Young Birder Trip to Pemberton


Young Birders at One Mile Lake in Pemberton - Photo: Melissa Hafting

 We had a great day in Pemberton this past weekend. We drove up on a gorgeous sunny day and made our first stop at beautiful One Mile Lake. We admired the strange lily pads growing here. We also watched an Osprey and Turkey Vulture fly overhead and then a Merlin went rip-roaring by!. The Merlin was in hot pursuit of a dragonfly. The Merlin won... it perched above us as it ate the head off of one dragonfly after another. It was nice to see this little falcon so close. 
Merlin in Pemberton - Photo: Sasha Fairbairn

We also got some nice views of Warbling and Red-eyed Vireo here but other than that pretty quiet. We admired the glacial blue look of the creek here.

Bridget walking along the boardwalk at One Mile Lake - Photo: Melissa Hafting
  
Admiring the glacial creek in Pemberton - Photo: Melissa Hafting

 Next we were off to Mount Currie to look for Alder Flycatcher. The last reports came from here in 2017. Unfortunately we didn't hear any here but did find a Gray Catbird. We drove up to Joffre Lakes Provincial Park but it was so crowded with tour buses and people we could not get a parking spot and left. With that amount of people we figured we wouldn't see much birds anyways.

 We drove to Pemberton Meadows and found a family of 8 Kestrels flying near us as we ate lunch. We also found some Willow Flycatchers, Lazuli Buntings, Western Kingbirds and Eastern Kingbirds. While we were eating lunch a man stopped his car and let us know there is a large bear that lived where we were eating and suggested we move along, which we did. On the forest service roads we saw several signs saying "You are in Grizzly Bear Country" and that it was illegal to shoot them. We did not see a Grizzly but did run into a beautiful Black Bear that gave us great views. 

Black Bear in Pemberton - Photo: Bridget Spencer

 On South Creek Forest Service Rd we found a flock of warblers.We got to see American Redstarts in all different plumages and sexes. We also had a Nashville Warbler that Bridget found and a MacGillivray's that Katya found. The most abundant warbler was by far Yellow Warblers and Common Yellowthroats. We photographed a silent Least Flycatcher that was actively flycatching. We saw a Red-breasted Sapsucker, Black-capped Chickadees, Lazuli Buntings, fighting Eastern Kingbirds, Vaux's Swifts, Western Kingbirds, Hairy and Downy Woodpecker and Veery. For July it was a lot of activity!. We unfortunately did not find any breeding Northern Waterthrushes that were recently found on the breeding bird surveys.

Nashville Warbler in Pemberton - Photo: Bridget Spencer

Moulting Male American Redstart in Pemberton - Photo: Bridget Spencer

Least Flycatcher in Pemberton - Photo: Bridget Spencer

 We had fun watching dozens and dozens of paragliders flying high over Pemberton Meadows and landing on the road near to us. Then we went to Fulton Marsh after this and found a Alder/Willow that never called nor answered to playback. Here we got great looks at several Veery; which was a lifer for Sasha. We also had a Steller's Jay, Cedar Waxwings, a beautiful Western Tanager and great looks again at another Red-eyed Vireo. On our way out after driving Airport road we saw a Pileated Woodpecker and Great Blue Heron fly over the road. Unfortunately the surprise I had planned for the youth had flown off, as birds do, but we still had a great time in the Pemberton area.

 We stopped at Whytecliff Park on our way home but could not find any Surfbirds. We did see some Black Turnstones though. What really caught our attention was the colour of the sea!. It looked like the sea was full of blood as the water was full of red tide. Katya saw a Pygmy-Owl perched on a tree near the highway in West Van but none of the rest of us were able to see it, as I could not stop on the highway.

"A sea of red" - Red tide (algae bloom) in West Vancouver - Photo: Melissa Hafting

 Another nice trip and day out with the young birders. We finished the evening with lots of laughs having dinner at Five Guys in West Van before traveling back home to Vancouver.

 See you next in Tofino!

 Oh and if you have not heard young birder Liron Gertsman got his stunning photo of a Red-throated Loon taken in Anchorage, AK into the top 100 Audubon photo awards. You can see his and all images HERE

Comments

  1. KenJuly 26, 2019 at 10:43 AM

    Sounds like Another great trip. Must have just missed you. I stopped at a couple spots in Pemberton meadows and One Mile Lake on the way back from a climbing trip up off the Hurley FSR that day Things were pretty quiet down in the valley but I swear there was a Veery big convention up around treeline. There had to be dozens of them. ( sorry for the bad pun)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Melissa HaftingJuly 27, 2019 at 10:43 AM

      thanks so much ken! that is a fun road and i like going on it to do a beautiful hike up semaphore lakes. in retrospect should have taken the kids up there as the valley as you said was quiet but we did find a lot of veeries :) thanks again

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Dowitcher Identification

Image
Birders notoriously find it difficult to tell Short-billed and Long-billed Dowitchers apart. I have got a request to do an identification explanation on them so here goes, I hope it will be helpful. Short-billed Dowitchers and Long-billed look so similar. Using their habitat is helpful but not diagnostic. Short-billed Dowitchers tend to prefer Salt water and brackish water and Long-billed Dowitchers tend to prefer fresh water. However, I have OFTEN seen Short-billeds in freshwater and Long-billeds in brackish and salt water. Therefore, DO NOT rely on habitat. Another feature many people will tell you to rely on is spotting on the side of the flanks of Short-billeds and barring on the side of Long-billeds. Usually this is a mark that you can use but it is not always as distinct as you like. I have seen Short-billeds with a barred appearance to the flanks. It is only at the side of the breast where you have to look for this diagnostic feature for the spots on a Short-billed and t...
Read more

Hawk Identification Tips from every angle (Sharpie vs Cooper and Red-tailed Subspecies)

Image
I get several questions about the difference between accipiters. The most common ones are between Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper's Hawks and between Cooper's Hawks vs Northern Goshawks (to a lesser degree). Next, I get many questions dealing with a certain race of buteos the Western Red-tailed Hawk and Harlan's. So I thought I would do a post on these to help answer those questions. I will deal with Cooper's and Sharpies and not Goshawks because they are much more common here and look much more alike. My friend John Reynolds inspired me to write this up. COOPER'S AND SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS EYE COLOUR - YELLOW OR ORANGE? RED? Normally a juvenile Cooper's hawk has a bright yellow eye and a Juvie Sharpie has a orange eye but some cooper's can have a dull yellow eye that looks a bit orangish. Cooper's Hawks usually only transition to the orange eye colour when they are sub adults, so in good light, it's a very very reliable feature. However you ...
Read more

STINT IDENTIFICATION

Image
As per request, here are some tips that I hope will be helpful in identifying and differentiating Red-necked Stint from Little Stint. I will also do a brief intro on Long-toed and Temminck's Stint... if you build it they will come right?😉 Red-necked and Little Stints look very much alike in worn breeding plumage. The amount of Red on the face, throat and breast in Red-necked Stint is vary variable). They look even more alike in non-breeding plumage, that is why it is essential to learn structural differences to separate the two. They are similar to Semipalmated Sandpipers as well as Sanderlings. Both species are often confused for Red-necked Stints. Little Stints rarely get confused with Sanderling because they have a hind toe which helps differentiate it from this species. Sanderlings in breeding or worn breeding are usually confused with Red-necked Stints but they are much larger than Red-necked Stints. Let's first start with Bills in this complicated ID proces...
Read more

*Updated - The most famous Red-tailed Hawk is eating fish on the ground just like a Bald Eagle!

Image
Update - There are plans in the works to make a documentary film on this young Red-tailed Hawk who thinks he's an Eagle. You can read the latest news about that on CBC HERE . Watch this incredible footage of the little Red-tailed Hawk who grew up in a family of three Eaglets and 2 Bald Eagle Parents. He is imprinted now on Bald Eagles. He looks and acts just like one, as you can see here in the video below. He is standing over a large salmon carcass, just like a Bald Eagle would and he's eating the decaying flesh. Red-tailed Hawks like to eat voles and rabbits etc. not fish! Imprinting is usually irreversible according to raptor expert David Bird. However, I hope it's reversible so that he doesn't attempt to mate with a Bald Eagle, as the Eagle would kill him because it would view him as a Hawk. Eagle expert David Hancock said that the bird will likely starve and get killed by an eagle. He said this possibly can be prevented if someone grabs it and takes it to O...
Read more

1 year since I lost my father

Image
My dad and I whom I miss terribly. One year on since I lost him. Today would have been my mother's bday. Her name was Valerie and it is also the first year anniversary of the death of my beloved father, Arne. There is not a day that goes by where I don't think of them. Now for ever more the day of his death will be connected to her birthday, a very sad day but in a way that connection is beautiful to tie them together. My beautiful family before we lost both parents. I put flowers down at their grave to celebrate them both today. I hate that it is one year since I told him I loved him and hugged him. I miss him so very much. I miss his voice, his love and guidance and support. The ground for me feels shakier without his guidance and safety. I hate I will never see him again or talk to him again. Can't believe how quick time passes. This is why it is so important we treasure every single day to the fullest and tell those we love them. I will never forget the day he passed aw...
Read more