Author: Richard Lee

These photos were taken on the Harrison River this past Sunday. With high water, the eagles were more dispersed than they had been the week before. Still, a very enjoyable and productive outing.

The Fraser Valley, with its mild winters, open fresh water and proximity to the coast is a good wintering location for many of the birds from the north. Added to that, there are many spawning salmon in the lower Fraser in October and November. When the salmon die, they become feed for bald eagles, which flock to the rivers of the lower Fraser Valley. The following photos were taken this past week at the Nicomen Slough and the nearby Harrison River which features an exceptionally high concentration of eagles in November and December.

Yesterday, I went to Brunswick Point in Ladner. It is a point of land , south of Vancouver, bordered by the Fraser River and the Salish Sea. I had read reports of an ash-throated flycatcher spotted there. This is normally a bird of drylands and desert and at this time of year is found in Mexico, not on the coast of British Columbia! I was lucky enough to see and photograph this misplaced bird, and managed to see another 30 species as well. It is clear that the eagles are returning to the Fraser and to the Coast now (I saw more than 20) and their numbers will peak in the winter months. I also managed to see some 2000 snow geese, which arrived in the area in the last two weeks, from their summer grounds in Siberia. It was a great outing!

I enjoy watching and photographing great blue herons. They are easy to find, easy to photograph and interesting to watch, particularly when they are fishing. The following photos were taken at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta, BC. While there were not as many there as we normally see, they were close to the trails, and that provided great opportunities to watch and photograph.

We have long waned to visit the West Kootenays. We finally made it this month. We had exceptional weather until the smoke from the fires of the Western United States arrived. Here are a few of the photos from the region.

With the closure of the Reifel Bird Sanctuary and the American border this year, due to Covid, we missed seeing the Spring migration of shorebirds this year. Now that late summer has arrived, the Autumn migration has started. With a recent trip to Victoria and the re-opening of the Reifel Sanctuary, we are now starting to see some of these amazing birds. There are a number of shorebirds that spend the winter on the Coast near Vancouver, but many of the others that we are now seeing spend the summers in the Far North and winter much further south. I look forward to seeing many more as we move into Autumn.

August 4th, 2020 has been declared International Owl Awareness Day. Throughout this past week, around the world, there have been events set-up to increase awareness of owls in general, and to highlight the environmental needs and concerns regarding these amazing birds. With Covid-19, many of the activities have had to be “virtual” and moved on-line. Earlier this year, I had been looking forward to attending activities at the Northern Spotted Owl Breeding Program, her in the Fraser Valley, but these activities have had to be cancelled. This program supports a critically endangered species of owl found on the West Coast, which has suffered from loss of habitat. Hopefully next year will see a return to “live” activities. I am attaching a number of photos of other owls I have taken over the last few years.

Until this week, I had never seen a barn owl in the wild. While they are found on every continent except North America, they are rare in Canada. It is estimated that there are fewer than 1000 in Canada in total, most of which are found in southern British Columbia. While walking Brock in a local park one evening, we met an individual who said he had seen a barn owl in that very park, at dusk. The next day, we returned to the park at dusk, and were fortunate to encounter the owl. It flew right over us. I did not have my camera with me, so I again returned to the park at dusk with my camera the following evening and was fortunate to encounter the owl. (It is likely that there is a nest in a barn owl nesting box located in an inaccessible part of the park.) In four visits at dusk, we were able to see the owl on each occasion.

This most recent trip to the Rockies was exceptional for seeing both black bears and grizzly bears. However, we were unable to spot any mountain goats or moose. As always, there are many birds to be seen, although this is a relatively quiet time of year for birds.

In mid-July, we took a trip to the Canadian Rockies. After living in Eastern Canada and the USA for so many years, it was a surprise to realize that we now live less than eight hours by road from either Banff or Jasper. With travel restrictions in place, the parks were not as busy as usual, and we were readily able to camp in the parks, and maintain social isolation. As we have had a cool spring and cool early summer this year, there is still a lot of snow and ice in the mountains. The scenery is spectacular.

Last week, we took a short trip to the South Okanagan. Despite stormy weather, it was a very good trip for seeing “new to us” birds, as well as for wildflowers, animals and beautiful scenery.

I have very much enjoyed discovering new places in our first Spring in Southern British Columbia. There is so much to see and experience. The forests are particularly beautiful and peaceful. “Birding” here is a very different experience for me, as the forest is denser, the canopy much higher, and the variations in the forest are greater than I am used to. In very short distances there are immense differences based on elevation, terrain, relative amounts of sun and shade, forestry practices (old growth, new growth, replanted or naturally reseeded). These differences in forest have a major impact on the distribution of bird species. Birds are generally more difficult to spot by sight than what I am used to, and it is necessary to listen for identifying calls and to know more of bird behaviour with respect to type of forest, than what I am used to. The challenges are putting me on a steep learning curve, which I am enjoying. The following photos have all been taken in forests of the lower Fraser Valley over the last six weeks.