Ultimate British Columbia: Coast & Grasslands

Our Ultimate British Columbia birding tour begins in Vancouver where we meet at our hotel for dinner on the first night. We’ll discuss our plans to explore Canada's most diverse province over the coming days. Night near the Vancouver airport.

We will hit the ground running by exploring a number of birding sites near the airport and around Vancouver. Iona Island is one of the best birding locations in a city renowned for its outstanding birdlife. We'll listen for the chattering of Bewick's Wren, Warbling Vireo, and Bushtit as we explore this part of the Fraser River Delta. Here, we should see plenty of gulls, terns, and herons, and, depending on the tide, good numbers of shorebirds.
In the afternoon, we head to Minnekhada Regional Park, a forest dominated by Western Red Cedar, Douglas-fir, and Western Hemlock. The understory is packed with sword ferns, salal, and wild huckleberry bushes. Here we should find plenty of Western Tanagers, Western Wood-Pewees, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and even Black-throated Gray Warblers.
We will then cross over to the North Shore for dinner. Night in North Vancouver.

This morning we’ll head upslope for some montane forest birding. Weather permitting, from Cypress Mountain we’ll have unreal vistas over the city while Vaux’s and/or Black Swifts parade by. This is our best spot on the tour for Black-throated Gray Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak and Anna’s Hummingbird. At Cypress, where the 2010 Olympics were hosted, we’ll hear and perhaps see a displaying male Sooty Grouse booming one of the world’s lowest frequency songs. More obvious songsters include Olive-sided and Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cassin’s Vireo, Pacific Wren, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Western Tanager along with Varied, Hermit and Swainson’s Thrush.

After this we’ll board a ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo, and from the deck we can scan the waters of the Strait of Georgia for seabirds such as Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorant, Rhinocerous Auklet, Marbled Murrelet and Pigeon Guillemot. Upon arrival we’ll get the sense of the relaxed feel of Vancouver Island as we traverse to the real west coast, stopping at a grove of majestic Douglas Firs, some more than 800 years old! Pacific Wren provides the complex audio backdrop to this wondrous ecosystem.

Nearing the coast we smell the ocean air and investigate the wild Long Beach, where we look for Black Oystercatcher, Sanderling, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Wilson’s Warbler and Chestnut-backed Chickadee, among others.

The next morning, weather permitting, we depart on a pelagic adventure, and we don’t have to go far to find excitement. Gray or Humpback Whales might be sighted in near-shore waters and we’ll visit a small colony of Tufted Puffins. Once arriving offshore at the deep Clayoquot Canyon we may encounter ocean-faring species such as Black-footed Albatross, Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwaters, Common Murre, Fork-tailed Storm-petrel, Red-necked Phalarope and Ancient Murrelet, among many others. Blue Sharks, Rizzo’s Dolphins and Northern Fur Seals are a possibility and we have twice seen the enigmatic Short-tailed Albatross, a species that nests in Japan. Surprises await us on this six-hour tour.

Our second full day in the Pacific Rim area allows more exploration of the ethereal rainforests in this area. We’ll hike another old-growth trail, scan for Pacific Loons and scoters over expansive beaches and visit the town of Tofino, where Bald Eagles are more common than House Sparrows. Nights in Tofino.

This morning we’ll commute south to the provincial capital of Victoria, stopping en route to check an estuary for wildlife. Raccoon, Mink, and River Otter are common here. We’ll see why the southeastern part of Vancouver Island is so attractive to retirees. Once in in Victoria we’ll settle in and have some down-time to see the famed Inner Harbour. Suburban Victoria has the highest density of Cooper’s Hawks in North America and Barred Owls are common in the city parks. We’re not done with our ocean watch however, and we’ll scan for Glaucous-winged, Western, and lingering Mew Gulls. Great Blue Heron, Wandering Tattler and Harlequin Duck could be highlights at Clover Point. One day we’ll take a three-hour boat tour into Juan de Fuca Strait specifically to search for Orcas up-close and personal, as they munch on Chinook salmon. Humback whales are making a comeback and are a probable sighting, along with two species of Sea Lions.

In the evenings we’ll have a chance to relax amid Victoria’s charming ambience and perhaps enjoy a craft brew and some local seafood treats. Nights in Victoria.

Keeping the flow, we depart Victoria and return to the Lower Mainland via a different ferry route. We will stop for a picnic breakfast at Island View Beach, where we can watch Surf Scoters and the many Bald Eagles searching for their own breakfast. From here, it is a short drive to Swartz Bay Terminal to board our ferry to Tsawwassen.

During the crossing, we will scan from the upper deck for seabirds and whales as we make our way across the Strait of Georgia. Once back in Tsawwassen, we will make a short drive to the estuary, where we should find a variety of shorebirds and waterfowl, which may include Cinnamon Teal. After lunch, we will follow one of British Columbia's most scenic highways as we travel to Manning Park, our destination for the next two nights.

Night at Manning Park Lodge.

Manning Park lies at the heart of the Cascade Mountains. This spectacular mountain park acts as a transition zone between the wet coastal rainforest and the dry interior semi-arid region, featuring cool subalpine and alpine ecosystems.

Around our hotel, we should see curious Steller's Jays and Red-naped Sapsuckers. We will spend time birding in the valley's coniferous forests, looking for crossbills, Evening and Pine Grosbeaks, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Canada Jay, and Spruce Grouse. At higher elevations, we will search for Hammond's Flycatcher, Cassin's Finch, Mountain Chickadee, Cassin's Vireo, Townsend's Solitaire, and Clark's Nutcracker. The rivers and lakes may also provide opportunities to see American Dipper, Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, and Spotted Sandpiper. This park also offers excellent opportunities to view mammals, including Snowshoe Hare, American Pika, Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel, and Black Bear.

Night at Manning Park Lodge.

After breakfast we’ll continue east and soon enter the Great Basin ecosystem. On route we will spend some time looking for Long-billed Curlews that nest in the flat grasslands on our way into the Okanagan Valley.

While in the Okanagan we’ll explore the best options for sagebrush and dry forest birding. Small lakes will hold plenty of ducks including Cinnamon Teal and Redhead. Near Oliver we’ll watch breeding Wilson’s Phalaropes try to out-compete Bobolinks for our attention while we search grasslands and patches of water birch for more amazing birds. At White Lake we’ll look and listen for Grasshopper Sparrow and Gray Flycatcher. At Vaseux Lake we’ll investigate the riparian areas for migrant surprises while listening to Canyon and Rock Wren both singing from the cliffs above (Marsh, House, Bewick’s and Pacific Wrens are also present!). We’ll scan for large and small birds alike, including Golden Eagles across the lake and Rufous, Black-chinned and Calliope Hummingbirds in the forests. Lewis’ Woodpecker, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Lazuli Bunting and Pygmy Nuthatch each have their favourite tree species to cling to. An evening foray might produce a Common Poorwill or Flammulated Owl.

Nighthawk Road is a great introduction to sagebrush birding where hopefully we’ll catch Brewer’s and Lark Sparrows singing in the evening and with much luck we could encounter something rare such as Black-throated Sparrow or Sage Thrasher. These birds seem to arrive annually from south of the border, which is just over the hill.

If we need a breather there’s always a nearby winery, or we can dip our feet into the warm waters of Osoyoos Lake nearby our hotel. Nights in Osoyoos.

Today we will make our way from Osoyoos to Kelowna birding along the way. We will be looking to pick up any birds that we may have missed. Night near airport in Kelowna.