49.066782,
-120.788533
Once we had finished birding Maplewood the previous evening
we drove on, out of Vancouver and into the Coast Mountain Range where our next
destination, Manning Park, waited for us. We camped overnight in the mountains,
which we initially thought was an inspired decision until the temperature fell
to just a single degree.
In the morning the mountains were shrouded in fog, and upon
arrival at the park we found that there was still a serious helping of snow,
which would make our travelling around the park more difficult. Our key targets
here were grouse, but there were many other birds on offer. It has to be said
that Manning Park was the most beautiful place we have ever been to, the thick
snowfall and mist only adding to an amazing atmosphere. We parked at the
visitor centre and then walked up the road and subsequent track on the south
side of the road, behind the visitor centre. Once we had birded around that
area we drove up the road to the Lightening Lake car park where we hoped to
have better access to the woodland trails. Sadly the lake trail was completely
inaccessible and the lake itself completely frozen. Much of the park was closed
as a result of the snow, so we were unable to access the higher peaks and try
to find white-tailed ptarmigan.
By early afternoon the fog had lifted and we were left with
bright sunshine. We explored the area around the ‘Beaver Pond’ where we had a
few nice species that we had not yet encountered during the trip. We also tried
a few other woodland trails to try to find grouse but sadly we did not have any
success. We moved on mid-afternoon, in order to make good time for our next site.
Highlights
Varied Thrush -
For such an awesome day it’s difficult to pick highlights, but there is one
bird that stands out above the rest. Having seen one yesterday, today we found
ourselves surrounded by Varied Thrushes. When we awoke in the mountains, we
heard at least five singing in the trees around our campsite, creating the most
amazing eerie atmosphere. Then in the park itself we found them extremely
abundant, and not shy either, allowing us to really appreciate them. Many birds
become hyped up and are disappointing when you eventually see them, but Varied
Thrush is absolutely not one of them.
Woodpeckers -
Within half an hour of arriving at the park we cleared up on nearly all the
woodpecker species we could expect to see in Vancouver. Pileated Woodpecker was
the standout, an absolutely enormous bird with an exceptionally loud drum that
you could hear throughout the woodland.
Visitor Centre Car
Park - It’s hard, with so many species, to pick out highlights, but the
birding in the car park alone was exceptional. Steller’s Jays hopped around the
lawn, with Varied Thrushes in tow. Red-naped Sapsuckers came and landed on the
tourist information boards in the car park. A Clark’s Nutcracker came and drank
from a small puddle in front of our car. And the lawn was full of burrows for
Belding’s Ground Squirrels. Enjoyable, easy birding! Brilliant!
Barrow’s Goldeneye - Every
body of water that was clear of ice in the park had a pair of Barrow’s
Goldeneye on it. Just a slither of open water was enough to support them. We
even had a pair on a beaver pond in the middle of the forest.
-Pileated Woodpecker
-Belding's Ground Squirrel
-Steller's Jay
-Varied Thrush
-Snowshoe Hare
-Barrow's Goldeneye
-Clarke's Nutcracker
Species List:
Manning Park: Canada
Goose, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Harlequin Duck, Mallard, Sooty Grouse, Turkey
Vulture, Pileated Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy
Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Merlin, Northern
Raven, Northwestern Crow, Clark’s Nutcracker, Steller’s Jay, American Robin,
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Chestnut-backed
Chickadee, Western Meadowlark, Oregon Junco, White-crowned Sparrow,
Golden-crowned Warbler, Song Sparrow, Audubon’s Warbler, Common Yellowthroat,
Nashville Warbler, Belding’s Ground
Squirrel, Snowshoe Hare, Hoary Comma,
White Lake
Grasslands
49.3099035,-119.6399117
We wrapped up at Manning Park mid-afternoon so decided to
make the journey to our next location, the Okanagan Valley, that afternoon. Our
journey was long but we arrived in the Okanagan area well before dark so
decided to scout out our sites for the following day beforehand. White Lake
Grasslands was our best chance for Bluebirds, as well as a number of other
grassland species. Although we were only scouting the site, we managed to connect
with all the species that we had labelled the site for just from driving along
the road adjacent to the reserve. For an hour we drove steadily along, stopping
frequently whenever a new species appeared, which they frequently did. Sadly we
had to make a hurried end to our visit, when we realised that we were almost
out of fuel, and might not have enough to make it to a station.
Highlights
Mountain Bluebird - One
of our most wanted species for the trip was one of the first birds we saw as we
drove along the site. Our first sighting was of a stunning male perched on a
fencepost adjacent to the road. No photos will truly show just how blue these
birds are, it is a colour like nothing we have ever seen. So bright, that my
DSLR camera could not cope. We also saw Western Bluebird, but it was not quite
as spectacular.
Western Meadowlark - Atop
of every telegraph post was a singing Western Meadowlark, their song filling
the grasslands with melody. We found this species extremely common among the
eastern sites that we visited.
American Kestrel - It
was nice to see this small falcon perched along the roadside as we drove, but
unfortunately they seemed very skittish and would not allow us close, even
using the car as a hide.
-Say's Phoebe
-Yellow-bellied Marmot
-Mountain Bluebird
-Western Meadowlark
-Western Bluebird
Species List:
White Lake
Grasslands: Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Goosander,
California Quail, Coopers Hawk, American Kestrel, Black-billed Magpie, Brewer’s
Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Western Bluebird, Mountain Bluebird, Say’s
Phoebe, Western Kingbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Vespers Sparrow, Chipping
Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow,
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