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Canada - Vancouver Island
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Why not join our resident Canadian expert Chris Charlesworth for a trip that combines good accommodation and food with brilliant birding and wildlife - and some truly superb Pacific coastal scenery!British Columbia's rugged Pacific coastline is peppered with thousands of islands, largest of which is Vancouver Island. Some 460 kms long and 80 kms wide, much of this incredibly scenic island is cloaked in pristine temperate rainforest. Vast sandy beaches and rocky headlands dominate the coastline, while its rich pelagic waters teem with life just offshore. With seabirds, waders and migrants on the move, plus good chances of American Black Bear and Humpback Whale, and a plethora of west coast specialities, this easy-paced tour is positively crammed with great birding and wildlife. After a night in Vancouver, we take the ferry across the Strait of Georgia to Vancouver Island. American Black Oystercatchers and Black Turnstones forage along the shoreline, with Surf Scoter and Pelagic Cormorants occurring offshore. We'll spend our next two nights in the beautiful city of Victoria, its forested parks home to such waifs as Anna's Hummingbird, Bushtit, Golden-crowned Kinglet and the recently 'split' Pacific Wren. September is a fantastic month for waders along North America's Pacific coast and we should see 20 or more species on this tour, including Wandering Tattler and Surfbird, while seawatching from nearby rocky headlands could produce Rhinoceros Auklet and Harlequin Duck. A four-night stay in the delightful fishing resort of Tofino will allow ample time to explore. We'll visit Cathedral Grove, where tiny Chestnut-backed Chickadees are dwarfed by the Park's monstrous Western Red Cedars and Douglas Firs. Tofino's bays host many coastal birds with Pacific Diver, Western Grebe and Heerman's, Glaucous-winged and California Gulls all likely. Nearby, Pacific Rim is a gem amongst Canadian national parks. Noisy Steller's Jays are common and species seen on our past visits have included Band-tailed Pigeon, Hutton's Vireo and Black-throated Grey and Townsend's Warblers. A major highlight of our stay at Tofino will be two boat trips into Clayoquot Sound. Brandt's Cormorant, Pigeon Guillemot and Marbled Murrelet are possible, while huge Steller's Sea-lions haul out on to the rocks. We saw the latter very well last time, along with fabulously close Humpback Whales, Sea Otters in the kelp beds and no fewer than eight American Black Bears! |
Price: £ 4,495
The price is per person and includes scheduled return flights London-Vancouver; all accommodation and meals (including restaurant tips, 15-20% expected in N America), surface transport including ferries and two Tofino boat trips (one for whales, one for bears), reserve entry fees/permits as appropriate, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leaders.
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Returning to the mainland, our trip concludes with a couple of days exploring Vancouver's premier migration hotspots of Boundary Bay and Reifel Refuge. Wildfowl and waders abound. Why not join our resident Canadian expert Chris Charlesworth for a trip that combines good accommodation and food with brilliant birding and wildlife - and some truly superb Pacific coastal scenery!
Special note: September is high season on Vancouver Island, when hotel space is at a premium. Early booking is recommended to be certain of space at the best hotels on Vancouver Island, which fill up fast! Accommodation: We use comfortable, good to excellent North American-style hotels and motels, with all rooms en suite. Meals: All included in the price. Food is good, varied and plentiful. As is the norm in North America, some meals may be taken at local restaurants as not all hotels have in-house restaurant facilities. Some lunches may be picnics. Walking: Easy. Short walks at a relaxed pace, mainly over well-marked trails and boardwalks.
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