Zugunruhe Birding Tours

COASTAL BRITISH COLUMBIA

Sep 19-23

The Pacific Northwest is well-known for its beautiful scenery, and is also home to a handful of species that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere, and these specialties will be the principle focus of the tour. From mountain denizens like Sooty Grouse and Red-breasted Sapsucker to coastal specialists such as Black Oystercatcher and Marbled Murrelet, there will be lots to look at! We will also be visiting the rich mudflats of the Fraser Delta to witness one of the most impressive shorebird stop-overs in North America. A trip to Vancouver Island will give us a chance to see a few alcid species from the ferry such as Rhinoceros Auklet and Pigeon Guillemot. Once on the Island we will head straight for Victoria’s century-old introduced population of Sky Larks (the only place in North America where the species can be reliably seen). Other NW specialties that are expected on this tour include: Pelagic+Brandt’s Cormorants, Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Band-tailed Pigeon, Anna’s Hummingbird, Northwestern Crow, Pacific Wren, Bushtit, and Varied Thrush.

Sept 19— Today is the arrival day with no birding planned, plan on arriving in the late afternoon or early Black Oystercatcher evening; Night in Tsawwassen.

Sept 20—This will be our earliest morning of the trip as we’ll be heading to Cypress Provincial Park in the North Shore Mountains (just north of Vancouver). We’ll look for mountain and forest species including Sooty Grouse, Band-tailed Pigeon, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Pacific Wren, and Chestnut-backed Chickadee. At this time of year, raptor migration is in full swing so we’ll scan the skies for falcons, hawks, and perhaps a few Vaux’s and Black Swifts. After lunch we’ll visit Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver for a taste of the Pacific Northwest’s old-growth fir and cedar forests. A few marine species might be added here including Pelagic Cormorant, Black Oystercatcher, and Pigeon Guillemot. In the afternoon as we head back south, we’ll stop into the famous Iona Island Sewage Lagoons where waterfowl and shorebirds should be on offer, and the nearby seashore might produce some extra goodies too. Night in Tsawwassen.

Sept 21—Our birding begins today at one of Tsawwassen’s best migrant traps: Beach Grove Park. Although it is late in the season we hope to run into a few migrant passerines still moving through, as well as the year-round residents like Great Horned Owl, Bushtit, Bewick’s Wren, and Spotted Towhee. After a short walk here, we’ll move along to another famed birding locale: Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary. There is always lots to look at here from ducks to sparrows but our main concentration will be on shorebirds in the outer ponds. With some luck, we may run into 1 or 2 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers—a “regular rarity” here. We’ll have to watch our time as we’re taking an afternoon ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay (on Vancouver Island), but there should be some time to bird around the ferry jetty in Tsawwassen—a good place for loons, grebes, sea ducks, and “rockpipers” like Black Oystercatcher, Black Turnstone, and Surfbird. Once on the ferry we’ll keep our eyes peeled for alcids like Rhinoceros Auklet, Pigeon Guillemot, and Marbled Murrelet, as well as gulls, terns, and maybe even a jaeger or two. After departing from the Swartz Bay ferry terminal we’ll head south toward British Columbia’s capital—Victoria—making a quick side-trip to try for the extremely local Sky Lark. After dinner we can try for Sky Larks again if previously unsuccessful. Depending on interest, we can have some optional birding around some of Victoria’s local hotspots. Night in Victoria.

Sept 22—In the morning we’ll check out a few spots along the Victoria waterfront where a good mix of coastal birds should be encountered. If we’re still missing Sky Lark and/or Sooty Grouse we can try for those; otherwise we’ll visit a few more Island hotspots before heading back across on an early afternoon ferry. If time and tides permits we can check a few shorebird locations before dinner (e.g., Boundary Bay). There may also be an opportunity to see Barn Owl at a barn. Night in Tsawwassen.

Sept 23—Our final birding day will take us to some of the best shorebirding locations in the Pacific Northwest. We’ll stop at several points along the expansive Boundary Bay from Tsawwassen in the west over to Crescent Beach in the east. Sharp-tailed Sandpiper is possible, and we’ll also make an effort to round out our songbird and waterfowl list. The tour ends mid-afternoon. Those continuing on to Seabird Fest will be taken to the cruise ship for boarding.

TOUR FEE: $1495 USD per person, price subject to change. The tour fee includes lodging for four nights, all meals from breakfast on Sep 20 to lunch on Sep 23, ground transportation during the tour, and guide services. It does not include transportation to and from Vancouver, BC before and after the tour, phone calls, laundry, room service charges, alcoholic beverages, or any items of a personal nature. Russell Cannings

LEADER: Russell Cannings has spent most of his life in the interior of the province working as a field biologist, but is now living in Vancouver while completing a new bird-finding guide to BC. In 2010 he set a new BC “Big Year” record with 373 species, and followed that up with a BC 24-hour record total of 202 species in May of 2011. Although his first pelagic trip was out of Nova Scotia in 1999, his passion for seabirds really took off after spending a year in New Zealand where he put in countless hours on boats and wind-swept headlands trying to see as many “tubenoses” as possible. Now back in North America, he can still see some of his favourite NZ endemics (e.g. Buller’s Shearwater, Mottled Petrel, etc.) as they make their incredible post-breeding journeys into the North Pacific.

GROUP SIZE: A minimum of 3 is required to confirm the tour. An additional guide may be added for groups of 6 or more.

PHYSICAL CONSIDERATIONS/WEATHER: Be prepared for a wide variety of weather (sun/rain/wind). Coastal British Columbia is famous for its rain but September usually brings a fair bit of sun so prepare for that too. Most of our birding will involve short easy walks with short driving periods in between (we'll never be in the car for more than 2 hours at a time-- usually much less). Searching for the Sooty Grouse might require some hiking on uneven ground but on the whole, this will be a fairly easy-going tour.

REGISTRATION and DEPOSIT: A deposit of $300 and a signed registration and release form will reserve your spot on this tour. Please e-mail for more information on the registration procedure and forms (contact info below). The balance of the fee is due by 60 days prior to the tour.

CANCELLATION POLICY: All fees received will be refunded with more than 90 days notice of cancellation. With 60-90 days notice of cancellation, all fees except the deposit will be refunded. No refund is possible with less than 60 days notification.

TRIP INSURANCE: We strongly recommend that you purchase trip insurance to protect yourself in case you need to cancel, luggage is lost, stolen, or damaged, a medical emergency occurs, or other unforeseen circumstances. Note that many insurance policies require that you purchase it at the time you make the initial deposit for the tour and terms and coverage differ among policies.

For more information and registration forms, please e-mail us.