We should have known when we saw the flock of Black Swifts swirling above our heads that it was going to pour with rain.  These scimitar-winged birds come whirling in with coastal depressions in late May and early June, chasing newly emerged insects under the looming clouds.  For a long time it was a mystery where swifts raised their young; turns out that they like to build their nests behind waterfalls on steep mountain slopes.  Swifts seldom come to land and have very short legs.  They only perch at the nest site, prefering a life on the wing. 

No sooner had the swifts swept across the sky than the rain began: big, heavy, drops quickly turning to a bona fide downpour.  I was birding with the Delta Naturalists’ Casual Birders - they don’t get put off by rain, so we carried on down the trail at Grant Narrows on the shores of Pitt Lake, looking for warblers, flycatchers and thrushes. 

Of course we didn’t see much while it poured with rain, other than a damp-looking Western Wood Pewee chasing flies near an old shed, but our patience was rewarded when an hour or so later, the sun emerged.  The hills were thick with mist – was that fresh snow across the water?  The sun galvanized the wildlife.  Frogs began croaking, Yellow Warblers and Wilson’s Warblers flitted around the bushes, pulling bugs off the leaves, and pairs of Wood Ducks lifted from the ponds and flew excitedly across the marsh. 

A beautiful location, after the rain.

The beautiful southern Gulf Islands are just a ferry ride away from the big city lights of Vancouver and Richmond, yet they feel more remote than many distant parts of British Columbia.  The logistics of getting there can be challenging for those who do not regularly travel the ferries, not least working out routes and times. For the more remote Gulf Islands, such as Saturna, the trip from the Tsawwassen terminal on the mainland, generally takes between 2 and 3 hours, involving a change of ferry at Mayne Island.  The islands lie southwest of the lower mainland and are sheltered by the mountains of Vancouver Island.  Their climate is mild enough for growing grapes, and their sunny, rocky bluffs have Douglas-firs, Garry oaks and arbutus (madrone) trees, a scarce ecosystem in the Georgia Strait.  The Southern Gulf Islands National Park has significant holdings on many of the islands, with opportunities for walking and nature viewing.  Other ownership is mostly First Nations land or private residential and recreational properties.  Although the waters surrounding the islands are planned to be a designated marine conservation area, major channels are used as shipping routes.  Some ships waiting to head into DeltaPort and other terminals sometimes moor in sheltered Plumper Sound (photo above).

The islands are all hilly, so cycling or hiking on the narrow, winding roads can be pretty tiring, though the views and wildlife are rewarding.  Forested hillsides of dense Douglas-fir and western red cedar suddenly part to give glimpses of shining blue ocean, or distant snow-capped mountains.  Mount Baker, a 10,000 ft dormant volcano, rises as a snowy cone to the southeast, and to the south is the long line of the Olympic Mountains in Washington. Westward are the peaks of Vancouver Island, still snow-clad in May, and to the north are the coastal mountains, from West Vancouver, through Whistler and northward through BC.

The woods have small and very tame Columbian Black-tailed Deer, encountered with regularity around blind bends. The narrow valleys are thick with sword ferns, vanilla leaf and nettles.  Birds are numerous in summer, including the ubiquitous Turkey Vultures, breeding Bald Eagles, and numerous warblers, finches, flycatchers and vireos in greater diversity and abundance than many other areas of BC.  Some birds are absent – Black-capped Chickadees, common on the mainland, are replaced by Chestnut-backed Chickadees, while Northwestern Crows are scarce, their place taken by Common Ravens, an iconic bird for the First Nations along the coast.  A paddle along the shore reveals waterbirds such as the Pigeon Guillemot, Common Loon and Pelagic Cormorant.  River otters are regularly seen playing on the rocks or catching fish in the water, and in the wider straits bordering some of the islands, there is always the chance of whales, porpoises and sea lions.

This week we found coral root (pictured above), calypso orchids and chocolate lilies in their favoured places. Many wild flowers grow on the islands, although some species have been lost to the grazing of deer and to feral goats on Saturna.

Above: a young river otter explores the rocks

For the naturalist prepared to search diligently for small wildlife, there are red-legged frogs breeding in the streams, rough-skinned newts  in shallow ponds, and sometimes garter snakes and northern alligator lizards  basking on rocky outcrops.

This is an interesting time of year for bird watchers as summer visitors are arriving and not all the winter birds have gone.  This means you can hear a Fox Sparrow singing before it heads north, while surrounded by newly-arrived Savannah Sparrows.  Violet-green Swallows wing overhead above the lingering Snowy Owls.

I had not expected the Snowies to still be here, but it has been a cool spring and they have lingered on.  The pundits I spoke to earlier had all thought they would leave at the end of March, yet here they are in the second week of April.  I had reports of at least 10 at 72St and a couple at Brunswick Point this week. 

Yellow-rumped Warblers, a very abundant songbird, are arriving steadily and Orange-crowned Warblers have been seen in smaller numbers.  Any day now, Common Yellowthroats will be singing everywhere.  A few Mountain Bluebirds have been seen as they pass through the Boundary Bay area, punctual as usual, and I am on the watch for Townsend’s Solitaire, a scarce but regular migrant.  Lots of Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets are on the move, and the local breeding race of White-crowned Sparrows have moved in from the south. 

Offshore there are grey whales and harbour porpoises to watch for, and the sea ducks and loons are still numerous. We saw huge flocks of Brant all around Point Roberts coast line on Wednesday. It was neat to hear them calling so much, as these geese never seem to be as noisy as the Canada’s and Snow Geese. 

Mid-April is also the main shorebird migration time on Boundary Bay.  Check the shoreline for plovers, sandpipers and rarities. Just before or just after high tide is a good time to view them, as it brings the birds closer to shore.

There were not too many Snowy Owls on Boundary Bay this last Sunday (March 18).  Just six owls were seen at the 72 Street location, Delta, mostly sitting on logs near the dyke.  This is quite a reduction from the 35 or so we saw here in December but the last week has seen increasingly mild temperatures and sunshine.  Time for them to head north.

Sadly, not all the Snowy Owls made it through the winter, with about five or six fatalities known about.  Many of the visitors were juvenile birds and their ability to hunt and find food may not have been the greatest.  Disease and stress have also been hypothesized as causes. 

This winter, many visitors ‘found’ Boundary Bay and its dyke trail for the first time.  It is a great place to visit at any time of year, even when the owls are not here.  Northern Harriers will be nesting in the marsh, shorebirds passing through on the mud flats and beaches, and there are big flocks of Brant (geese) at the Beach Grove end of the Bay.  The dyke trail is 22 km long and on the west side of the bay there is the main part of Boundary Bay Regional Park to explore.  The entrance to the dyke at 104th Street, Delta (parking at the Heritage Air Park) allows access to the east end of the bay, which is a good location in late March – April for migrating shorebirds en route to the north. 

Spring is also the time to look for grey whales in Boundary Bay. They are best seen from the Crescent Beach to White Rock stretch of coast.

The view from the shore looked across the Juan de Fuca Strait to the snow-capped Olympic Mountains in WA  although rain and mist kept sweeping in and hiding them. Seals bobbed among the kelp but there was no sign of any grey whales yet. It was intermittently misty, sunny, windy and lashing with rain – typical for a winter weekend in southwestern Vancouver Island. Streams ran full through the dark, cedar-forested gorges, splashing over the rocks. The moss was an unbelievably vivid green.We looked for, and found, a Dipper, teetering on the rocks midstream.  

Further west, Whiffen Spit shelters the water of Sooke Harbour, and is a great place to see Harlequin Ducks, Black Oystercatchers and dozens of Buffleheads. These small ducks seemed to be very abundant all along the coast. The males sport bright black and white heads and pink feet; the females are brown with a white spot on their faces. At this time of year, males were still grouped with other males and females hung around with other females. We watched five females doing synchronized swimming as they dove for small crustaceans off the rocky shoreline of Sooke Regional Park. It was difficult to focus on all five at once, so I only have four in my photo.

The sea mist rolled away and the sun came out during an amble around Reifel Bird Sanctuary today. The Sandhill Cranes were calling constantly to one another; there seemed to be at least 9 although since they kept flying from one pond to another it was difficult to keep track. The cranes have become very tame because of all the grain handed out by enthusiastic visitors.

Hordes of Mallard followed me down every trail, convinced I was going to feed them.  Instead, I enjoyed a picnic of my own, sitting on a warm bench on the outer dyke trail. Facing the sun, it felt like April rather than February.  A female Mallard just couldn’t cope with the concept of a human who didn’t have a store of seed for her.

There were about 100 Northern Shoveler in the west ponds, scattered in small groups. This was a good number of this dabbling duck, which is not as common in the delta as the Mallard, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail and Green-winged Teal (the big four). The males looked lovely and bright in the sunshine.

All the waterbirds are looking very spiffy in their clean new plumage, particularly the pintails, Wood Ducks and Hooded Mergansers. No sign of courtship behaviour yet, they were all intent on feeding. However, the Red-winged Blackbirds were all singing near the entrance, so they obviously think spring is here. One of the four Black-crowned Herons woke up and took a brief bath. These birds are a favourite with the photographers, but all too often have their heads tucked away. This one showed off the two thin white plumes on the back of his head.

I don’t have a long lens camera, just a point and shoot with a 12 x zoom, but it was fun to stroll around for a couple of hours, watching all the familiar winter birds and taking a few photos in the beautiful light. No rare birds showed up but there was plenty to see. The trees were looking particularly fine.

Snowy Owls are not the only owls that are active and visible around the Fraser delta right now. A few Short-eared Owls are in the saltmarsh and neighbouring fields and can be seen flying during daylight hours. Great Horned Owls and Barred Owls live in wooded areas and can sometimes be seen sitting quietly in conifers. The raucous calls of crows frequently call attention to these owls, if they stray from their usual locations. This winter, we have had both species in our garden. The Barred Owl is quite bold and has occasionally been seen chasing squirrels during the day.

There is a lot of interest in the influx of Snowy Owls to Boundary Bay. Snowy Owls are huge white owls from the Arctic,  standing about 60 cm tall. While wintering here, they often sit prominently on logs within the saltmarsh of the Fraser Delta. ”Flight years” with large numbers of owls occur every 4 to 6 years. The last winter with high numbers was 2005 -06, with smaller numbers of Snowies the following winter. Then we saw very few until this November when numbers rapidly built up on Boundary Bay and at Brunswick Point. High counts were about 30 to 35 for the bay and about 6 to 11 at Brunswick Point on Roberts Bank. Some of these owls have now dispersed over a wider area, but about 20 are still around the saltmarsh between 72 St and 64th Street, visible (in the distance) from the dyke on Boundary Bay.  You will need binoculars, a scope or a telephoto lens for a good view.

Snowy Owls eat lemmings while in the Arctic and these are animals which go through oscillating cycles of abundance, with high numbers building up then “crashing” every four or five years. During abundant lemming years, lots of owls are born then when food gets scarce it is time for younger birds, particularly, to head further afield in search of prey. This is when flights further south all across North America occur and when owls appear in the Fraser valley. The situation is probably more complex than this, with weather and other factors playing a role. Generally, it is believed that adult females are more likely to stay up north and juveniles more likely to wander further away. Owls have been seen some years in California and even as far as Texas.

While in the Fraser River estuary, Snowy Owls will feed on waterfowl, other birds and even other owls (one reputedly took a short-eared owl on Boundary Bay) as well as voles or other rodents. During the day the owls are often awake but seem to be just resting on logs on the salt marsh. They may hunt during the day but have been seen more actively hunting during the night.  There is a lot to be learned about their behaviour during their winter visits here.

Living in the Arctic, most of these owls, especially the juveniles, are not used to people, so they appear unafraid and allow a close approach. However going up to owls all the time eventually makes them move further away, and probably disrupts their resting or hunting patterns. As with all wildlife viewing, it is best to stand still and wait for birds (or animals) to get used to your presence. Often birds will come closer to take a look, but they will not do this if a lot of people keep moving  towards them, which has the effect of “herding” them.  Ideally, if everyone stayed on the dyke, we would see the owls close up in the marsh. In 2005 -06, when fewer people came to see them, we had good views for several weeks of owls close to the dyke and in the adjacent golf course and fields.  So please consider the owls and other people and try to stay at a distance, using binoculars, a scope or a telephoto lens if you have one.

Having said that, it is great that so many people want to see the Snowies while they are here and it is wonderful to see families and children enjoying this great nature spectacle.

At 72 Street dyke entrance you can also expect to see some other bird species. Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls patrol the fields and marshes both sides of the dyke and the hedgerows are full of  Song Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrows, Spotted Towhees, and Purple Finches.  Great Blue Heron feed in the marsh; there is an active juvenile bird very near the dyke entrance.  Western Meadowlarks and Northern Shrike have also been seen.

Mount Baker, WA, from Boundary Bay

High tide was at 9.30 pm on Sunday so we cycled down late in the afternoon to check out the shorebirds. Huge flocks of Western Sandpipers and Black-bellied Plovers, numbering in the thousands, were being chased around by a large Peregrine Falcon. The flocks swooped and swirled over the incoming water, evading the predator. As the tide came in, the shorebirds were pushed closer to shore. Among the flocks were a few Least Sandpipers, feeding further up the shore, as well as some Dowitchers, Killdeer, and Semipalmated Plovers.  A lone Spotted Sandpiper teetered on the edge of the ditch gate at 96th Street. 112th Street was uncharacteristically quiet, with the main flock well to the west, but a female Belted Kingfisher was perched on the new waterworks at Oliver Slough.

The views to the south and east were particularly clear, with the sun low in the west, and a rain storm looming.  All the Gulf and San Juan Islands were clear to the south, and we could see the Olympic peninsula mountains  behind them, and several layers of mountains in the Cascades. Mount Baker was her usual beautiful snow-capped self.

Boundary Bay on a summer evening

A large group of orcas, belonging to the southern resident pods, J, K and L, have been feeding on Chinook salmon in the waters of the Juan de Fuca Strait, off San Juan Island.  Groups of the whales were well spread out across the water, and wonderful views were had as they lazed around, feeding and resting in the afternoon sunshine. I didn’t get good photos as they were at too great a distance for my small camera (boats must stay at least 200 m from these endangered mammals) but I had excellent views through my  10 x 42 binoculars.

Resident southern orcas off San Juan islands