Birding along the Salish Sea

View of the Fraser River estuary at Reifel Bird Sanctuary


A local and urban estuary connects far-off parts of the world

As a lifelong birder, the Fraser River Estuary is a very special place for me. The estuary supports millions of birds annually as a key stopping point along the Pacific Flyway, a migratory route that goes from Alaska to Patagonia, connecting most of the Americas. This Flyway is an ecological marvel, and the Fraser River Estuary is an incredibly important part of this great migratory journey.

This estuary is particularly important to the Western Sandpiper, a sparrow-sized shorebird that you can see in flocks numbering in the tens to hundreds of thousands in the spring and fall migration. An astounding 95 percent of the global population of this species uses this estuary as the last refueling spot before their next stop in Alaska. Moreover, the Western Sandpiper is a key indicator species of overall ecosystemic health.


Watch Migratory Western Sandpipers flying over Roberts Bank | Credit: Our partner @pacificnorthwestkate


The Fraser River Estuary has faced some intense challenges over the last century, including the disruption of the natural flood cycle through human-made dykeing, as well as the construction of Deltaport, the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal, YVR Airport, and large-scale urbanization. This has left the estuary—and all the communities that depend on it—in a more vulnerable position to events like catastrophic flooding. However, this risk is exacerbated by the proposed Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project, which would destroy key estuarine habitat, a key buffer to rising sea levels and variable river freshets, all to expand the capacity of Deltaport, which goes against the wishes of workers, conservationists, and, we should add, the Western Sandpiper.


Watch birdlife at the Deltaport | Credit Our partner @pacificnorthwestkate


To showcase the abundance and threats that face this estuary, GSA teamed up with Special Bird Service, an organization that focuses on making birding more accessible to the global majority. Together, we led a guided walk of George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, a key part of preserved habitat in the Lower Mainland’s urban ecosystem.

As soon as we got there, we saw a Peregrine Falcon, the fastest animal on earth and a main predator for migratory shorebirds. Definitely a good sign that there were some flocks of Shorebirds nearby. At the main entrance, we watched a few Anna’s Hummingbirds bicker over the hummingbird feeders while Long-billed Dowitchers slept alongside the pond and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs were foraging inside of it.


Watch Sandhill Crane chicks | Credit: Our partner @pacificnorthwestkate


We quickly walked over to the outer dike, where I talked a bit about the estuary, and the plants that insects and songbirds depend on. In the outer ponds, there was a small flock of various shorebirds waiting for the tide to go out so they could forage on the freshly exposed mudflats. Mixed into the flock, we saw four rare Sharp-tailed Sandpipers. This species ordinarily nests in Siberia and winters in Australia, but the Fraser River Estuary is one of the only places in North America where this species shows up on a regular basis.

From the West Dike, we watched Northern Harriers hunt for rodents in the saltmarsh, Bald Eagles and Common Ravens looking for an easy meal, and juvenile Peregrine Falcons pestering the ravens. As we slowly headed back towards the parking lot, we saw many red-winged Blackbirds, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, American Wigeon, and heard a Virginia Rail in the cattails near the Tower.

View of cattails near the Tower at Reifel Bird Sanctuary

Upon reaching the parking lot again, we were treated to great views of the entire Crane family, but, since the tide was falling as we walked, the shorebirds that were at the entrance before had moved out to the foreshore.

Entire Crane family at Reifel Bird Sanctuary

While we didn’t see the massive flocks of migrating birds, we had lots of good discussions about the importance of this estuary for a wide diversity of species that connects far-off parts of the world. In the background, however, loomed the Deltaport, a reminder of the threat that the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project poses to such a vibrant ecosystem. Unfortunately, the only sign of the sheer number of shorebirds that migrate through the estuary was a brief glance of a flock way out on the foreshore.

One thought on “Birding along the Salish Sea

  1. Protection of Biodiversity is a responsibility of great importance. These creatures have used this vitally important estuary for millennia, and we should guarantee their right to continue knowing it is there, an essential feeding and resting place for them on their thousands of miles of migration.Their very existence depends on it.

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