The forum is for information, questions and discussions about locations to go birding within British Columbia.
#20716
Thank you for taking some time to read this request.
I am a birder from Montreal coming on holiday to BC to visit my cousin and travel.
We will start in North Van, then drive to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island to take a BC ferry up the Inland Passage to Prince Rupert. Then we will drive Highway 16 to Prince George, Highway 97 to Cache Creek, then Highway 1 back to North Van.

Where along that route am I likely to find any of the following?
YB Loon, Clark's Grebe, Fork-tailed or Leach's Storm-Petrels, Trumpeter Swan, Snowy Plover, Long-Billed Curlew, Surfbird, Mew or Thayer's Gulls, Ancient or Cassin's Murrelets, Western or Northern or Spotted Owls, Black Swift, Red-naped or Williamson's Sapsuckers, Hammond's Flycatcher, Pygmy Nuthatch, Wrentit, Hermit Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Henslow's Sparrow, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, and Cassin's Finch.

I do know the usual habitats of these birds, but I don't know their seasonal distributions in BC. If you know of any 'most likely' spots along my route, that you would care to share, I would be MOST appreciative.
Thanking you in advance...
NotANighthawk.
#20720
Hi There,

Wrentit don't make in north into BC, the northern tip of their range is N. Oregon, S. Washington state.

The sapsuckers are going to be best found in the Okanagan. See the Okanagan Birding Trail guide for places to bird. I believe it is $5 to purchase through the Okanagan Naturalists.

Victoria (Swan Lake) has been having a good year for Black-headed Grosbeak. I am not sure on other localities.

As there are only 2 pairs of Spotted Owls left in BC (as told to me by MOE this spring) you are very unlikely to see any. Their locations are closely guarded.

Hopefully others can also chime in on this.
#20798
The storm petrels are most likely in the first three hours out from Port Hardy on the ferry. Leach's are far more likely than Fork-tailed, but you'll have to pay very close attention to get either of them. They are not as easy to spot as you might think.

Ancient Murrelets are a possibility from the ferry.

Hammond's Flycatcher should be fairly easy in mature conifer forests as you drive up Vancouver Island.

Mew Gulls should be easy to find on marine beaches in Campbell River, Sayward, Port McNeil or Port Hardy.

Check agricultural fields NW of Vanderhoof (take the road towards Fort St. James and check all the fields in about the first 4 kms over the Nechako River Bridge) for Long-billed Curlew.

Black-headed Grosbeak should be fairly easy to locate in mixed younger forest anywhere on the SE end of Vancouver Island.
#53112
I do know the usual habitats of these birds, but I don't know their seasonal distributions in BC. If you know of any 'most likely' spots along my route, that you would care to share, I would be MOST appreciative.
#53123
A couple resources worth checking for your trip to B.C.

This is a fantastic guide for birds on Vancouver Island. It will give you strong idea of what should be around and the general area it can be found.
https://picasaweb.google.com/pat.mary.t ... uverIsland


The "Species Map" tool is a fantastic option available on ebird and will give you a good idea where and when your target birds have been seen.
http://ebird.org/ebird/canada/eBirdReports?cmd=Start

Notes on a couple of your target birds. Western Grebes have been moving in around Vancouver Island. Your best bet for finding a Clark's Grebe will be with groups of Westerns.

It is getting a bit late for Black-Headed Grosbeaks on Vancouver Island. You might get lucky but I haven't seen one reported for a couple weeks.

If you make it to southern Vancouver Island do put in an attempt on the Skylarks. The Saanich Peninsula north of Victoria is the only place in North America that Skylarks are found.

Have a great holiday!

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