Birding in B.C.

I was traveling on business last week in Vancouver, British Columbia to help train a new technical support team that Kodak is setting up. The weather forecast called for rain all week, so I left my top-shelf Canon 40D birding camera at home, opting for the compact Panasonic Lumix TZ3 instead.

As it turned out, the weather alternated between overcast, rain and partly cloudy days with a respectable amount of sun. So in the end I regretted not bringing my DSLR, but figured it would be a good chance to challenge myself with my little "pocket rocket's" 10x zoom lens. Long days don't provide much of an opportunity for birding during the week, but I did have a free Saturday so I planned a couple of trips that sounded promising.

First up was a trip to Brackendale. It's a popular wintering spot for thousands of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) each year. By late March most of them have left for the year, but I'd been told that there would probably be a few eagles around despite the late date. Besides, the drive up the costal highway toward the mountains promised to be filled with Pacific pulchritude.

I set out around 7:30 for the 45 minute drive north. Passing through famous Stanley Park, I hit the highway, and was met by glorious mountain vistas:


Unfortunately the coastal highway is under construction for just about the entire trip. Brackendale is up near Squamish and Whistler Mountain, which will play host to the Olympic skiing venue during the 2010 Winter games in Vancouver. The government is madly at work widening the highway to accomodate the anticipated traffic.

So the beauty of sea and mountain was marred by construction vehicles and Jersey barriers. Still, it was an impressive site, with snow-topped Matterhorn peaks reaching into the sky. The 40 minute drive stretched into an hour and a half, but I was in no particular hurry.

Arriving in the town of Squamish I traded highways for two-lane government roads on the last few kilometers, and found the turnoff for Brackendale without too much trouble. The public viewing area is sandwiched between tribal land and private property, and stretches for about 500 meters along an earthen dyke. Crossing the road I climbed the small rise and surveyed the landscape before me:
     

A cold breeze accompanied the morning sun as I walked the length of the dyke in search of eagles. I found none, but these waterfowl were much in evidence. I think they're Common Goldeneyes (Bucephala Clangula), but my waterfowl ID skills are pretty poor:


The southern border of the public viewing area ended at a chain-link fence with a slightly menacing sign advertising the presence of a "Security Dog". I wonder if it was referring to this guy:


Maybe not a full-blooded Malamute, but he's close. He certainly displayed a Mal's aloofness, not deigning to relinquish his comfy spot despite my whistled call. I left him to his sunning after shooting a few pictures and walked back up the dyke.

High up I spotted a big bird circling near the bend in the river. I hustled forward for a closer look through my binoculars, then lined up the camera for a few shots:
     

I think this was a second year bird, but the distance was too great for a good look. I stayed for nearly two hours hoping for more sightings, but unfortunately that was as close as I got to an eagle at Brackendale. November to February is the most active period for them here, so I'll just need to plan another trip for the winter time.


I prefer cameras with optical viewfinders, but fewer models are being made with them these days. In the case of my TZ3 I understand why it lacks this feature-- building an optical viewfinder that could handle a 10x zoom lens is a tall order, plus it would take up real estate on the rear of the chassis that could be used for controls or the LCD. As it turns out, though, shooting with an LCD has its advantages. By putting the LCD in your line of sight you can keep an eye on the road while you take the shot. BTW, I don't recommend that anyone do this, since any kind of distraction is a potential disaster. On the way back to Vancouver I took a few more shots of the construction as well as the scenery:
     

As I neared the city, I was surprised to see an adult Bald Eagle fly low over the highway right in front of me! I didn't have my camera at the ready then, but it was the highlight of the morning, and definitely made the trip worthwhile.

That eagle turned out to be a harbinger. I grabbed lunch back in the city, then set off for my afternoon destination, the Reifel Bird Sanctuary. Located about an hour south of Vancouver, it promised lots of sightings.

Even before I arrived, I hit paydirt. As I got closer to the sanctuary, I could see several eagles soaring and circling overhead. To my amazement as I drove up a local road approaching a construction company, I found this gorgeous eagle sitting in a tree by the roadside, not twenty feet up!


I pulled my rental car over and grabbed my camera, certain that the bird would take off as soon as I opened the door, but it sat there, quite unperturbed, while I took picture after picture:


I couldn't afford to spend much time with the eagle because the sanctuary was due to close at 4:00, so I continued on my way. Arriving a short time later, I parked, dodging geese and Mallards that were thick in the parking lot. An adjacent pond held scores of Mallards and a smattering of other swimmers like this American Coot (Fulica americana):


I paid my $4.00 entry fee, grabbed a map, and was just about to head for the trails, when the man behind me in line asked the woman on the other side of the booth what interesting birds were around.

"Oh, what are you interested in?" she asked.

"How about owls?" said he.

"We have a Great Horned Owl nest that's easy to see," she answered.

That got my attention. I listened to her directions and set off straightaway. It wasn't long before I found a group of school children being led by one of the sanctuary's staff members, all staring up at a gnarled tree with a broken trunk. I looked up through the tangle of branches, and there she was:


I was astonished at the view. She wasn't even fifteen feet (5 meters) up. It was a rare find, especially to see one in such good light. The staffer said she was brooding two owlets a couple of weeks old. Across a small marsh stood a group of well-equipped birders, with Nikon cameras, long telephoto lenses and carbon-fiber tripods. I started to join them when a great cacophany filled the air. Overhead passed hundreds of Lesser Snow Geese (Chen caerulenscens):


They were headed for the open fields surrounding the sanctuary, looking for a bite to eat and a place to rest for the evening, according to the staffer. He also mentioned that the male Great-Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) was sitting in a pine tree only a little farther down the lane. I made the short walk, and was rewarded by another excellent view:
     

He was huge and magnificent! He too took little notice of all the attention he recieved from the many spectators below. Amazed, I took my fill of pictures then headed back to the marsh for a better look at the nesting mother owl.

Though farther away, the angle was much better. Now I wished I'd brought my Canon, but the Panasonic's 10x zoom lens did an admirable job of closing the distance:


I engaged one of the photographers in conversation, and he gave me a look through his camera, which he'd set up with a 400mm lens and a 2x teleconverter. His shots were excellent, as expected. When one of the owlets peeked out from under its mother's wing, shutters clicked madly, including my own:


I could have stayed all day, but I wanted to try to see the rest of the sanctuary, or at least as much of it as I could, before it closed. I left the marsh and the owls, returning to the perimeter path. Along the way I found this pair of Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa) preening in tandem on an old log:


A little further on I found some American Wigeons (Anas americana) foraging in the short grass...


And in a nearby pond a Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis):


Both are life birds for me-- common enough I'm sure, but for someone who doesn't normally seek out waterfowl they were fun finds.

As the hour drew towards closing time, the clouds closed in too. The Reifel Sanctuary had one more surprise for me, though:

Lesser Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis)!

It turned out to be a nesting pair, and signs warned visitors to be cautious around them, as they're know to be aggressive when strangers come too close to their nests. The pair vocalized a couple of times when an ill-mannered (or ignorant) visitor got too close, but for the most part they tolerated our presence pretty well, and most of the viewers kept a discreet distance. The Mallards didn't read the memo apparently, because they were all over the place. I think this one was mocking the crane:


They're impressive, striking birds, worthy of imitation:
     

I stayed as long as I could, but eventually I had to return to the hotel to pack for my trip home on Sunday. On the way out of the sanctuary I found a flock of Snow Geese in a field. I pulled over for a picture:


Suddenly, and for no reason that I could see, an alarm went up. In seconds the air was choked with beating wings. I caught the action with the TZ3's burst mode:
          

The Reifel Sanctuary is definitely on my list for an all day trip! Dawn and I both have relatives nearby, so returning to Vancouver for a vacation is a no-brainer. Timing will be important, to make sure we can see plenty of the Brackendale eagles and I'll bring along the good camera gear, but I think all in all the Lumix TZ3 did an admirable job. Vancouver is an interesting city, well-mannered and clean. It'll make a great vacation destination, and I'm already looking forward to the journey.