Winter Washington & British Columbia Feb 02—09, 2008
Posted by Bob Sundstrom
Bob Sundstrom
Bob Sundstrom has led VENT tours since 1989 to destinations including Hawaii, Mexico, Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Iceland, Papua New Guinea, the Southwest Pacific islands,...Related Trips
Our Winter Washington & British Columbia tour covers the richest winter birding areas in the Pacific Northwest. The tour loops west from Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula, then north to Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia, and then south again for two nights in Anacortes at the foot of the San Juan Islands, before returning to Seattle. We bird along the edges of marine bays, along forest edges, among vast, diked fields of delta flats, from the bows of ferries, and within some very productive sanctuaries.
Our 2008 tour fostered some truly memorable birding experiences. Together with wonderful food, very nice lodging, and great company, it was a week to remember. We greeted the sunrise at Nisqually Refuge the first morning. A Cooper's Hawk perched for scope views, the first Bald Eagle of the tour winged in to perch overhead, a coyote eyed us from a low mound, and several hundred Cackling Geese circled and called before landing nearby. A later stop along Scatter Creek gave us great views of Purple Finches, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Steller's Jays, California Quail, and others. And then we were off on a rare bird jaunt, west toward Willapa Bay near the coast. The extra driving was well worth it, rewarded by great views of a rare and beautiful pair of Emperor Geese foraging with other migratory geese.
By the second morning we were birding on the Olympic Peninsula near Port Angeles. A cold snap in the nearby mountains had pushed flocks of normally secretive Varied Thrushes—striking in their orange and steel-blue ornamented feathering—into the lowlands. Along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, breeding plumaged Harlequin Ducks shared the shallows with Barrow's Goldeneyes, gaudy Surf Scoters, loons, grebes, and Pigeon Guillemots. The afternoon brought us immaculate Long-tailed Ducks, Hooded Mergansers, and a pair of Black Oystercatchers.
On the third morning we headed into British Columbia. At a private sanctuary, tiny Northern Saw-whet Owls perched for close inspection, and a group of Sandhill Cranes not only tolerated our presence, but even dared to take seed from our hands. A Northern Shrike perched close by as it came to inspect a flock of sparrows.
Our fourth morning saw us on a massive ferry to Vancouver Island, docking north of Victoria. It was a marvelous day of scenic travel through the evergreen-clad islands and deep bays, with birding near Victoria. We found Sky Larks in farm fields, a few singing their intricate songs overhead. We watched Surfbirds and Thayer's Gulls along the island's rocky shoreline, and had lunch at the Empress Hotel, downtown Victoria's most elegant landmark.
The fifth day will be remembered especially for two remarkable birds. Just north of the U.S. border we came upon the lone Gyrfalcon of the tour, a massive gray winter visitor from the Arctic. And just after lunch on the U.S. side, as we cruised the waterfront for more views of Harlequin Ducks, an Arctic Loon sat on the water's surface no more than 75 feet away. An extremely rare bird with fewer than 10 records for the state, we had exceptional views of the distinguishing features of this rare Siberian visitor.
On our sixth day we enjoyed the Skagit and Samish River flats at leisure. We parked alongside a gathering concentration of Snow Geese in the morning, as skein after skein flew in to land on a broad, green meadow. The flock foraged closer and closer to the van, as it continued to grow in size to well over 10,000 geese. Among the white geese were several of the "Blue" form of Snow Goose, rare in the Northwest. After lunch at a wonderful local café, we hiked a short distance into a nearby field. A tawny Short-eared Owl flew around us with deep, moth-like wing beats, and then landed for exceptional scope views, its blazing yellow eyes and tiny "ear" tufts visible in every detail.
Nearly daily throughout the tour we passed flocks of Trumpeter and Tundra swans, often hundreds in each flock. One flock of American Wigeons contained more than 30 Eurasian Wigeons, at their greatest concentration here of any place in North America. Our counts of waterfowl (31 species) and grebes (6 species) were extraordinary. Peregrine Falcons flew the delta flats, as did Rough-legged Hawks and numerous harriers. Bald Eagles perched, flew, and stood as sentinels in most fields—several hundred for the week. This was a memorable tour, with more than its fair share of rarities and spectacles.