Dave Ingram's Natural History Blog

If you’re a birder and in Vancouver you will probably eventually end up at
Reifel Bird Sanctuary on Westham Island. Reifel was one of my stops on a whirlwind birding trip to the Lower Mainland this past weekend and I have to admit that it was a bit of a love/hate experience.

Maybe that’s putting it a little too strongly.

On one hand, Reifel is an exceptionally good place to see a wide variety of birds and without trying too hard or staying too long I managed to see 30 different species – with a little extra effort and time it is definitely possible to see much more. Reifel is the only spot I know of in the Lower Mainland where Black-crowned Night Herons can be seen reliably.

The well trained Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) - what you don't see is the feeder 30cms to the right.

My mixed feelings toward Reifel are related to its “zoo-like” atmosphere. In some ways, Reifel’s success as a birding destination is also its downfall. It can be challenging to find places where you have more than 5 minutes of solitude in the sanctuary, especially during the weekend on a sunny day when everyone is out to enjoy and feed the birds. Exploring the further reaches of the dykes and sitting in one of the many bird blinds can give you a bit of a break from the crowds.

A quiet slough from the vantage point of a bird blind at Reifel Bird Sanctuary.

The other aspect of birding at Reifel is what I like to call the “farm petting zoo” factor. Many people like to connect with nature by feeding birds and animals. At Reifel, bags of seed are available at the entrance for those wishing to feed birds and most of the songbirds and ducks are well “trained.” The result is that you can get amazingly close views of birds that you probably wouldn’t get in a more natural setting. Unfortunately, you can also get harassed by tough flocks of Mallards or American Coots if you don’t pony up the toll to pass through their section of the sanctuary.

Looking out over the salt marsh from the outer dyke at Reifel Bird Sanctuary - a great place to watch for Northern Harriers and other raptors.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d definitely recommend a visit to Reifel if you’re a birder visiting the Lower Mainland. However, try to time your visit for a weekday and as early as possible to avoid the late morning/afternoon crowds. Spending a little time to explore the outer reaches of the sanctuary that are off the main loops can be rewarding as well.

Click here for directions and a Google Map to Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Shorebird Sculpture at 72nd Street

I spent the weekend in Vancouver hitting some of the Lower Mainland’s birding hot spots including the 72nd Street access to the Boundary Bay dyke. I arrived there fairly late in the day so there wasn’t too much in the way of birds aside from the ubiquitous Northern Harrier. Any of the dyke access points are good for a variety of salt flat specialties including Northern Harrier and Short-eared Owl. I have seen Long-eared Owl roosting in the shrubs over the ditch on the near side of the dyke but didn’t see any this time.

Big skies and salt marsh at Boundary Bay, Vancouver, BC.

The wide open spaces and plenty of food (ducks, shorebirds, voles) attracts other raptors as well. I was lucky to run into a group of birders from Victoria who were watching a Gyrfalcon on the flats – timing is everything. It flushed shortly after I got out on the dyke and I was fortunate to see it fly over. Peregrine Falcon is possible as is a number of buteos including Red-tailed and Rough-legged Hawk at this time of year. Some years also see large numbers of Snowy Owls moving down from the north.

The dyke at Boundary Bay, great place to spend a late afternoon.

While I didn’t see too many birds this late in the day it was still a pleasant way to end a day of birding in the Lower Mainland. Bring a scope to watch raptors that are perched on logs out on the flats or join a group of birders who have one – there is almost always someone with a scope or camera with a long lens out on the dyke for the show!

To access Boundary Bay drive east on Highway 10 from Ladner and look for signage marking access points at 64th St., 72nd St., and 104th St. Click here to view a map of the access points.

Just a quick backyard feeder update for the week – not much change in the number or kinds of birds visiting the feeders. We’re still getting both a male and female Downy Woodpecker regularly and the Ruby-crowned Kinglet makes appearances daily to visit the suet feeder. The single White-crowned Sparrow has been joined by at least one other adult and one juvenile White-crowned Sparrow. Both Pine Siskins and American Goldfinch are around in huge numbers throughout the day and I’m essentially refilling the tube feeder every two days. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to conduct the feeder count this weekend because I was out of town.

Here’s the list for the week:

Here’s the species list for the week:

• House Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco (including 1 Slate-coloured Junco)
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee
• Spotted Towhee
• House Finch
• Bewick’s Wren
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• White-crowned Sparrow
• Pine Siskin
• European Starling
• American Goldfinch
• Downy Woodpecker

As part of Project FeederWatch, I’m keeping an eye on our feeders two days out of the week to help scientists track winter bird activity, abundance and diversity. It’s a great way to spend an hour or two drinking coffee and peering out into the rain. I’ve also decided to start a yard list of all the birds that visit our backyard.

Oyster Bay Sky #1

I’ve stopped in at Oyster Bay on my way through several times this week for a quick look for birds and to admire the setting sun. Oyster Bay is on the east side of Vancouver Island but the sunset lights up the Coast Mountains across the Strait of Georgia making for some dramatic skies. I captured this series of clouds and water earlier this week and thought that they would make a fitting set for SkyWatch Friday. Enjoy!

Oyster Bay Sky #2

Oyster Bay Sky #3

For more beautiful skies visit SkyWatch Friday:

Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) gliding over the water at Woodhus Slough.

I headed out to Woodhus Slough this morning to do some casual birding with the kids and to check out how last week’s heavy rain, high tides and storm had affected the slough. The change was dramatic – while the dyke separating the slough from the ocean hadn’t been breached it was obvious that the storm and high tides had driven the water over the dyke and into the slough. Driftwood and other debris littered the trail in places showing the reach of the water and the slough itself was full of water. There were several different kinds of ducks enjoying the new “pond” and a nice group of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) gliding over the water.

Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) on flooded farm fields at UBC Farms.

Further in where the trail overlooks the former UBC Farms field (now owned by Patrick Evans) the impact of the heavy rain of the last week was also apparent. The fields were flooded, forming a shallow lake that was filled with ducks and a few more swans. Large flocks of Dunlin interspersed with Black-bellied Plover worked the edges of the flooded field.

Flooded farm fields at the former UBC Farms - excellent winter duck habitat.

All in all it was a pleasant morning to be out birding. The Trumpeter Swans were a highlight as was a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) and an Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope) in with a flock of American Wigeon.

Here’s the list of birds I saw at Woodhus Slough:

• Trumpeter Swan
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Song Sparrow
• Mallard
• American Wigeon
• Eurasian Wigeon
• Bufflehead
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Shrike (first of the year!)
• Northern Pintail
• Green-winged Teal
• Spotted Towhee
• Bewick’s Wren
• Dunlin
• Black-bellied Plover
• Great Blue Heron
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee
• Red-breasted Nuthatch
• House Finch

On the ocean:

• Glaucous-winged Gull
• White-winged Scoter
• Surf Scoter
• Red-breasted Merganser
• Horned Grebe
• Common Goldeneye