Birdwatching in British Columbia
British Columbia, famed for its natural beauty, is located on the Pacific coast with Alaska to the north, the Rockies to the east, the state of Washington to the south, and offer some of the best, if not the best birding in Canada.
Off Vancouver and Queen Charlotte Islands you will find some terrific pelagic birdwatching especially in the fall season.
In the rain forest of the Pacific coast line such western species as Spotted Owl, Townsend’s Warbler, Steller’s Jay to name a
few can be found. Costal inlets and shores are on the major flyway for numerous shorebirds and waterfowls.
In the interior plains and valleys such birds like Sparrows, Western Meadowlark, Mountain Bluebird nest and many waterfowl even Pelicans raise their young in the lakes found here.
To the north you will find boreal mountains with raptors such as Gyrfalcon plus Ptarmigan, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch to name just
a few.
The lower mainland hold such birds as Anna’s Hummingbird, Western Tanager and many more.
With more than 490 species of birds recorded in BC it is no wonder you have a birders paradise here.
Numerous Birdingpals will make sure that your visit to this beautiful place will be a memorable one.
Check our personalized year round birdwatching tours in British Columbia for small groups
Local Birdingpal Contacts
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Local Birdwatchers
Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away. Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. | ||||||
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Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| M | Vooys | Abbotsford | Anytime | English/Dutch |
| I live in the Fraser Valley, an hour east of Vancouver. Great birding at Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Iona Island and Boundary Bay. I have been birding since 2000 and have birded over much of the USA and Canada. I am aiming to see 700 ABA birds by 2012. | ||||||
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| D | Nicholson | Cranbrook | Anytime | English |
| In terms of birding around Cranbrook, our local checklist has 260 species. Depending on the time of year a good total for a couple days of serious birding could be upwards of 140 birds. The area has birds typical of the southern interior cordilleran zone. During migration we get species that are boreal or arctic breeders in addition to the resident and local breeders. The area is also referred to as the Serengeti of North America because of the healthy populations of large mammals. One cannot help but see Whitetail, Mule Deer and Elk, and with some work Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat and Black Bear can be seen. I am an amateur naturalist, and in addition to local birds am also very familiar with local butterflies, moths and dragonflies. | ||||||
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| A | Murray | Delta | Anytime | English/some French |
| Author of A Nature Guide to Boundary Bay. Keen birder, live near Boundary Bay, Fraser River Estuary, major Important Bird Area in Canada. Knowledge of many birding areas in BC. | ||||||
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| R | Rutledge | Duncan | Anytime | English/French |
| I live on Vancouver Island, one hr. North of Victoria and 10 mins. from Somenos Marsh. For Raptor lovers we have a Raptor exhibit 10 mins. away as well. There are many sites to visit for water birds and woodlands birds as well. | ||||||
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| R | Rawluk | Fort St. James | Anytime | |
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| A | van Woerden | Fraser Valley | Anytime | |
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| C | Phippen | Kamloops | Anytime | English |
| My husband and I are biologists located in the City of Kamloops. The Kamloops area is rich with waterfowl, Curlew, Kingbirds, Catbirds, Orioles, Hummingbirds, many Grouse species, Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles, Osprey, a number of Hawk Species, Meadowlarks and any bird that enjoys dry, grassland habitat. There are a number of provincial parks nearby and fantastic bird viewing areas. | ||||||
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| G | Dreger | Kamloops | Anytime | English |
| I am very knowledgeable about the rural areas near Kamloops. I enjoy wildlife photography and am involved with the birding atlas of BC. The area is forested uplands and grasslands with waterfowl, raptors and many songbirds. | ||||||
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| R | Cannings | Kelowna | Anytime | English/French |
| I have lived in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia for my entire life and love to show off its beauty. I especially enjoy searching for all of the valley's 12 breeding owl species. | ||||||
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| D | Chapman | Kelowna | Weekend | English |
| Fairly avid birder willing to share the local knowledge gained over the last few years. | ||||||
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| L | Redford | Likely | Anytime | |
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| R | Weaver | Mackenzie | Anytime | English |
| My wife and I have lived in Mackenzie nearly 18 years, and both work with the Forest Service. Mackenzie is situated approximately 2 hours north of Prince George, and is about half way between Prince George and Chetwynd. We are a popular stop over for many Alaskan bound travelers , with the town having full services. We both are very active with the Mackenzie Nature Observatory (MNO), a local Naturalists club. MNO is a full member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, an initiative through Bird Studies Canada. Our banding station operates from late July to late September, and we welcome all birders to be involved with our research. The area is a natural flight corridor, as we have the Rocky Mountain Trench and its associated waterways (lakes, rivers, marshes) nestled up against the Rocky Mountains, making the area very productive for bird encounters We even have roaded access to Alpine!! Drop a line anytime; we’d love to hear from you. | ||||||
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| G | Davidson | Nakusp | Anytime | English |
| Nakusp is a small town in rural British Columbia on the shores of Arrow Lake. May and June are the best times to visit, August and September also quite good. | ||||||
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| R | Wege | Nelson | Anytime | |
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| N | Robins | Parksville/Oceanside/Nanaimo | Anytime | English |
| I am a birder who leads bird walks twice a week with the Backyard Wildbird Store. I live in Parksville which is an area filled with seabirds from November to May. From May to November the forests in the area are alive with songbirds. Check the www.thebirdstore.blogspot.com for up to date sightings in the Parksville and area. | ||||||
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| R | Mooney | Parksville/Oceanside/Nanaimo | Weekend | English |
| Visit my site: http://westcoastbirding.blogspot.com/ | ||||||
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| G | Roy | Pender Island | Anytime | English/French |
| Located in the Gulf islands in southern British Columbia. Noted for seabirds, Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Ducks etc. | ||||||
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| L | Cowan | Pitt Meadows | Weekend | |
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| W | Brick | Port Alberni | Anytime | English |
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| A | Clements | Powell River | Anytime | English some Spanish |
| We live in a rural area north of Vancouver on the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia. It is a wonderful birding area with many indigenous birds. It is especially rich in winter waterbirds. We are serious birders who have birded in Europe, Australia, Japan, Central and South America and throughout North America. We are members of our local naturalist club so we know many local birders. | ||||||
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| M | Downes | Qualicum Beach | Anytime | English |
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| V | Knap | Richmond | Anytime | English Czek/Russian |
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| L | Rockwell | Summerland | Weekend | English |
| Been birding for 35 years and the warden for the Trout Creek Ecological Reserve in Summerland since 1982. Past president of the South Okanagan Naturalist Club, participant in annual Christmas bird counts, owl
and bird breeding surveys and the BC Breeding Bird Atlas, studying a population of Gray Flycatchers for 18 years, occasional wildlife technician for bird studies and contributing nest records to the BC Nest Record Scheme since 1980. I also conduct a Birding For Beginners course for local college and Parks and Recreation department. The Summerland area is approximately 50 km from Kelowna to the north and 15km from Penticton in the south. It is an area of dry forest and agriculture. Water birding is confined to the shores of Okanagan Lake, primarily during migration and the winter. | ||||||
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| L | Pollard | Surrey | Anytime | English |
| Close to Boundary Bay, one of the most important IBA's in Canada. | ||||||
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| J | Bell | Terrace | Anytime | English |
| Terrace is a couple hours south of the alaskan panhandle and part of the Pacific Flyway. A variety of songbirds stay here to breed, and we are only a 30 minute drive from the Kitimat River Estuary which is a major attraction to both breeding and migrating waterfowl. Terrace is an ideal staging point for birders as we are located in the middle of various converging habitats: coastal wetlands, rugged mountains, subalpine, old growth conifers and deciduous flats are all close by. A day's travel northward will take you to the Boreal region. In Prince Rupert you can take the Ferry to the Queen Charlotte Islands to see magnificent sea birds, and thereare adventure tours in Prince Rupert that offer birding, wild grizzly bear watching and world class fishing. | ||||||
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| C | Knox | Vancouver | Anytime | |
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| B | Scott | Vancouver | Anytime | |
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| N | Hagenaars | Vancouver | Weekend | |
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| G | Innes | Vancouver | Anytime | English |
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| D | Matthews | Vancouver | Anytime | English |
| I am a Master bird bander (ringer) and birder in the Vancouver, BC, Canada area. | ||||||
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| B | Self | Vancouver | Anytime | English |
| British by birth, I have birded North America for over 40 years and have travelled extensively to bird. The Vancouver checklist has over 400 species and the area is good at almost any time of the year. We are a shorebird mecca in Spring and Fall migration. | ||||||
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| S | Lindenberger | White Rock, Vancouver | Anytime | English/German Hebrew/Spanish |
| We have some really fine birding areas near us, both in BC and we're right on the Washington border, so that's within reach. | ||||||
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| M | Habdas | Vancouver | Anytime | English |
| I am an computer and photography instructor with the Vancouver School Board and an active member of the Vancouver Natural History Society birding section. Visit my website at www.birdsphotography.com. | ||||||
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| M | Boyd | Vancouver | Weekends | English some Spanish |
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| P | Kelly | Vancouver | Weekend | French/German English Written Arabic/ Turkish |
| While I would be delighted to host visiting birders, I would need plenty of prior notice, would be unavailable between March and June inclusive and would be limited to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland (where I have almost thirty years birding experience), since I have a busy accounting practice. | ||||||
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| K | La Plante | Vancouver (West) | Anytime | |
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| L | Lee | Vancouver (West) | Anytime | English |
| Avid birder and certified bird bander. Experience Northwestern birds up close by coming out and visiting our banding station. Lots of knowledge about our birding hotspots, bird calls and songs in the Lower Mainland. | ||||||
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| D | Carsen | Brentwood Bay/Victoria | Anytime | English/Bird songs |
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| D | Spence | Victoria | Anytime | English/French |
| Bed and Breakfast (Amore by the Sea) located on Albert Head Bird Sanctuary, just 20 minutes outside the city of Victoria. 'One of Victoria's best beaches. | ||||||
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| G | O'Neill | Victoria | Anytime | English/French |
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| E | Pellizzon | Victoria | Anytime | English |
| I have been birding for 12 years and know some of the best spots for birds in my area. | ||||||
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| R | Schortinghuis | Victoria | Anytime | English |
| I have been birding for 12 years. I organize and lead field trips for the Victoria Natural History Society so I know the area very well. | ||||||
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| M | Cuthbert | White Rock | Anytime | English |
| Naturalist and conservation volunteer near Vancouver BC and the Fraser River Estuary, top rated Important Bird Area in Canada and designated Site of Hemispheric Importance. | ||||||
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Professional Guides If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services. | ||||||
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| Initial | Last Name | Area | Available | Language |
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| S | McRuer | Port Albani | Anytime | English |
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| B | May | Vancouver | Anytime | English |
| Currently organizes general touring, hiking and photographic expeditions in the eastern Canadian Arctic. Organized and led 'artist's charters' aboard 25m wooden sailing vessel in the Queen Charlotte Islands (1987-93). OTHER ATTRIBUTES & INTERESTS: Geologist ... Curator of Geology at the University of Toronto, 1975-96. Designed first use of motorized compact rock & mineral storage in any Canadian university (1989). Avid Cyclist ... designed and built 3 custom bicycles, incl. the first touring bicycle to use 650B wheels (1975); rode 3 times across Canada solo;numerous other long distant tours in Canada, the USA, Italy and France. Twice competed (1987 & '91) in the 1400 km. Paris-Brest-Paris race in France and cycled extensively in the Alps, Dolomites, Pyrenees, Appenines and Cdn. Rockies. | ||||||
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| P | Walshe | Vancouver Island | Anytime | English |
Local Information
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| Name | Description
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| Federation of BC Naturalists | Club |
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| Vancouver Natural History Society | Club |
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| British Columbia Wetland Society | Club |
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| Chilliwack Field Naturalists | Club |
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| Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve | Club |
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| South Okanagan Naturalists | Club |
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| Rocky Point Bird Observatory | Banding |
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| George C. Reifel | Migratory Bird Sanctuary |
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| Birding Hotspots around the world | Sites |
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| Wings over the Rockies | Festival |
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| Meadowlark | Festival |
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| Brant Wildlife | Festival |
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| Boundary Bay | Sites |
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| Bird Guide | Sites |
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| Birdnotes.net | Birding |
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| BCAdventure | Sites |
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| Creston Valley | Sites |
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| Jeffrey Newman's | Cariboo region |
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| Bluewater Adventures | Pelagic |
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| Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | British Columbia |
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| Local weather | Yahoo |
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| Electronic maps | MapQuest |
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| Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. | |
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| Field guides recommended by Birdingpals | |
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| Printable bird check list | |
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| Neil Robins's guide to Vancouver Island |
Last update 01/12/2009