Seawall Birding

January 16, 2006 - It's at this time of year, when rain and wind are constant companions to walkers on the Stanley Park seawall, that over-wintering birds populate the shoreline and capture your heart. From the Inukshuk groin on English Bay to Third Beach, several visiting waterfowl species can be easily spied just meters off in the salt chuck as they dive and bob for marine vegetation.

Chief among them is the Barrow's Goldeneye duck whose black and white colouring brings dice to mind. One distinguishing feature that separates this duck from the Common Goldeneye is the white comma shaped mark found in front of its eye. In the Common Goldeneye, (actually, not so common), the mark is round in shape.

Another less frequently spotted visitor is the Eurasian Widgeon whose creamy striped pate and blue bill accent their tawny-brown coloured chest feathers. In the past two weeks a single pair has been repeatedly spotted, seemingly content with their flockless status.

Also spotted was a pair of Black Oystercatchers with their easy to recognize, stylishly svelte, red bills. They gracefully swoop between the landscape of half submerged boulders during the mid-afternoon high tides so common during the winter months. Even if you missed their beautiful red eye and bill you would know them by their distinctive whistle, sparking interest in even those not smitten by the bird watching bug.

Birding from the wind-swept shores of Stanley Park combines an escape from the hurly burly of city life, excellent exercise and a free date with some of the most engaging winged tourists visiting Vancouver!

The Stanley Park Ecology Society offers "birding walks" the last Sunday in January and February. Check out the details at the Stanley Park Ecology Society web site.

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