Bird Watching

Whether you're walking along Florencia Bay or Long Beach, exploring the Broken Group Islands or hiking the Wild Pacific Trail, Ucluelet and the Pacific Rim National Park offer some amazing opportunities for birding, or bird watching.

There are over 300 species of birds that have been identified in the Pacific Rim region. Most of these birds are migrating north and south during their spring and fall journeys. Nearly 100 of these birds are known to breed in the region. Ucluelet, located in between two sections of the Pacific Rim National Park, is home to many habitats. These include quiet estuaries and dense forests, sandy beaches, rocky shorelines, hundreds of small islands, mud flats, meadows, bogs, streams and rivers. Birds are not easily seen in the thick rainforest and tend to be more populated along the shoreline.

Blue Heron - Photo courtesy of Mark Penney

There are a variety of breeding resident birds in the Pacific Rim. Some sea and shore species breeding in the area include great blue herons, black oystercatchers, bald eagles, red-throated loons, Brandt's and pelagic cormorants and glaucous-winged gulls. Forest breeders include chestnut-backed chickadees, golden-crowned kinglets, steller's jays, brown creepers, pileated woodpeckers, winter wrens, and red crossbills represent the . Some species of birds winter elsewhere but come to the region to breed. Some of these include Leach's and fork-tailed petrels, band-tailed pigeons, marbled murreletstufted puffins, rhinoceros auklets, rufous hummingbirds, Swainson's thrush and orange-crowned warblers.

Winter birds can be seen in their respective habitats early in the year. Some of the species on the water include Loons, grebes and ducks. Dark-eyed juncos, winter wrens and song sparrows can be seen along the fringe of the forest. Around March, gull populations visibly increase with the greater schools of spawning herring. Most winter birds are gone by April or May, with the arrival of spring migrants and summer residents.

The Pacific Rim National Park Reserve website states that bird populations are lowest in June. In July, migrating shorebirds start to gather along the shoreline with the highest numbers spotted in mid-August. In the fall, you can see the return of some winter species. Trumpeter swans and common goldeneye arrive in the region late in the year, November and December.

Harbour Gulls - Photo courtesy Archipeligo Cruises

Please ensure that your bird watching doesn't have a negative impact on the birds! Pick up your bird checklist at Parks Canada Info Centres.

Below are some birding tips from Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and Parks Canada:

• Match your expectations to the time of year (season) and the place (habitat). That way you won't be disappointed if you don't see Harlequin Ducks in June, for example. If you're birding on the shore, the height of the tide may mean the difference between seeing lots of birds and seeing none.

• Use binoculars and/or a spotting scope to observe birds at a distance. Use zoom lenses for photography.

• Avoid nesting areas. Avoid using recorded calls to attract birds.

• Be aware of your surroundings. PRNPR is home to large carnivores: cougars, wolves and bears. Since birding often involves standing still and being concealed, be aware that YOU may be being watched!

• Be prepared . Dress for the weather, and the habitat you're birding in. Know the tides if birding on the shore.

• Report rare, injured, or dead birds to Parks Canada staff.

• Pick up a bird checklist at Parks Canada Info centres, or at local businesses.

• Learn to identify a few local birds by call and song . The dense coastal temperate rainforest often makes it hard to identify birds by sight.

• Remember that a bird's survival is more important than your record sighting or photograph! Speak to Parks Canada staff to find out about what species you're likely to see, recent sightings, wildlife warnings and area closures.

• Leave your pet at home, or, if you must bring your pet, keep it on a leash at all times. Birds are easily disturbed and disturbance can mean the difference between survival and death.

• Keep a low profile . Move slowly, speak quietly, and do what you can to avoid "flushing" birds (causing birds to take flight unnecessarily).