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

The BC Breeding Bird Atlas is a five year project by a group of bird conservation and nature organizations, designed to ascertain the number, diversity and distribution of breeding bird species in the province. It is based on similar atlasses conducted in other provinces, e.g. Ontario, Alberta and the Maritimes, and in many places around the world. Atlasses are a valuable tool for bird conservation, and can ensure bird habitats are conserved effectively by knowing their use and value to particularly species.

Western Bluebirds in a nest box, part of a Bluebird Box route

I joined up with three other Atlassers, local to the Okanagan Valley, to do a day’s surveying of dry grassland and range habitat, west of Penticton.  The weather was good and we started the day early, to ensure that we would hear as many birds as possible singing on territory. This is one key indication that birds are probably breeding. Building nests is something else to watch for, as is carrying food, which usually means that young ones are needing to be fed nearby.

Western Meadowlarks and Lazuli Buntings were singing as we began our observations, and we soon saw a Western Bluebird feeding a young, fledged bird. House Wrens sang from the shrubs along the river and Vesper Sparrows trilled from the farm fence.  A colony of Cliff Swallows with nests under a barn roof  gave confirmation for that species, as did  mating Barn Swallows on the wire. Singing Veery, Warbling Vireo and American Robins were typical of a riparian stretch. Once into the grassland, we enjoyed the sight of thousands of wild flowers, particularly the bitterroot, their flowers growing leafless, right out of the ground.

Bitterroot

The pond had a solitary Common Loon and several other odd ducks, looking like a lonely hearts club for unmated birds. A couple of Painted Turtles basked on the shore and a Beaver swam through the water. Calliope Hummingbirds visited the Scarlet Gilia flowers and Bullock’s Oriole, Vesper Sparrows, Black-billed Magpies, Willow Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds and Brewer’s Blackbirds were all paired up and singing. Kathryn and I spent some time looking for the oriole’s nest which must have been well-hidden in the birch tree. Eva and Kay went on ahead to do a point count at the end of the lake, getting good views of Western Kingbird among other species. Kathryn and I took a moment to rest on a rock, only to notice a garter snake beside an adjacent rock. Looking closer, at this very still (aka comatose) snake, we became aware of a much bigger snake beside it: a rattlesnake! This was very exciting.

Rattlesnake sunning on a rock

Pileated Woodpecker, Evening Grosbeak, and Vaux’s Swifts were found around a wooded gully as we headed back, after a successful survey of this beautiful area.  In an adjacent atlas square, while driving to check the bluebird boxes, we confirmed the presence of a pair of Lewis’ Woodpecker, another grassland specialist that is becoming increasingly rare.

Scarlet gilia, a native grassland plant, and a favourite nectar source for Calliope Hummingbirds

Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly near the Kettle Valley Railway

Lightning Lake, Manning Provincial Park, with Mt Frosty in the background

Despite persistent drizzle on the Saturday count day, the Manning Provincial Park bird blitz was great fun. I arrived on the Friday evening and took a stroll around Sumallo Grove, admiring the giant western hemlock and cedar trees and listening to the quiet sounds of the forest: twittering birds and creaking branches, backed by the sound of the rushing waters of the Sumallo River. I missed seeing the Harlequin Duck there but found a young Varied Thrush, waiting to be fed by its mother.

Juvenile Varied Thrush

Nearly 50 people gathered on Friday night at the group camp ground to organize into birding groups for an early start on the Saturday. It was a fine evening so we were hoping for some good birds. A Pileated Woodpecker flew over as organizer, Kelly Pearce, of Hope Mountain Centre, was explaining the logistics. Hope Mountain Centre for Outdoor Learning and BC Nature organize the Bird Blitz, an annual event started by Gail Ross of BC Parks 28 years ago.

Wild Rhododendrons just coming into bloom at Rhododendron Flats

With the fine mist and light rain persisting most of Saturday, much of the birding was done by ear. As our group walked along the river valley paths, we attempted to sort out the subtle differences between the warblers, identifying such species as Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler and Townsend’s Warbler, as well as Brown Creepers, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. A pair of Spotted Sandpipers called and teeteered on the edge of the lake. Many wild flowers lined the paths and we had to be careful not to step on delicate orchids and other rare species. We were successful with finding members of the woodpecker family, recording both Red-breasted and Red-naped Sapsuckers – this species pair meet at Manning Park – in addition to seeing and hearing Northern Flicker, a pair of American Three-toed Woodpeckers, and Downy, Hairy and Pileated Woodpeckers.

 

Janne Perrin spotted a Gray Catbird in a cluster of willow bushes, while the rest of us had wandered on, thinking she was photographing flowers. So we all hurried back to see it, as this is an unusual bird  for Manning, and as far as we know, the first one recorded on a blitz there. It was being mobbed by two irate White-crowned Sparrows and a tiny Calliope Hummingbird. While we watched it, an Osprey flew over, another Spotted Sandpiper visited the adjacent pond, and a number of flycatchers and vireos flitted around in nearby trees. We later got better views of Olive-sided and Hammond’s Flycatcher, and heard calls and got fleeting glimpses of Pacific-slope and Willow Flycatchers. A female Western Bluebird and some Red Crossbills flying over enlivened the afternoon. Clark’s Nutcracker and Ravens were common at the Manning Park lodge, and the next day I got a good view of Evening Grosbeaks there too.

 

The evening tally produced a reasonable number of species (about 85) for such a wet day and many tales of snow covered trails from the groups that took the higher routes. Black bears were abundant all weekend, with scat along many trails and sightings quite frequent. I saw five bears in the park, as well as yellow-pine chipmunks, red and Douglas’ squirrel, Columbian ground squirrel and mule deer.

Participants enjoyed a fine barbecue supper and a campfire at the end of the day.

Yellow-pine chipmunk at Manning Provincial Park

 

A group of three black bears at Manning Provincial Park

 

Fraser River at Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park

The provincial parks and protected areas in BC encompass many different landscapes and  magnificent wildlife and scenery. These photos were taken on a recent trip with the BC Important Bird Area (IBA) Program and with the BC Nature Annual General Meeting, held this spring in Williams Lake.

 

Black bear roams the grasslands of Churn Creek protected area

This black bear mom had three small cubs hidden in the shrubs in the foreground. When she detected our presence, up on a nearby clifftop, she put the cubs up the top of a fir tree for safety.

Moss among the bunch grass and sage

 

Old Man's Whiskers, a member of the Geum family

 

Farwell Canyon hoodoos

 

Bird life was prolific in these Chilcotin area parks and protected areas. As well as the bears we saw California big horn sheep, long-billed curlew, golden eagle, mountain bluebird, vesper sparrow, Lewis’ woodpecker, and many warblers, flycatchers, swallows, and waterfowl.

Anne Murray

Active Pass from Galiano Island

2011 is the UN International Year of Forests, so my first blog of the year features this photo of a Douglas-fir overlooking the shores of Active Pass in southwestern British Columbia. Galiano Island and its neighbouring Gulf Islands of Mayne, Salt Spring, North and South Pender and Saturna, are characterised by a drier ecosystem than most of the Pacific Northwest coast (although this photo doesn’t show that, as it was a wet day in June!)  Douglas-fir, arbutus (madrone) and Garry oak flourish on  warm sunny slopes. In spring, carpets of wild flowers grow where there are not too many deer browsing.

Tara Martin and Peter Arcese, from University of BC’s forest faculty, found that deer cause extensive ecological damage on the islands, where they have no natural predators. Trees and shrubs get nibbled to the ground before they have a chance to grow, and this decreases song bird habitat and shelter for all sorts of other small creatures.  The problem is highlighted in Mark Hume’s article in the Globe and Mail this week.

Columbian Black-tailed Deer on Saturna Island

Also this week, University of Victoria announced they are going to institute a zero tolerance policy on bunnies: any found on the campus after March will be euthanized. Sadly, many people buy rabbits when they are small and cute, and when they get too big, they dump them at the nearest park, university campus or municipal garden. Rabbits are nibblers and munchers, so vegetation gets short shrift.

These are human problems as much as wildlife ones. Bunnies are a European animal that pet shops sell too readily to casual buyers. Any predators of deer, such as cougars, that manage to reach the Gulf Islands are killed. Can these problems be put right? Trees, shrubs, and flowers must be able to flourish for a healthy ecosystem.

Red-flowering Currant

Yellow-breasted Chat

The Fraser delta is among the very best spots in Canada to see wintering birds, rivalled only by a few locations on southern Vancouver Island. This year has not disappointed, with a rare Northern Hawk Owl attracting visitors from as far away as Seattle, and a buttercup-coloured  Yellow-breasted Chat brightening the drab winter landscape. A stroll around Alaksen National Wildlife Area, including Reifel Bird Sanctuary, produced fifty species this week. Snow Geese are still present in huge flocks, occasionally raised to flight by a passing Bald Eagle or Northern Harrier. I would guess at 20- 30,000 but those big flocks are hard to estimate. A large flock of Dunlin was being chased around over the distant mouth of the Fraser River by a Peregrine Falcon, that bunched and balled the shorebirds so that they flashed dark then light in their characteristic avoidance flight.

Barred Owl

Owls were prominent: Barred Owls in the cedars at Alaksen, Northern Sawhets, Great Horned Owls and Barred Owl at Reifel – all clearly visible and adding to the Hawk Owl they gave birders an easy Four Owl Day. Barn Owls and Short-eared Owls would be easy to find at dusk, for those wanting a Six Owl Day. I wish the photographers would easy up on pushing large cameras into the holly bushes and frightening the sawwhets though. Some people were even using flash. Two of the tiny owls were within visual range of the Great Horneds and  Barred Owls, both of which regularly attack and eat the smaller bird. Even all of us just checking these birds out attract attention to their location, so try and do it discreetly. Predators are not stupid; they soon notice if there is a lot of pointing and peering at a particular spot, and all they have to do is wait until night time fly out.

Other birds in the National Wildlife Area include the usual good mix of songbirds – Fox, Song, White-crowned, Golden-crowned and sometimes a few Lincoln’s Sparrows, as well as wintering Marsh and Pacific (a.k.a Winter) Wrens, Spotted Towhees and a flock of lingering Cedar Waxwings. All the ducks are there too, in the full glory of their breeding plumage, and the male Buffleheads and Hooded Mergansers were beginning to display.

A beautiful location to walk on a winter’s day and lots to observe. If you go, note that Alaksen is only open weekdays, but Reifel opens seven days a week.

Anne

Fly Amanita - Amanita Muscaria - under birch trees in Ladner

They pop up mysteriously in the night. Even kilometres apart, tangled underground mycelial threads push up their fruiting bodies at the same moment, surprising us with clumps of scarlet toadstools, rings of honey brown mushrooms, and pliable fingers of fungi poking from the ground.  Some are edible but many are not, and some are highly poisonous, like the Fly Amanita above. I was interested to see how many different kinds could be found.

Here are a few that I saw last weekend on the BC Naturalists’ Fall General Meeting walks around Langley:

Carbon Antlers on a well-rotted log on the ground

Bleeding Mycena - Mycena haematopus - on a fallen, mossy log

Pink Coral Mushroom sp. - Ramaria formosa complex

I consulted Duane Sept’s book, Common Mushrooms of the Northwest. He says that this species group is poisonous and there are several look-alike species.

Sulphur Tuft - Hypholoma fasciculare - on decaying stumps

Sulphur Tuft is another poisonous and common mushroom that grows in big clumps.

Fungi can look different when they are freshly emerged and when they have been up for a few days and the caps have opened. The Bristly Pholiota below illustrate the contrast between young and mature fruiting bodies.

Young Bristly Pholiota - Pholiota squarrosoides

Mature Bristly Pholiota - Pholiota squarrosoides

Wood Woollyfoot - Collybia peronata - a common fungus of the woodland floor

We also found: Fircone Cap, Strobilurus trullisatus, a small white fungus that grows on Douglas-fir cones, Pacific Yellow Chanterelle, Cantharellus formosus, Pear-shaped Puffball, Lycoperdon pyriforme, Questionable Stropharia, Stropharia ambigua, and various bracket fungi on rotten wood, including Tinder Polypore, Fomes fomentarius, Turkey Tails, Trametes versicolor, and Red-belted Polypore, Fomitopsis pinicola.

An opportunity to learn more about fungi: Sunday October 24 is the Vancouver Mycological Society’s annual Mushroom Show at Vandusen Botanical Gardens.

Anne Murray

Nature Guides BC