How the Trips Work:
BCFO two-day field trips are member-led, but participants make their own arrangements for accommodation, food, and travel.
Day 1: all-day birding and then evening get-together at a restaurant to recap the day and tally species.
Day 2: morning birding, afternoon optional birding.
Carpooling is encouraged and will be arranged on the morning of Day 1.
Register at least two weeks in advance. The leader will give specific details of when and where to meet.
Membership in BCFO is required first.: If you are not a member, join or renew here: https://bcfo.ca/joinrenew
Cost: no cost to members; fee to non-members = $30 i.e. cost of BCFO membership.
Upcoming Field Trips: TBA
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Previously posted
Two-Day Field Trips – 2024
Manning Provincial Park, July 2-3 , 2024
Scott Denkers, BCFO Member and former coordinator of the annual Manning Park Bird Blitz, led a two-day BCFO field trip in Manning Provincial Park on July 2nd and 3rd, 2024.
Join Scott to see the woodland and subalpine bird species in this beautiful park where wet coastal habitats meet the dry interior. Bird species can include Sooty Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Harlequin Duck, American Three-toed Woodpecker, American Dipper, Olive-side Flycatcher, Clark’s Nutcracker, Canada Jay, Boreal Chickadee (rare) , Pine Grosbeak, and warbler species, including MacGillivray’s, Townsend’s and Northern Waterthrush.
Two-Day Field Trips – 2023
Salmon Arm Bay, September 9-10 , 2023
Leader – Don Cecile of Salmon Arm
Registration – Paul Foth at gopishingbc at gmail dot com
Locations and Possible Species
Join Vernon birder Don Cecile for a 2-day exploration of the birds of Salmon Arm Bay. This shallow bay is the premier shorebird, grebe and gull site in the BC Interior, with annual surprising rarities. The trip will cover all of Salmon Arm Bay, including the pier. You can expect plenty of shorebird and waterfowl species. Past September species have included Hudsonian Godwit, American Golden-Plover, Sabine’s Gull, Franklin’s Gull and Common Tern. Birding will focus on shorebird species in particular.
Merritt & Coquihalla Summit, August 19-20, 2023
Leaders – Alan Burger of Logan Lake and Paul Foth of 100 Mile House
Registration – paulrfoth at gmail dot com
Locations and Possible Species
Day 1 will begin on Lindley Creek and Midday Valley roads, where we can expect a mix of interior songbird species and the small chance of a late Williamson’s Sapsucker. Then we will head north through Nicola Valley to bird in the grasslands and aspen parklands of the Douglas Lake area.
Day 2 will be spent hiking in alpine habitat at either Illal Creek or Flatiron Mountain. Target birds include White-tailed Ptarmigan, American Pipit, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch (uncommon), and other alpine bird species.
https://ebird.org/tripreport/152433
Trip Report by Paul Foth: Alan Burger and I co-led a field trip in the Merritt area on August 19-20, 2023, with a group of six members. The first day began with a
loop along LIndley Creek Road and Midday Valley Road through the
hills near Merritt. At lower elevations, we encountered Say’s
Phoebes, all three nuthatch species, and a Black Bear along Nicola
River surrounded by Black-billed Magpies. The highlight of the day
was a loose group of a few Williamson’s Sapsuckers alongside a few of
their Red-naped cousins. We then drove through grasslands east of
Merritt on our way to Nicola Lake and Beaver Ranch, which produced
Solitary Sandpiper, Swainson’s Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and Lewis’s
Woodpecker. On the 20th, did some birding on forest roads and lakes
at the Coquihalla summit area. We had tentatively planned for an
alpine hike, but the group was much too tired from the previous day’s
birding. Still, we encountered some great species we hadn’t yet
found, including American Three-toed Woodpecker, Vaux’s Swift,
Olive-sided Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, and Townsend’s
Warbler. Our total was 119 species.
100 Mile House, June 23-24, 2023
Leader – Paul Foth, BCFO member and local 100 Mile House area birding tour guide.
Registration – paulrfoth at gmail dot com
Locations and Possible Species
This BCFO field trip will cover the 100 Mile House area on the expansive Cariboo plateau, where a few northern and eastern species mix with more common birds of the BC Interior. One day will focus on breeding warblers and songbirds in the rich forested habitats near Canim, Hawkins and Hendrix lakes. Possibilities include Black Tern, Spruce Grouse, Black Swift, Alder Flycatcher, Veery, American Redstart, Northern Waterthrush, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, and Tennessee Warbler (rare).
Another day will be spent exploring the marshes, grasslands, aspen parklands and burned areas near 100 Mile House, where Sandhill Crane, Sharp-tailed Grouse (rare), Wilson’s Phalarope, Calliope Hummingbird, Black-backed Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Mountain Bluebird, Clay-colored Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird, and numerous waterfowl species breed.
https://ebird.org/tripreport/140795
Trip Report by Paul Foth: On June 23-24, 2023, seven BCFO members joined a two-day field trip in the 100 Mile House area led by me. Day one focused on birding areas
around Canim Lake and nearby forest roads. Highlights included
viewing a Black Tern colony at Becker Lake, sightings of Magnolia
Warbler and many other warbler species, Alder Flycatcher, Spruce
Grouse, and a flyover adult Broad-winged Hawk. On the second day, we
explored marshes and burned areas near 100 Mile House, where we
encountered innumerable grebes, ducks and other waterfowl. We heard,
among other things, Sandhill Cranes, a Common Nighthawk,
White-throated Sparrows and Hermit Thrushes. The group also heard
(but unfortunately didn’t see) several Black-backed Woodpeckers, a
target species for the group. We found 119 species in total.
Two-Day Field Trips – 2022
Creston, May 16-17, 2022
This field trip will follow the Creston Valley Bird Festival, taking place on May 13 to 15, 2022. BCFO participants in the Two-Day Field Trip are encouraged to arrive early to join in with festival events such as birding, kayaking and wine tasting.
For information on that event, see: wildsight.ca/branches/creston–valley/birdfest/
Locations
The BCFO field trip will cover Duck Lake, Leach Lake and sites that had birding highlights during the festival. These areas are included in the 17,000-acre Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, known for over 300 species of birds, including a breeding population of Forster`s Terns, six species of grebes and high density of Ospreys.
Field Trip Leaders
The leaders are BCFO President Gary Davidson, also a trip leader for the festival, and Paul Foth, BCFO board member and former coordinating committee member for the festival.
To Register
Please contact Marian Porter at marianmporter@gmail.com if you are interested in this field trip.