Читать книгу Best Places to Bird in British Columbia - Richard Cannings - Страница 8

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TRIANGLE ISLAND

THE HMCS Vector departed Port Hardy on a warm August evening. I stood out on deck, taking in the salty air and idyllic coastal scenery. Just as we rounded Point Scarlett, I spotted a large pod of orca in the fading light. After it grew too dark to see, I headed inside and climbed into my bunk. I was almost too excited to sleep.

I rose at dawn and immediately ran out on deck. The sky was dim and pink, and a light fog hung over the sea. We passed by the Scott Islands one by one: first the forested Lanz and Cox, then the grassy rocks of Beresford and Sartine. In the distance our destination rose from the dark blue waters—a dark green pyramid surrounded by the Pacific.

The westernmost island in the Scott Group, Triangle Island is one of the most remote islands on the Pacific coast of Canada—46 km (28.5 mi.) from the northern tip of Vancouver Island and 97 km (60 mi.) from the nearest point on the mainland of BC. As its name suggests, it is roughly triangular, about 1 km (0.6 mi.) on each side, 119 hectares (294 acres) in area, and rising just over 200 m (656 ft.) above the water at its highest point. It is a difficult place to get to. By sea it is a 125 km (77.7 mi.) voyage from Port Hardy through one of the most unpredictable stretches of water on the BC coast, with no safe anchorage at the end of the trip.

As we approached the island, Tufted Puffins, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Common Murres started to pass the boat. First in ones and two, then in dozens, and then, as the morning grew brighter, in their thousands. Triangle Island is home to the largest seabird colony in BC and we had obviously wandered into morning rush hour.

Before the Europeans arrived, indigenous people visited the island for seasonal harvests of marine mammals and seabird eggs, but there don’t seem to have been any permanent settlements. A large midden on the island includes some Short-tailed Albatross, suggesting a time when the species (now one of the rarest albatrosses in the world) was fairly common in BC waters. Today, the Tlatlasikwala First Nation is considered to be the gatekeeper of all the Scott Islands, including Triangle.

Near the beginning of the twentieth century, Triangle was deemed an ideal place for a lightstation, and so in 1909–1910, a steep track was blasted in from the beach to the summit of the island, followed by the construction of a lighthouse and wireless telegraph station. Much to the embarrassment of the Department of Marine and Fisheries, however, it was soon discovered that thick fog and other poor weather conditions obscured the hilltop lighthouse from passing ships for 240 days of the year. Adding to the lighthouse-keeper’s woes were the punishing winds that made it impossible to light a fire (indoors or out), shook the walls so violently that some of Triangle’s inhabitants became “seasick,” and as legend has it, blew their lone cow off a cliff. After several changes of disgruntled residents, the lighthouse was finally abandoned in 1919, with the wireless station crew soon to follow. Thus ended the only year-round habitation of Triangle Island.

GETTING THERE

Probably the best option for those of us without a private vessel is to charter the fifty-five-foot Naiad Explorer through Mackay Whale Watching in Port McNeill. It comfortably fits thirty-five to forty people, has an experienced skipper, and costs about $6,000 (at time of writing) for a return trip from Port McNeill to Triangle. Split thirty ways that’s fairly reasonable, and you can expect to see a number of other birds and marine wildlife along the trip. For more info, visit: whaletime.com.

If only those early residents had been birders! Triangle Island is now most famous for its avian residents, being home to 80,000 Rhinoceros Auklets, 60,000 Tufted Puffins, 8,000 Common Murres, and most impressive of all—1 million Cassin’s Auklets! That’s roughly half the world’s population of Cassin’s Auklet, and the species’ largest single breeding colony. Other common nesting seabirds include Fork-tailed and Leach’s Storm Petrels, Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemot, and Glaucous-winged Gulls. A few pairs of Horned Puffin are thought to breed among the Tufted each year, and a few Thick-billed Murres also appear, mixed in with the throngs of Common Murre.

At first glance, Triangle Island doesn’t look like the archetypal seabird colony. To be sure, there are murres clinging to the rock cliffs on the southwestern point, and scattered gulls and puffins can be seen amid the tufted hairgrass above the cliffs. The others are underground, hidden in myriad burrows dug into the soil under the salal and salmonberry.

Triangle Island is surrounded by an important marine reserve, and the Anne Vallée Ecological Reserve (named for a seabird biologist who tragically fell to her death while working on the island) covers the land. Human visitors are strictly limited and must have permission from the provincial ministry of the Environment before setting foot on the island. Crews from the Centre for Wildlife Ecology visit the island most summers to study the seabird colonies, but for the majority of the year there are no people around.

The remoteness of Triangle Island has been a huge advantage to the birds, which can largely raise their chicks away from human disturbance, but there are other dangers. Seven pairs of Peregrine Falcons regularly patrol the area, taking young birds and adults alike, and there are a growing number of Bald Eagles in the area.

The sun rises above Triangle Island on a calm summer morning. RUSSELL CANNINGS

BIRDING GUIDE

In addition to the access restrictions, the remoteness of Triangle Island is an obvious challenge. If you are considering a boat journey, be aware that it’s around 250 km (155 mi.) for a round-trip if travelling from Port Hardy—longer from Port McNeill—and the seas can change swiftly around this part of the coast. Still, this trip is doable and I know of several birding groups that have done it.

Luckily, most of the nesting birds can be easily seen just offshore from Triangle, and there should be a good number of other species around. The weather is most stable in July–September—which is also when seabird diversity is at its height. Southern tubenose migrants like Sooty, Buller’s, and Flesh-footed Shearwater will be around, along with Long-tailed, Parasitic, and Pomarine Jaegers, as well as the odd South Polar Skua. In late summer these pirates can often be seen chasing Common and Arctic Terns, as well as Sabine’s Gulls and Bonaparte’s Gulls.

Given the lack of birding coverage around the island for most of the year, it’s remarkable how many vagrant passerines have turned up. Among the most notable are the Great Crested Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Prairie Warbler, and Chestnut-sided Warbler. If you haven’t been permitted to land, don’t despair. Many tired, lost birds will also land on boats, so if a small warbler or sparrow starts circling your vessel, pay attention!