Squamish, B.C., August Count

By Jim Meyer

For more than 25 years Squamish has had a monthly Bird Count in behalf of the Squamish Environmental Conservation Society. Birders meet at the Howe Sound Brew Pub restaurant and divide into four groups to cover the four distinct areas of interest. After the count, everyone regroups at the Pub for a final tally and a late lunch.

For this count, I joined Chris Dale, Paddy and wife Judy who are all long time residents of Squamish. Chris and wife Bev had visited us in Florida a couple of years ago for a week’s birding in Brevard County and got 33 lifers on their first day at MINWR. They also joined our Audubon trip to Viera Wetlands and needless to say were very impressed by our abundant wildlife. Chris and Bev spent two more weeks in South Florida and came back for a final day at the Orlando Wetlands and told me our area was the best.

Our first stop was at a Log Sort just outside of downtown. Scanning the adjacent Central Channel in the Squamish Estuary which comes in from Howe Sound, we quickly picked up Common Merganser, Mallard, Green Wing Teal, Bufflehead, along with many Green Back Herons and a few Double-crested Cormorants. Another nice sight was a Harbor Seal with his head out of the water checking us out as we did the same to him. Early in the summer, I had seen a seal surface in the Squamish River with a two foot Salmon in its mouth. Getting back to birding, Paddy noticed the pair of Tundra Swans hanging out up the channel who have been here all Summer.

Walking up the access road to the log sort, we heard a Pileated Woodpecker and a Northern Flicker and Chris spotted a lone Band-Tailed Pigeon flying over. We were on our way to a trail thru the adjacent woods when we noticed alot of birds zipping across the road. We pursued them and picked up Willow Flycatcher, American Goldfinch, Spotted Towhee, Swainson Thrush, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow and Orange-Crowned Warblers. We also had the ever present Northwestern Crow, Black-Capped Chicadee, Song Sparrow, and several large groups of ravens flying over. Then Chris, being a fantastic audible birder, heard a woodpercker pecking. After some searching the trees we saw a Hairy Woodpecker pecking away at a live willow bush about a foot off the ground. Walking further down the road, I noticed a warbler landing in the top of a tree and we had a migrant Townsend Warlbler.

Since we were now at the end of our intended trail, we reversed course and entered the woods when a Ruffed Grouse flew up right in front of us. Looking out into the Estuary through a break in the trees revealed House Finch, Rough-Winged and Barn Swallows and several Ospreys. Just before completing the trail, Paddy noticed a bird of prey had landed right over us in a tall tree. We then saw it take off and identified it as a Peregrine Falcon. These falcons actively nest on the “Stawamus Chief” which is the second largest granite monolith behind “El Capitan” in Yosimite National Park. The Chief is over 2000 feet of vertical for the rock hounds and a great slightly strenous hike overlooking downtown. We tried to get a better look at the falcon by exiting the woods into a clearing but failing that Chris picked up a Black-Throated Gray Warbler. Yes, the ducks and warblers are definitely migrating! On another ducks and warblers are definitely migrating! On another trail, we had Stellar Jay, Rufous Hummingbird, Warbling Vireo, Cedar Waxwings, and a Winter Wren.

In all, we had 41 species and the total for all four groups was 71 species. Some of their birds were: Red-necked Phalaropes, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Snipe, Pie-billed Grebe, Hooded Merganser, and Pectoral, Least, Western, and Semi-palmated Sandpipers.

What was missing was an Eagle! Brackendale, the city just 3 miles north, is known as “The Eagle capital of the world”. In December and January the Eagles load the cottonwood trees along the Squamish river devouring the spawned out salmon. During the Eagle Count which lasts about six hours along a 3 or 4 mile stretch on the river between 3000 and 4000 Eagles are tallied.

The Red-necked Phalaropes were a first for the count. And early in the month while waiting to put my kayak in at the oceanfront park, I saw another first, a semi-palmated plover! Another fantastic summer at Squamish, the recreational Capital of Canada!