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SALMON RIVER ESTUARY, SAYWARD

IF YOU COULD travel back in time to the 1970s or earlier, you could depart Port McNeill on the Inside Passage ferry and cruise down the scenic Johnstone Strait to the route’s southern terminus at Port Kelsey. However, since Hwy. 19 was pushed through from Campbell River to Port Hardy in 1978, the ferry has moved north as well, giving the isolated timber village of Sayward an even quieter complexion. In the past few decades, a slowing forestry industry has affected their struggling economy and in 2006 there were only 341 residents in the Sayward Valley. Fast-forward to 2015, and visitors will see that many of the old businesses are still boarded up, but an increase in sport-fishing and eco-tourism is fostering a renewed interest in this hitherto forgotten corner of Vancouver Island.

For visiting birders, the quiet quaintness of tiny Sayward and Port Kelsey, nestled in between high coastal mountains, brooding Johnstone Strait, and the Salmon River Estuary, gives the place all the allure it needs. You’ll rarely bump into another sightseer while walking the nature trails around town. As for the environment, there are few estuaries in BC that are both ecologically pristine and easily accessible to visitors.

BIRDING GUIDE

As you leave Hwy. 19 and begin the drive down the Sayward Valley, following the Salmon River, look and listen for Black-throated Gray Warblers singing from the cottonwood trees lining the river. Turn right to get onto the Salmon River Rd. (see next page) giving access to the first Nature Trust trail on the right/east side. This trail is about a 1.5 km (1 mi.) loop through mature Sitka Spruce forest and estuarine back-channel habitats, bordering on brackish marshland.

Return to your car and drive 1.1 km (0.7 mi.) northwest along the Salmon River Rd., where a second Nature Trust sign indicates the Viewing Tower Trail. The isolated lines of alders and other deciduous trees, surrounded by estuary wetlands and meadows, can act as a natural funnel for migrating songbirds. Look and listen for mixed flocks in spring and late summer. This trail is also a good way to access the estuary for scoping shorebirds. On the right tides it’s possible to scope the main shorebird flocks from close to your car (see next page), but on a falling/lowish tide you can bring your scope and rubber boots out to the viewing tower, then continue on foot toward the mouth of the river. Tread carefully, as this is very sensitive habitat, and be very careful not to flush foraging sandpiper and waterfowl flocks, as this is a critical staging area where birds are gaining energy to continue their migrations. Finally, be wary of hunters in duck season.

GETTING THERE

From the south, turn right/north (signed for Sayward) 60 km (37 mi.) north of Campbell River. This same junction is 129 km (80 mi.) south of Port McNeill. Access to the two short nature trails is off the Salmon River Rd. which branches off to the right from the main road to Sayward, 7.4 km (4.6 mi.) from the highway junction (after crossing the second bridge over the Salmon River). This road parallels the main road and you’ll see several obvious ways to cross over to the main road near Sayward village once the estuary comes into view. There are several parallel roads that head north from Sayward through the mill and on to Port Kelsey. However, this area is quite small and once you’re there it should be obvious how to navigate to each place.

Continuing north along the Salmon River Rd., you will see Sayward village on your left. You can turn left and drive into the village just south of a small community lake (actually more of a large pond) that can hold a wide variety of dabbling and diving ducks in season. The surrounding trees are worth checking for mixed migrant flocks in migration. If you continue north instead of turning into the village, you’ll see a sewage treatment pond on the right. Once again, expect a few ducks (Tufted Duck has been recorded here) as well as a decent mix of gulls, depending on the season. These ponds aren’t very good for shorebirds but a birder could hypothetically run across Red-necked or Red Phalaropes spinning on the surface.

Just beyond the sewage pond, but before the sawmill, is a wide open gravel area. From here it should be obvious that walking along the estuary side of this parking area will offer a good vantage point from which to scope the mudflats of the Salmon River estuary. Tide will be a factor, of course. It’s a small enough estuary that you should be able to see where the main flocks of birds are, but they won’t always be close to this location; you’re looking east, so afternoon is best since the sun will be behind you. Very few birders make it here, so there have yet to be any big rarity finds. However, given the good numbers of shorebirds and gulls noted on short visits here in the past, it’s only a matter of time before someone strikes gold. Expect a similar species mix to that mentioned for the Port McNeill area.

At low tide, a gravel island is exposed at the mouth of the river where gulls and a few shorebirds gather. Follow the signs for a boat launch that’s accessed by driving along the eastern edge of the mill and out to the end of a rocky breakwater. This spot can also be great for scoping a variety of passing seabirds farther out in Johnstone Strait, including Fork-tailed Storm Petrel and Sabine’s Gull in late summer/fall.

For Port Kelsey, head back south toward the sewage pond and turn right onto the paved road that heads north on the left/west side of the mill. This leads a short way to the main fishing docks of Kelsey Bay. You may be lucky enough to see orca whales pass close by. This was the original starting point of the BC Ferries route through the Inside Passage to Prince Rupert.

The protected waters of Comox Harbour provide limitless opportunities for viewing and photographing waterfowl outside of summer. Large flocks of Surf Scoters (pictured) and White-winged Scoters are often the most conspicuous. LIRON GERTSMAN