British Columbia

6th-22nd September 2011

September 6 C.100 Beluga Whales seen as we flew over Hudson Bay at 30,000 feet, looking like grains of rice along the shoreline. Very little seen between Vancouver Airport and Richmond with a handful of Northwestern Crows of any note. A walk round Stanley Park in the afternoon was fairly quiet with Northern Flicker, Great Blue Heron, American Wigeon, Wood Duck, White-crowned Sparrow, Spotted Towhee and Black-capped Chickadee around the park and small pools.

Many Glaucous-winged Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants on the Lost Lagoon along with a confiding Ring-billed Gull hoping for food.

Many Racoons and a couple of Douglas’s Squirrels wandering around hoping for handouts

Great Blue Heron Wood Duck

Glaucous-winged Gull Ring-billed Gull

September 7 Very little seen during the day though most of the morning spent collecting the hire van and stocking up on supplies.

The ferry trip across to Vancouver Island was equally quiet with many Glaucous-winged Gulls and a Belted Kingfisher around the Horseshoe Ferry Terminal and a pair of Black Scoter and a Common Seal on the crossing itself. A short stop at Fanny Bay on Vancouver Island produced a Great Northern Diver and an American Robin along with 3+ distant porpoise/dolphin sp. September 8 Several Steller’s Jays around the campsite at Cumberland Lake first thing clearing up after the campers and a couple of Golden-crowned Kinglets also here plus 3 Spotted Sandpipers along the edge of the lake. A quick stop at Oyster Bay as we went past produced an adult Bald Eagle on the mud before flying off with a fish and also an Osprey unsuccessfully fishing. 2 Black Turnstones showed well along the shoreline with Grey Plover and a very confiding Great Blue Heron and a Pigeon Guillemot, 2 Black Scoter, 3 Red-necked Grebes and a few Bonaparte’s Gulls offshore.

Douglas’s Squirrel Racoon

What you get if you ask Wicked Campers for a camouflage vehicle!

Fairly quiet in Strathcona Provincial Park, though the afternoon heat was very intense which probably didn’t help. 3 Blue Grouse showed well along the road and a few Varied Thrushes around the campsite by the Buttle River in the late afternoon. September 9 A quick walk round the campsite first thing produced a stunning male MacGillivray’s Warbler, Hammond’s Flycatcher and a few Varied Thrushes.

1 Fox Sparrow briefly by the road as we drove towards Telegraph Cove village and a confiding Steller’s Jay around the boardwalk.

Black Turnstone Great Blue Heron

Hammond’s Flycatcher Varied Thrush

Steller’s Jay

7+ Orcas seen on a boat trip in the afternoon and showed well along with 2 Humpbacks, 2+ Dall’s Porpoises, 1+ Steller’s Sealions and a few Common Seals.

Many Rhinoceros Auklets and Guillemots also seen along with 5 Harlequin Ducks, 3+ Red-necked Phalaropes, a Marbled Murrelet and a Sooty/Short-tailed Shearwater. A few Bald Eagles showed well in waterside trees looking very imperious.

Several Bald Eagles around Bear Cove in the evening along with an American Dipper and a Peregrine. 5 Northern River Otters showed well just below the motel balcony and a Black Bear also seen wandering about on the estuary at dusk. September 10 Very little seen on a 140km round trip along incredibly bumpy roads to Winter Harbour and Gold River. 2+ Sea Otters seen around the harbour but stayed well away from the cameras, and also 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and an adult Bald Eagle here. A small flock of Band-tailed Pigeons showed well by the road on the way back to Port Hardy. September 11 Following a change of plan with our ferry to Bella Coola being cancelled at the last minute, an all day ferry ride from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert was very productive, especially for seabirds with 3+ Cassin’s Auklets, a few Ancient Murrelets, a Rhinoceros Auklet and many Guillemots seen along with several White-winged and Surf Scoters, many Sooty Shearwaters and a pale phase Arctic Skua. Two flocks of 29 and 33 Sandhill Cranes flew over Bella Bella whilst we were docked there. 6+ Humpbacks seen though not showing that well but 2+ Dall’s Porpoise and 3+ Pacific White-sided Dolphins showed much better briefly.

Orca Humpback Whale

Rhinoceros Auklet Bald Eagle

September 12 Generally fairly quiet in the woods on the Butze Rapids Trail, though several parties of Chestnut-backed Chickadees showed well, occasionally with accompanying Yellow Warbler and Golden-crowned Kinglet.

1 Red-breasted Sapsucker showed well along with a Downy Woodpecker briefly and a couple of Dark-eyed Juncos.

September 13 A late afternoon visit to the salmon ladder near Granisle failed to produce any Grizzlies, but a mother Black Bear showed well as she caught a couple of Sockeye Salmon to take to her cub. Several Bald Eagles, an Osprey, 2+ Barrow’s Goldeneye and several Goosander also here.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Dark-eyed Junco Red-bellied Sapsucker

A drive along forest tracks between Granisle and Smithers Landing in the evening produced 6+ Black Bears and 2+ Snowshoe Hares.

September 14 A long drive from Granisle to Fort Babine along forest tracks was quite productive with a stunning male Townsend’s Warbler, 3 Western Bluebirds, a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers and a posing White-crowned Sparrow by the roadside and a pair of Spruce Grouse flushed from by a toilet block by Doris Lake and also 1 Black Bear seen.

1 Grizzly Bear showed briefly on the river at the north end of Nilkitwa Lake from the roadbridge at lunchtime but only Osprey seen here during the rest of the afternoon. A return visit in the evening

Black Bear Osprey

Black Bear

White-crowned Sparrow

eventually produced 2 Grizzly Bears which showed superbly at dusk having first appeared on the road in front of us.

Also Warbling Vireo, female Townsend’s Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Black-capped Chickadee and Song Sparrows around the car park and 3 Ospreys, 2 Bald Eagles and a Merlin showed superbly over the river. September 15 No sign of any Grizzly Bears at first light around the river and road bridge, though the traffic, especially the logging lorries hurtling across the bridge was frequent and noisy. 3+ Spruce Grouse showed well along the track back to Granisle, including one particularly confiding male, and also brief Sharp-shinned Hawk flew across. Single Red-necked Grebe and female Ring-necked Duck also seen on Pine Tree Lake.

Very little seen on the long drive from the Babine River to William’s Lake during the rest of the day with American Kestrel and Magpie of any note. Several Brewer’s Blackbird around William’s Lake and female Western Tanager, male House Finch and an Empidonax Flycatcher sp. in Drummond Lodge garden in the evening. September 16 A few birds around the Drummond’s Lodge garden in the morning with the Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Northern Flicker and Song Sparrow seen.

Grizzly Bears

Spruce Grouse

A few Ring-necked Ducks and Pied-billed Grebes seen distantly on Scout Island Nature Reserve from the garden but I didn’t get any closer to see more. Quite a bit seen on the long drive west into the Bella Coola Valley. Several Mountain Bluebirds, Vesper Sparrows and a few Western Meadowlarks on roadside fences along with mixed flocks of Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Starling and Brewer’s Blackbird. A quick stop at Pollywog Marshes produced a flock of Ring-necked Ducks and a few Ruddy Duck. Further along the road, 1 Golden Eagle, several American Kestrels and a Merlin seen and a probable Spruce Grouse sat on the road briefly. 2 Grey Jays showed ridiculously well at the viewpoint at the top of “The Hill”, even going in the car to pinch scraps.

5+ Grizzly Bears seen from the viewpoint in the afternoon, giving amazing views both feeding in the river and a couple of times, walking along the banking within 50feet of the fenced off area we were in.

Pacific-slope Flycatcher Song Sparrow

Grey Jay

Grizzly Bears

Also 2 Black Bears seen but much more wary due to the presence of the much larger Grizzlies and also several California Gulls on the river eating left overs. After dark, a probable Lynx and probable American Marten seen by the road in the headlights briefly. September 17 Most of the day spent on the Belarko bear viewing platform but it was generally very quiet with regulars Big Mac and Ruby seen (the rangers here know the bears so well many of the regular ones have names and are greeted like old friends) but the light wasn’t very good for photography. This is a free to visit platform, with very friendly rangers on site who even during long periods when the bears are elsewhere keep the spirits up. Not many birds seen during the day either with a couple of Bald Eagles over and Yellow-rumped Warbler with a chickadee flock in trees by the platform. September 18 Again the day spent on the Belarko bear viewing platform and much better action than yesterday with Big Mac, Ruby and Lady Diver seen well along with a young unknown Grizzly and 2 Black Bears. These bears really do know how to put on a good show, Big Mac in particular busily chased a few salmon around whilst some of the others were more picky and sniffed at various dead fish and carried on going until they found something they liked the smell of.

Grizzly Bears

Black Bear

Again few birds seen during the day though 1 male Varied Thrush showed well amongst a small flock of American Robins and Song Sparrow and Belted Kingfisher also seen.

September 19 No sign of any bears from the Belarko Bear Platform on an hour and a half watch first thing, just Belted Kingfisher, a few American Robins and 2 distant Bald Eagles seen of note. A lunchtime stop at Pollywog Marshes Wildfowl Refuge produced several American Wigeons, a couple of Pintail and a Ruddy Duck. Also a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Dark-eyed Junco and a brief Red-breasted Sapsucker in the surrounding bushes.

Very little seen down the Nemiah Valley late afternoon, other than several Northern Flickers seen flying up from by the road and we eventually came across 3 Mustangs in the road and were quite flighty which has made a change from all the other “wild” horse herds we’ve come across on our travels. September 20 A short stop and scan of the lake behind the tourist information centre at 100 Mile House produced a flock of Lesser Scaup and a few Canvasbacks and American Coot, but most birds were distant. Very little seen on a drive through Wells Grey Provincial Park up the valley to Clearwater Campsite, other than a family of Spruce Grouse which showed extremely well and posed for photos by the road.

Varied Thrush

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Quite few butterflies out in the glorious weather, including several Comma sp and a Mourning Cloak.

A walk round the Ray Farm trail was very quiet but for a few American Robins and White-crowned Sparrows. September 21 Not a lot seen first thing along the road in Wells Grey other than a Black Bear by the road. 7 Sandhill Cranes by the road near Little Fort (where Toni saw a Coyotes in a roadside field) and a few Red-tailed Hawks also seen on the long drive back to Vancouver, but otherwise not a lot seen. A plan to revisit Stanley Park in the evening got rained off. September 22 A walk around the George C. Reifel Reserve once the rain had stopped was very pleasant and very worthwhile. The reserve is a bit like Martin Mere with a lot of Mallards expecting to be fed in some areas but in others, they are very flighty, some of the American Wigeon, Pintail and Wood Duck too are the same and also a Pied-billed Grebe showed well briefly.

Spruce Grouse

Mourning Cloak Comma sp.

Many Black-capped Chickadees around the trails too and also happy to feed out of any passing birder’s hand.

3+ Northern Harriers, a Cooper’s Hawk and a Peregrine hunting around the reserve showed well and caused chaos amongst the various waterbirds. A few Great Blue Herons on the various pools, many of which were very confiding and also a Night Heron roosting in waterside bushes.

American Wigeon Wood Duck

Black-capped Chickadee

Pied-billed Grebe

Good numbers of waders on West Field Marsh, mostly Long-billed Dowitchers and Lesser Yellowlegs but also a few Greater Yellowlegs, Least and Western Sandpipers and single Stilt and Pectoral Sands.

Several Fox Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, Yellow-rumped Warblers, a couple of Common Yellowthroats, Marsh Wrens and Lincoln’s Sparrows in the surrounding bushes along with a small flock of Bushtits, a House Finch and a Cedar Waxwing.

. 16 Sandhill Cranes and 3 Lesser Snow Geese in fields with Canada Geese along the road to the reserve as we left.

Night Heron

Long-billed Dowitcher Stilt Sandpiper

Lincoln’s Sparrow Cedar Waxwing

Sandhill Cranes