Bird Watching
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It was pouring when we woke up. I questioned whether travelling out to Mission to get on a boat to explore the channels of the Fraser River near Harrison Mills was the best idea for spending the day with my daughter (9). Boy was I glad we did! We took part in a tour offered by
Fraser River Safari, a relatively new player on the tourism scene, to travel with them in their covered, warm and comfortable vessel, to view the wildlife and scenery east of Mission. We saw thousands of bald eagles perched in trees, on logs, flying and swooping. We saw seals lounging on logs and rocks, we saw a black bear forging for food on the shore and, (perhaps the highlight), we witnessed four fishermen struggle to pull in a 6 foot (maybe longer) sturgeon fish. From the very knowledgable guides we learned that sturgeon fishing on the Fraser is a big draw for visitors to our Province and that we have quite a reputation for sturgeon fishing on the world scale. We also learned that the sturgeon is a prehistoric fish and can live out of water for a very long time - in fact, as the story goes, a sturgeon was found alive in the mud banks of what was once the nearby Sumas Lake,
10 years after the lake had been drained. We were impressed to learn more about the "catch and release" laws pertaining to sturgeon fishing too, and felt relieved to know that our 6 foot friend wasn't getting served up for dinner at someone's table. We also learned a great deal about the First Nations of the area, the fur trade, the gold rush and about one of BC's favourite icons, the sasquatch! The trip is 4 hours in total, with a 1 hour stop at the
Kilby Historic Site in Harrison Mills where we enjoyed a fast lunch and a quick tour through the old General Store and Hotel, now a Museum. My daughter fancied the petting zoo and we vowed to return to the Kilby Historic Site when we had more time...in fact, it would be the perfect activity to pair up with a stay in nearby
Harrison Hot Springs. In the end, we were thrilled we ventured out to the Valley despite the weather - sure it rained most of the day but it didn't take away from our adventure at all!
January 3, 2008 | Tips from Us > Mackenzie, Bird Watching
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How often do you get the opportunity to see scientists checking the fat content of tiny songbirds no bigger than a tennis ball?
This was the experience I had visiting the Mackenzie Nature Observatory.
The Observatory engages in the Mackenzie Migration Monitoring Project in cooperation with the Canadian Wildlife Service.
A system of fine nets are strung through Mugaha Marsh ( about 15 km from Mackenzie) which harmlessly catch migrating birds and hold them until volunteers can bag them and transport them to the banding station in soft, cuddly fabric bags.
At the banding station, the birds are identified, weighed, measured, checked for fat content (identifies where they are in their migratory cycle) and general health. After their "check-up", the birds are released back into the marsh area.
The station is staffed by a combination of paid staff and volunteers who staff the observatory from mid-July to mid-September. Results are sent to Bird Studies Canada for inclusion in national data.
Volunteers check the nets every half hour from 6am until noon daily. To reach the nets further away from the banding station, volunteers jump on the resident bicycles and return to the station with the cheerful bird bags bobbing from their handlebars.
Once inside the banding station, the bags are hung on pegs to keep the squirming birds safe until they can be examined.
One by one, the bags are opened and a tiny feathered jewel is removed. While they seem a little bewildered, the birds are handled with such care and gentleness that they don't seem upset.
A tiny band with a unique code is tamped around the bird's leg and recorded for future reference.
Volunteers are needed to staff the station, but visitors can also drop in to see how the station works. There is an observation platform near the banding station as well.
August 15, 2007 | Tips from Us > Surrey, Bird Watching
One summer evening after dinner my boyfriend and I decided to head to Mud Bay Park for a walk. Both of us have been Surrey residents for our entire lives and yet had not visited this lovely spot. The park is located right on the ocean waters of Mud Bay, and offers a selection of winding gravel walking paths that border the ocean and are surrounded by low lying shrubs and greenery. Views across the water include that of Crescent Beach and Boundary Bay.
Signs in the park inform visitors that the mud flats are an important feeding ground for migratory shore birds which occupy the flats throughout autumn. It was low tide when we visited the park, which allowed us to explore the extensive mud flats and to see first hand all of the many marine creatures likely on the dinner menu for these hungry migratory birds! Out on the mudflats, blue herons were a common sight. On our walk along the trail, we saw numerous wild rabbits and a few red-tailed hawks coming and going from the surrounding shrubs. Our night finished up with a beautiful sunset and then we were on our way back home (park gates close at 10pm). What a nature filled, awe inspiring evening! I can only imagine what it will be like once the birds begin to occupy the flats beginning in late August and September!
April 12, 2007 | Tips from Travellers > Delta, Bird Watching
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A beautiful wintery sunset near Ladner, the temp at the time of this photograph was about -1*C
April 12, 2007 | Tips from Travellers > Vanderhoof, Bird Watching
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Amercian pelicans have been using Finger Lake as a feeding sanctuary during the summer months. Be sure to bring your field glasses and camera equipment to get a look at these magnificient birds.
March 16, 2007 | Tips from Travellers > Quesnel, Bird Watching
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