BC’s Lower mainland
Friday, 13 April, 2012
In my last entry, I blogged that I am fortunate enough to be able to travel beyond the borders of Ontario. This has been a busy spring with only small opportunities for photography so I had to make the best of it. On a recent trip to BC, I was able to explore the lower mainland including Boundary Bay, Tsawwassen and the Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Since I haven’t posted anything for some time, I have added extra images for your perusal.
Boundary Bay is an internationally recognized Important Bird Area on the Pacific Flyway and is situated in the most southern portion of BC and on the border of the U.S. state of Washington. Over the past winter, I read many reports that the Snowy Owl irruption was also occurring in BC, particularly in this area. You can view an interesting video about this irruption in Boundary Bay by clicking this link which also underlines the joy and problems associated when this mystical creature gets within the human environment. I was hoping to catch the tail end of the irruption but missed out by one day. I explored the dike area for a while admiring the Northern Harriers and also spied some of my first spring migrants.
American Widgeon
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My first Warbler of 2012 - Yellow-rumped Warbler
Savannah Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Northern Harrier
Northern Harrier
Across the bay is the very pretty town of Tsawwassen. If you have ever taken a ferry to Vancouver Island or any of the islands in between, you probably would recognize the name. My research into birding in this area of BC, recommended a trip to Beach Grove Park, which may have some early spring migrants. Even though, I didn’t see any warblers, I did find White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows. Some local birdwatchers also showed me where the resident Great-horned Owls were. I was able to get some images but they weren’t blog worthy.
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
The highlight of my day was the 3 hour visit to Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. It is a protected area and includes managed wetlands, marshes and dikes. The 740-acre area has numerous walking trails, bird blinds and lookouts. I really couldn’t believe how tame the local ducks were, previously thought unattainable.
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Spotted Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Snow Geese
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Wood Duck - pair
Wood Duck
Green-winged Teal
Sandhill Crane
