Snowy Owls attract Bird Paparazzi in Boundary Bay, B.C,

There had been a lot of publicity around the arrival and viewing of the Snowy Owls in Boundary Bay so I thought I would check it out for myself.

I took highway 99 to Ladner Trunk Road and turned left onto 72 Ave.  I followed the signs to Boundary Bay Airport and just kept going to the end of the road.  It is a dead end street and I found some parking. I was surprised at the amount of people visiting the dyke to view the birds.  Once on the dyke I didn't have to walk very far to see the beautiful mainly white birds of prey.  They were in a group by not very close together.  Snowy Owls are about 60 cm in height, the size of a ShizTsu.  They eat lemmings in the Artic and are wintering in Boundary Bay to be close to a food source.  While here they hunt mostly in the evening or early morning and rest during the day.  At times they may eat other water fowl or smaller owls, mice, voles, moles, rats and rabbits.

I counted fifteen in total along the logs close to the dyke but there have been counts of up to twenty in some areas and more in Roberts Bank.  There were dozens of photographers, some with lenses weighing up to thirty pounds perched on the Dyke.  Others were just curious that made the trip to see the birds for themselves. 

The Bird Watching code of conduct implies you are not to approach the birds or wander off the Dyke and it is best to bring a scope, binoculars or a telephoto lens for the best viewing.  Most wildlife photographers with the humongous lenses will gladly let you have a peek through their cameras trained on the birds.  They are waiting for the bird to spread their wings or take flight.  It is their money shot.

It was a sunny morning after several days of grey skies and heavy rain and the birds were sunning themselves.  Their large heads were facing the sun and would swivel around at the sound of children calling out or a bicycle passing by.  

Despite the large crowd of people, it was remarkably quiet.

I felt a sense of awe, since I've never seen such beautiful and rare birds before.   

We are so lucky to live in an area rich in wildlife and beauty.  There were other birds non nonplussed by the attention.  Several Great Blue Herons picked their way through the marsh and a Red Tailed Hawk drifted over the near by farm land. 

Dozens of Bald Eagles stood knee deep in the mud with seagulls in flooded fields and mallards snoozed in the marsh grass.

Mute Swans, Trumpeter Swans, Snow Geese and Canada Geese were spotted in water soaked fields along highway #10 and Ladner Trunk Road. 

I watched "The Big Year" last week and discovered Birding is a popular hobby.  There are over three hundred species of birds found around Boundary Bay, Delta, White Rock and Ladner.   Nature Guide B.C. has a list of birds spotted in the area here.