Читать книгу Best Places to Bird in British Columbia - Richard Cannings - Страница 11

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COMOX HARBOUR

COMOX HARBOUR, FROM the tip of Goose Spit to the Courtenay River estuary and around to the Royston waterfront, is truly a lovely blend of brilliant scenery, great year-round bird variety, and ease of access for birders. Visiting birders can expect to find a variety of westcoast specialties throughout the year (both on the water and on land), while clear days afford stunning views of the Comox Glacier to the west and the waters of Georgia Strait to the east. The protected waters of the harbour team with waterfowl in winter, providing photographers with some great opportunities, particularly for White-winged Scoters at Goose Spit. Unusual sightings too are increasing with more birding coverage, including Black-tailed Gull, Slaty-backed Gull, and Canada’s first and North America’s second Citrine Wagtail. The latter overwintered at a nearby farm in 2012–13. Of course, I wasn’t in the country that winter.

The ease of access to all the best birding sites in this area is a tremendous asset for Comox Harbour. Public roads and paved walking/cycling trails cover nearly the entire harbour, providing easy accessibility for birders of all degrees of mobility. The relatively sheltered waters here also make the bay ideal for kayak, canoe, and sailboat exploration, allowing for closer views of many waterfowl and seabirds.

BIRDING GUIDE

With so many great options for birding this area, where you start may depend on the weather, tide-state, time of year, time of day (always best to avoid looking into the sun), and the birds you’re after. If herring spawn is on, scan around for clouds of gulls to alert you to where the best birding is.

In general, all the sites mentioned are worth a visit at any time of year. If you’re visiting during spring/fall shorebird migration and the tide is high, check the old rocky breakwater just off the Royston waterfront, Courtenay Airpark ponds, the small islands at the mouth of the Courtenay River, and the westerly beaches of Goose Spit (obey the access signs). By far the best place to look for shorebirds in the area is Sandy (Tree) Island at the north end of Denman Island (visible to the southeast of Goose Spit), but this requires either a private vessel or taking a ferry to Denman then walking out at low tide from the north end. At mid-/low tides, the birds can be spread out through Comox Harbour but can still be scoped well at times, especially from the walkway east of the Courtenay Airpark.

GETTING THERE

The communities of Royston, Courtenay, and Comox essentially surround the harbour and are well signed on Hwy. 19, so getting to the harbour should be fairly straightforward. To get to the Courtenay Airpark if approaching from the south on the main Island Hwy. (19), take the Comox Valley Parkway (main exit for Courtenay) all the way to Cliffe, where you’ll turn left before turning onto Mansfield. Cliffe is basically the Old Island Hwy. (19A), so you can head south on Cliffe to get to Royston. Courtenay and Comox are just over an hour’s drive from Nanaimo.

One relatively unknown but fantastic spot at the southeast corner of the harbour is the Trent River Estuary.

From downtown Royston, head southeast along Hwy. 19A (Old Island Hwy.); shortly after crossing the Trent River, turn left onto Gartley Rd. and follow it to the end (it turns into Gartley Point Rd.) where you can park beside a small fish hatchery. The Trent River Estuary is a wide gravel fan and right now you are on the east side of it. Walk north and northwest to get to the actual river mouth, though the birding can be great anywhere along the shoreline, particularly during herring spawn (late February to late April) when thousands of Brant, scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, loons, grebes, and gulls gather to gobble up the beige-coloured roe. Water birds are usually around in good numbers here any time outside of early summer, although a scope is recommended for the best views. Work the grasslands and shrubby areas around here, as a Yellow Wagtail was spotted in fall 2013, and there are plenty of more common species, such as Northern Shrike (October–March), Marsh Wren, Spotted Towhee, and Purple Finch, that may be pleasing to visiting birders.

For access to the west side of the Trent River Estuary, and probably a site with better potential for interesting songbirds in migration, return to Hwy. 19A, head northwest back across the Trent River (toward Royston), and turn right at Carey Pl. You may have to park just off the highway, but at the end of this short road a trail heads down toward the estuary. This is a great spot for sparrows on migration as well as other songbirds, and of course, once you get close to the harbour, all the birds mentioned at the other Trent River site can also be encountered here.

Return to Hwy. 19A and head northwest into Royston proper. Turn right on Hayward Ave., then left on Marine Dr. Use your discretion for selecting a stop as the tide and time of year will affect conditions, but generally this is a great stretch of harbour to set up a scope. To get closest to the old breakwater (and at least fourteen shipwrecks), which is a good place for scoping shorebirds like Black-bellied Plover, turnstones, and peeps at high tide, return to Hwy. 19A and head northwest toward Courtenay for a few hundred metres/yards then turn right on Hilton Rd. A parking area here and adjacent beach and shrubs provide not only great birding but also an ideal place to scope the breakwater roost and across the waters of Comox Harbour.

Pacific Rim National Park offers birders one of the best chances in Canada to see a Wandering Tattler as they migrate to and from their northern breeding grounds. They are often accompanied by turnstones and surfbirds on barnacle-encrusted rocks. ILYA POVALYAEV