favourite birding sites - what yours?

[josterhold]

hello birders
it is slow today at the shop, so i thought i would put the question out there; what is your favourite birding site? one of my favourite birding sites is from the corner of prairie central and banford rd, along banford rd to lindell rd. up elk view rd to my property at 48179 elk view rd. it is about a 5km stretch that takes you through agriculture land on the valley floor to second growth mixed dedicious/confericious forest at an elevation of 100m. i like this site because it is generally a very quiet road where there is lots of space to pull over and go for a walk(and my yard is in it). i have birded this site for about 8 years and have seen a good number of birds; 154 species.
here are a list of the birds seen:
common loon (fly over)(1)
pied-billed grebe
double-crested cormorant (fly over)(4)
great blue heron
trumpeter swan
tundra swan
canada goose
cackling goose
wood duck
mallard
gadwall
green-winged teal
american wigeon
eurasian wigeon
northern pintail
northern shoveller
cinnamon teal
ring-necked duck
bufflehead
common merganser
hooded merganser
turkey vulture
osprey (fly over)(2)
northern harrier
golden eagle(2)
bald eagle
sharp-shinned hawk
cooper's hawk
northern goshawk
red-tailed hawk
rough-legged hawk
american kestrel
merlin
peregrine falcon
gyrfalcon(2)
ruffed grouse
virginia rail(1)
sandhill crane (fly over)
killdeer
greater yellowlegs
spotted sandpiper
least sandpiper
western sandpiper
wilson's snipe
ring-billed gull
mew gull
california gull
herring gull
glaucous gull(1)
thayer's gull
western gull
glaucous-winged gull
band-tailed pigeon
rock pigeon
mourning dove
barn owl
long-eared owl
short-eared owl
great horned owl
barred owl
western screech owl
northern pygmy owl
northern saw-whet owl
common nighthawk
vaux's swift
black swift
rufous hummingbird
anna's hummingbird
belted kingfisher
northern flicker
red-breasted sapsucker
downy woodpecker
hairy woodpecker
pileated woodpecker
olive-sided flycatcher
western wood-pewee
willow flycatcher
least flycatcher(2)
hammond's flycatcher
dusky flycatcher(1)
pacific-sloped flycatcher
western kingbird(3)
northern shrike
hutton's vireo
red-eyed vireo
cassin's vireo
warbling vireo
steller's jay
northwestern crow
common raven
horned lark
tree swallow
violet-green swallow
barn swallow
nothern rough-winged swallow
cliff swallow
bushtit
black-capped chickadee
chestnut-backed chickadee
mountain chickadee(1)
brown creeper
red-breasted nuthatch
winter wren
marsh wren
bewick's wren
golden-growned kinglet
ruby-crowned kinglet
mountain bluebird(2)
townsend's solitaire
veery(1)
swainson's thrush
hermit thrush
american robin
european starling
american pipit
cedar waxwing
orange-crowned warbler
nashville warbler(9)
yellow-rumped warbler
black throated-gray warbler
townsend's warbler
yellow warbler
macgillivary's warbler
wilson's warbler
common yellowthroat
western tanager
spotted towhee
american tree sparrow
fox sparrow
savannah sparrow
lincoln's sparrow
song sparrow
white-throated sparrow(8)
white-crowned sparrow
golden-crowned sparrow
dark-eyed junco
laplund lonspur
black-headed grosbeak
lazuli bunting(1)
western meadowlark
red-winged blackbird
brewer's blackbird
brown-headed cowbird
bullock's oriole(1)
purple finch
cassin's finch(5)
house finch
red crossbill
pine siskin
american goldfinch
common redpoll
evening grosbeak
house sparrow
if you have birded this site and you have seen a bird not on this list, please let me know.
i look forward to seeing where some of you like to bird and what you have seen there. it would be nice find out about some other good birding sites out in the valley.
good birding,
jason
ryder lake,bc

[tmanson]

If we are talking local, I would have to say the Sucker Creek Trail in Hope, which is part of the Trans Canada Trail system.
It is accessible by turning left off Kawkawa Lake Road onto Union Bar, just after crossing the Coquihalla River.
The small parking lot marks the beginning. The first part follows Sucker Creek, which hosts two runs of spawining salmon in the fall. The creek yields to a broad marsh, which, after a short rise, opens up into a pasture, which is soon to be converted into a subdivision. The trail, however will still be there. By walking up a farmhouse driveway/path, you can then shortcut to the left into another subdivision, and by walking through this area, you can access Kawkawa Lake itself.
I don't think this route hosts as many birds as the one Jason describes, but is a good area to check for birds that prefer a riparian habitat, in a mixed woods environment, and then, of course there is the lake.
Yesterday was a good woodpecker day, with HAIRY, PILEATED, RED BREASTED SAPSUCKER, AND NORTHERN FLICKER being seen. BAND TAILED PIGEONS are usually around, and YELLOW RUMPED, YELLOW, COMMON YELLOWTHROAT, AND BLACK THROATED GREY WARBLERS are pretty common.

[tmanson]

Fellow Birders: I didn't sign the previous report, because I accidentally hit the tab button, and my report disappeared. Somehow, it got posted anyway. Ah, computers!!
Anyway, on the Sucker Creek Trail thread, I was going to add, in winter, AMERICAN DIPPER are common, and ROUGH LEGGED HAWK can be seen.
RED WINGED BLACKBIRD are very common in the marsh, as are GREAT BLUE HERON. EVENING GROSBEAKS are everywhere, including being the dominant bird at my feeder. Where have all the Pine Siskins gone? This is not an exhaustive list, but a representation of what can be seen along this beautiful trail
Thor

Thor Manson
Hope, B.C.

[Gord]

My favorite spot, and Im sure most of you are not in shock to learn this, is Cheam Lake. Off the top, highlights of the area is the yearly arrival of solitary sandpipers in August, recent breeding of least flycatcher (four years in a row) and grey catbird (three years in a row). A great place to find red-eyed vireos, western tanagers, and several pairs of breeding Bullock's orioles. Other notables Ive seen or have been informed of seeing here are:

American white pelican (two records including flock of 4 seen by Jason)
Snow goose
Redhead
Golden eagle
Virginia Rail
Sora
Lewis's woodpecker (hawking insects from the top of a dead cottonwood)
Ash-throated flycatcher (early Sept 1999)
Clark's Nutcracker (rooting around at the edge of the road, fall 2003)
Chipping sparrow (several times)
Lazuli bunting (have bred)
Yellow-headed Blackbird (a pair)
Northern waterthrush (two good records from other observers, including the late Steve Cannings)
red-necked pharlope

Also a sight record of an indigo bunting was reported in the summer of 2004.

A great place to bird! You never know what will show up.

[JeffOver]

I think my favourite birding place might be Pitt Lake. I've only been there twice, and that was before I knew as much about birding as I do now, but I seem to remember a good variety of bird life out there. I remember having a really cool close-up view of a red-breasted sapsucker , and I've also seen other woodpeckers there. Also lots of Eastern Kingbirds. I would definitely like to explore this place a little more. There's a narrow path through a wooded area, plus the path along the lake. Also you can take a canoe ride and then hike to a nice waterfall. I'm sure there is a lot of bird life around there. Mind you, last time I went with my brother in August. At the end of the forested path is a dike that passes through a field where there were supposedly some cranes. We didn't see the cranes, but that was because we didn't get very far before we met up with a black bear!!! We hightailed it back pretty fast, even though the bear hightailed it from us too!!

[kastern]

My favorite birding site - at least in the Fraser Valley, is right here at home which includes the Chehalis Estuary and Eagle Point Park. In the past 8 years I've documented approximately 150 species and there would be more if I was surer of my IDing of things like Flycatchers, Vireos and Hawks. In the summer we bird the area by canoe and have seen things like a flock of Vultures feeding on the ground (didn't investigate as to what they were feeding on!), watched Gray Catbirds fly back and forth across the Chehalis River, sat and ate lunch up the river while a Least Sandpiper waded in the water with my little dog and Spotted Sandpipers cheered from the sidelines. Every fall we watch the arrival of the Bald Eagles and then wait for the first Trumpeter Swans to show up. We have had such rarities as Lazuli Bunting, Snow Bunting and Western Scrub Jay show up. Sandhill Cranes fly over and can sometimes be heard out on the estuary when water levels drop. You never know what shorebirds will be out there come migration, same with duck species - it can change from year to year. Some years the feeders in my yard attract things like Mountain Chickadees or Red Cross bills. I've had the pleasure of watching the population of Bullock's Orioles in the park build from one individual to dozens. I can sit out in my own back yard on a warm summer afternoon and watch as Western Tanagers, Orioles, a variety of Warblers and even shy Swainson's Thrush come to my backyard pond for a dip and a drink. One thing for certain you can hardly ever go out either in a canoe or for a walk and not see something of interest.

Kathy

[b1schmor]

Wow, what a tough question. There are so many good spots.

One that I seem to be finding myself at a lot these days is Wilband Creek Park, along the Abbotsford-Mission Highway. This park is only 4 or 5 years old but has so much potential. I have seen 99 species here and it is not a very big place. It has two ponds, one large, one small, with sloughs running in the middle and outside the park's boundaries. They have planted some young decidious and coniferous trees in some areas that will eventually catch some of the migrant warblers. The rest of the park is grass, which attracts many Savannah Sparrows. The potential for this park, I believe, is the shorebirding. When the water level is low, it has some exposed mud, which has attracted some pretty good birds; Wilson's Phalarope, American Avocet, Great Egret, and Solitary Sandpiper. Just the other day I had a breeding plumaged Dunlin.

The ponds are the best place I have found for regularly finding Ruddy Ducks, Redheads, and Canvasbacks. Also, Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal in migration. I have also seen Eared and Horned Grebes during migration. There is also the possibility for GWF Goose and Eurasian Wigeon.

Unexpected passarines I have seen include Yellow-headed Blackbird, Western Kingbird, and Western Meadowlark. It is also a pretty good spot for Northern Shrike in the winter. These seem to be getting harder to find.

Anyway, if I see something rare I will let you know.

Brent Schmor
Abbotsford, BC

[Ichthos]

I find it hard to pick a favorite spot, but I suppose it would have to be the dyke from Hopedale to the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve. I have seen lots of species there close enough for a picture, and I don't have to get out of my truck! ;D
They come right up and perch on my antenna:


Too bad they don't all do that.

Here's some more pics from that location...


This hawk had a nest nearby


Kinda hard to get a good shot of a hummer in the wild, but there seems to be lots of them around






I also found a Sapsucker nest at Cultus Lake. Will try for some better pictures next time it's sunny.


Not getting too many birds at our feeder though, I guess it's just too busy here on Keith Wilson road. We get some house sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, and the odd house finch:


Oh, and we get some crows as well. I don't have a picture of one though...

Cheers,
George

[Gord]

Wow! Some really great shots! That goldfinch on the aerial is sweet! Did you hang a bird feeder on your truck?

Crow pictures are fun. Not only is it a bit of a challenge to expose a black subject properly, they also seem to get worried when someone points things at them and take off. They are pretty smart!