We wanted to get outside, get out of our comfort zone and try something new. When the BC Bird Trail launched, it sounded like just what we were looking for. And the more we found out, the more we realized we didn’t have to be dedicated birdwatchers to get out in glorious nature and have some fun looking at birds. It’s something everyone can do, regardless of experience, fitness or skill.
We didn’t even have to drive too far to get started. Of the four trails on the BC Bird Trail at the time – located on Central Vancouver Island, in the Fraser Valley, on the South Fraser and in the Columbia Valley – we choose to drive to the city of Richmond to explore part of the South Fraser Trail. Richmond is the heart of BC’s Pacific Flyway, a major stop for migratory birds flying from the far north to Patagonia, and home of some of the best birding in North America.
(Since publication, additional trails have been added for Sea to Sky, South Fraser and Vancouver Island North.)
We booked some time with guide Liron Gertsman, who led us on a fine walk at Terra Nova Rural Park, pointing out various species as we went. We saw dozens of white snow geese, whose breeding ground is on Wrangel Island off northern Russia; they were just chilling around a stretch of grass across from a residential area. Tens of thousands of these birds pass through the area every fall to rest and dig for rhizomes in the marsh plants.
After a couple of fascinating hours of birding, we went for dim sum and ate some of the best Shanghai dumplings in existence, we’re sure, at Fisherman’s Terrace Seafood Restaurant, upstairs in the Aberdeen Centre. The egg custards (dan tat) were superb. We finished it off with a little holiday shopping downstairs, and felt we had been on a mini-holiday, although we were back home in Vancouver in 20 minutes.
Spurred on by the fun we had in Richmond, and having heard of the thousands of bald eagles that flock to B.C. every November and December to feed on spawned-out salmon, we decided to head to Harrison Mills, the epicentre of the Fraser Valley Trail, to check it out. Nearly extinct not too long ago, the iconic raptors have bounced back and are now easy to find in this part of B.C. The valley hosts over 250 pairs of nesting bald eagles, and thousands more migrate here over the winter. November to January is the best time to see them.
We arrived in beautiful Harrison Hot Springs, had a bite at Muddy Waters Café, and walked along the promenade to the main wharf, where we hopped aboard a Harrison Eco Tours jet boat to see the bald eagles from the Harrison River. We heard their high-pitched calls before we spotted them. Our first look at these majestic birds was thrilling. There seemed to be a big concentration near the shoreline of Rowena’s Inn, so we were happy we had booked a cabin there. Their website has a section titled “Eagles,” so we figured we would be in the right place. And we were.
Harrison Mills is home to the largest concentrated wintering bald eagle gathering in the world. That’s right – the world. The eagles come to dine on some of the millions of spawning salmon that travel up the Fraser River to tributaries such as the Harrison River, which hosts all five species of salmon plus a sizeable population of sea-run cutthroat trout. Harrison River was designated an International Salmon Stronghold in 2010. It’s one of the most ecologically significant Pacific salmon rivers in North America and one of the most productive salmon ecosystems in the Pacific.
A short walk behind our cabin led us to a clearly marked path winding through the woods, across the golf course and down to a covered lookout over the water. It could not have been more convenient – or more jaw-dropping. Dozens and dozens of splendid bald eagles perched high in the trees around us, their distinctive white heads bright in the autumn sunshine. The eagles are there from November to January, following the salmon run in late October.
Seeing the eagles was so soul-satisfying, we wanted more. We had heard of the abundance of eagles in Brackendale, north of Squamish.
Squamish is a wildly beautiful place and Brackendale was loaded with bald eagles. Even the bridge near our cabin at Sunwolf offered a captivating spot to watch the eagles soaring overhead and sitting in the trees along the banks. It was unforgettable and we were dazzled by it all.
Our most vivid memory, though, was a half-day eagle float down the Cheakamus with the Squamish Rafting Company. Bald eagles were everywhere – in the sky, in the trees and along the shoreline. Our two excellent guides helped us spot them up close as we drank in the clean air, the peace and the rugged mountain scenery. We returned to our dreamy little cabin, which felt like the book-lined mountain cabin we had always yearned for, and made a pact to go birdwatching every year.
SEE:
See the sights at Harrison Hot Springs, where the mountains ring the clear waters of Harrison Lake. This is Sasquatch country, so you’ll see wooden sasquatch sculptures along the beachside walkway and around the village.
Sasquatch, known as Bigfoot in the western US, was revered by the Sts’ailes First Nation, who believed it lived in both the physical and spiritual realms. Visit the tiny Sasquatch Museum if you can. And see the clay masks on the trees along the Spirit Trail, a short walk through a cedar forest just off McCombs Drive, heading south from the lake.
DO:
Do take advantage of local knowledge by booking tours to heighten your experience and connect with the community. These are the three tours we took, and they were the highlights of our birding adventures: in Richmond, Birdwatching 101 with Liron Gertsman (vancouverbirdingtours.com); in Harrison, eagle tours with Harrison Ec tours (harrisonecotours.com); in Squamish, wilderness float tours with Squamish Rafting Company (squamish-rafting.com).
Also, do some local research before you go. These websites should help: The BC Bird Trail, bcbirdtrail.ca; Richmond Tourism, visitrichmondbc.com; Harrison Tourism, tourismharrison.com; Squamish Tourism, exploresquamish.com.
EAT:
The food and eateries we visited varied wildly, yet the quality was high everywhere. From the excellent Chinese flavours at Fisherman’s Terrace Sea Food Restaurant in Richmond to the casual west coast menu at The Clubhouse at Rowena’s Inn in Harrison Mills and the healthy fare at Muddy Waters Café in Harrison Hot Springs, we ate well on the BC Bird Trail.
vIn Brackendale, we enjoyed breakfasts at Fergie’s and onsite at Sunwolf Riveerside Resort, and dinner at one of our favourite places, the WaterShed Grill, overlooking the Squamish River. (The outside appears as Jack’s Bar in the Netflix series “Virgin River.”)
SLEEP:
Rowena’s Inn is a prime bald eagle viewing destination. It’s part of the Sandpiper Golf Resort, a well-groomed, 160-acre estate on the Harrison River with a scenic 18-hole golf course, historic colonial-style inn, four classic cabins, four luxury cabins, a restaurant, live eagle cameras, sweeping river views and its own private airstrip.
Sunwolf Riverside Resort, on five acres of woodland near the convergence of the Cheekye and Cheakamus rivers in Brackendale, offers up-mountain, open-hearted hospitality, where you’re likely to strike up easy conversations with the Sunwolf team or your fellow guests as you disconnect from technology. Both are wonderful.
This story first appeared in the January 2022 edition of Boulevard
