British Columbia Birding with Canadian Geographic

We will meet for dinner and discuss our upcoming adventure doing a relatively short birding tour of British Columbia. Night in Victoria

The Greater Victoria area is one of the top birding regions in the province and ranks among the best places in Canada to see many Pacific Northwest specialties. Panama Flats is one of Victoria's premier hotspots; its mix of scrub, meadow, and wetland habitats offers an incredible diversity of bird species, especially during spring migration. This area is excellent for spotting Bushtit, Anna’s Hummingbird, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, as well as six species of swallows and a wide variety of shorebirds and waterfowl.

MacGillivray's Warbler is a must-see for any birder visiting the west coast. A visit to the Munn Rd wetlands is one of the most reliable spots to observe this beautiful yet shy warbler. This location can also be productive for Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Tanager, and Willow Flycatcher.

Cattle Point and Uplands Park are charming coastal hotspots that offer a diverse range of seabirds, along with Gerry Oak meadows and their associated passerine species. Here, we can find Harlequin Ducks, Black Oystercatchers, Rhinoceros Auklet, Marbled Murrelet, and Pigeon Guillemot on the water, along with Bewick’s Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Purple Finch.

Ending the day at Mount Douglas Park not only provides a stunning panoramic view but also allows more time to explore the unique Gerry Oak ecosystem. Expect to see Townsend’s Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Hammond’s Flycatcher, and Barred Owl. Night in Victoria.

After birding from the ferry from Sydney to Tsawwassen, we will visit a couple of great spots in the Lower Mainland. Our first stop will be at the Fraser Delta to observe where B.C.’s largest river empties into the Strait of Georgia. While here, we may try for a roosting Barn Owl or some shorebirds at Brunswick Point before exploring the renowned Boundary Bay, an incredibly important stopover site for shorebirds.

Next, we head east into the Cascade Mountains, stopping in Abbotsford to visit Willband Creek Park. Here, we will have a strong chance of seeing both American Bittern and Green Heron, along with many other Pacific Northwest specialties such as Bushtit and Bewick’s Wren.

We will spend the night at Manning Park Lodge. Depending on light and available time, we may explore Lightning Lake and the surrounding trails, where we could potentially spot species like Barrow’s Goldeneye, Townsend’s Warbler, Red-naped Sapsucker, and Western Tanager.
Night at Manning Park Lodge.

Manning Park is a stunning, mountainous area. Depending on the snowpack in the mountains, we may be able to drive fairly high up into the montane zone to pick up some higher elevation species such as Boreal Chickadee, Pine Grosbeak, Clark’s Nutcracker and Spruce Grouse. We often see Black Bears eating grass on the roadsides. At Lightning Lake we’ll have a look in the Engelmann Spruce forest for both species of Crossbill, Canada Jay and Northern Goshawk. We visit a roadside site where American Dipper nests. After lunch we’ll continue east and soon enter the Great Basin ecosystem. Nighthawk Road is a great introduction to sagebrush habitat 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 a Sage Thrasher. These birds seem to arrive annually from south of the border, which is just over the hill. We arrive in the splendid Okanagan Valley in early evening and prepare for two final days of birding— possibly the best yet.

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 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!). California Bighorn Sheep have a stronghold here. 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, and Great Gray Owl is a possibility, offering those “Nat Geo” photo opportunities. At White Lake we’ll look and listen for Grasshopper Sparrow and Gray Flycatcher.

If we need a breather there’s always a nearby winery to lunch at, or we can dip our feet into the warm waters of Osoyoos Lake nearby our hotel. Two nights in Osoyoos, final night in Kelowna near the airport.

Our British Columbia birding tour ends today. Breakfast is available, but you can depart for flights home anytime today from the Kelowna airport. There are regular flights to several Canadian destinations from here.