The forum is for information, questions and discussions about locations to go birding within British Columbia.
By birdingtom
#32709
Hi,

my name is Tom and I live in Berlin, Germany. We are going to come to Canada
for family holidays on August, 17th. My wife Claudia and me are very eager birdwatchers
but I have never had the opportunity to observe a Merlin in the wild.
Have you any observation hint for western Canada? Here comes our planned route:

Vancouver, Manning PP, Keremeos Cliffs, Osoyoos Oxbows, Okanagan Falls PP,
Kalamalka PP, Mt. Revelstoke NP, Glacier NP, Kootenay NP, Kananaskis Country,
Banff NP, Jasper NP, Wels Gray PP, Squamish River, Vancouver

Our return flight is scheduled for September, 6th.
Are there other places to visit for wildlife watching (bears, cats, ...) and photography?

Thanks in advance for your comments,
Tom
By Birder2000
#32750
Merlins are not an extremely predictable bird in BC, but if you look at ebird point maps for Merlins then you can see where Merlins have been recently sighted.

KEY FOR THE MAP:
On the map, the large blue points are birding hotspots where Merlins have not been reported at on ebird for over a month.

Small blue points are places that are not birding hotspots where Merlins have not been reported at on ebird for over a month.

Large orange points are are birding hotspots where Merlins have been reported at on ebird within 30 days.

Small orange points are are not birding hotspots where Merlins have been reported at on ebird within 30 days.


I hope this helps and have a great trip!
By Jigme
#32770
Hi Tom,

You're going to find that traveling to all those places takes a good deal of time. I'm familiar with driving straight to Banff and it would take me 12 plus hours to get there from Vancouver. I believe that with all the places you're going to, you'll see and hear many birds.

I would recommend looking at the "BC Birding Regions" forum for a starting point. The checklists for these areas will also give you an idea of species that can be found there. I'd also suggest ebird online to look at birding hotspots. The Nature Vancouver website can also give you a bit more information.

I think that most regions have organized birding group outings at various dates. I have gone on an Okanagan birding trip with their birding group and they were fantastic taking me to all the hotspots and pointing out various bird species.

Have a wonderful vacation.
By Carl
#36557
i used to live in edmonton alberta,and in a little part south of the city is mill woods,i saw a merlin almost everyday,they would always be in the same tree out side my old house and another bunch in a different tree just on my bike ride too work,i have been a birder for years and just watching them fly and call and chase they prey is still the best thing in birding.if you are thinking of going to edmonton,i can let you know in detail where to find them,cheers carl
By Carl
#36558
just reread your journey destination,and edmonton isnt on it,dont worry you will find them,eyes peeled,larger towns seem to hold larger populations.good luck
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