Hi Tweets,

Grant Hendrickson writes:

>Can anyone suggest a location where one might take a person with limited
>mobility, not necessarily wheelchair accessible, where at least elements of
>the shorebird migration might be viewed? Bowerman Basin can be extremely
>difficult.

Yes, but these sites are in Vancouver BC Canada. Boundary Bay (several
sites), Reifel Refuge, Brunswick Point, Iona Island. Most are best on a
rising or high tide: Iona Island is best on a high tide, but too high at
Boundary Bay or Roberts Bank and the birds are in the fields around each
location; too low, and the birds are mere clouds of midges on the
heat-raddled horizons.

In the northbound migration, the peak time is the last week of April, first
week of May. The southbound migration is far more protracted, beginning in
late mid-June and continuing until the end of October.

One of the top shorebirding sites on the continent, Boundary Bay, is close
to or in the cities, all part of the Greater Vancouver conurbation, of White
Rock, Crescent Beach and Surrey to the east, Beach Grove in South Delta to
the north and west. All are car-accessible, and all are an easy, usually
short walk from parking areas over roads or dikes--no boots necessary, in
other words.

BLACKIE SPIT

At the eastern end of Boundary Bay there's Blackie Spit. The solid (some
paved) surfaces of the spit are wheelchair-accessible, the trails fairly
wide and solid. Most of the shorebird areas are scope- and
binocular-accessible. There are some areas of marshy forehsore and loose
sand. Close, moderately-distant to distant views.

--take I-5 north across the border, where it becomes Hwy 99;
--take the exit onto the King George Highway *south*bound to the Crescent
Beach exit; --follow Crescent Road for about 5 km (3 mi);
--cross over the railway tracks at the bottom of the hill;
--turn R onto Sullivan to McBride (about 3 blocks);
--follow McBride for several blocks, continuing past the tennis courts;
eventually it will dead-end against a fence on the far side of a gravel
parking lot;
--Blackie Spit, the spit itself, is beyond the fence;
--the shorebird areas are along the shoreline, and in particular, a lagoon
with pilings at its mouth that you can reach by walking along a partly paved
path that begins near the tennis courts.

An alternate site at Blackie Spit is at its eastern rather than its western
end. Trails are solid but not wheelchair-accessible without difficulty.

--instead of going over the railway tracks at the bottom of the hill, take
the first right, the road will curve back 180 degrees and take you somewhat
back in the same direction to the Crescent Beach Marina;
--park in the (paid) parking lot;
--take the path leading under the railway bridge;
--look for shorebirds in the intertidal mud beginning directly beside the
path on the other side of the railway bridge;
--follow the path for about 200 meters to the mouth of the lagoon.

I'm sorry, but I don't remember if there's public washrooms there: I don't
think so, but maybe at the tennis courts.

112TH STREET

112th street is wheelchair-accessible along the dike but not the foreshore,
but if a person with limited mobility is very careful on a short descent
from the dike, the foreshore is accessible. Some areas are scope-accesible
from the dike, but others require a walk of about 200 meters over grassy
beach sand and firm sand/clay/mud intertidal sediments. As with the other
sites, a rising but not full tide is better. Some close views possible, but
mostly moderately-distant to distant views. Bring scopes for sure. Usually,
especially in the southbound migration July--September, this location has
the biggest shorebird species mix and the largest overall numbers of
anywhere in the Greater Vancouver Checklist Area.

--continue N on Hwy 99;
--take the Hwy 10/Tsawwassen Ferry exit and go over the overpass;
--turn L onto Hornby Drive at the traffic lights on the other side of the
overpass;
--drive E on Hornby about 3 km (2m) to 112th Street
--turn R onto 112th and go to the end;
--park along the side of the road (note: it is important to leave sufficient
clearance for the farmers to move their machinery in and out without blockage);
--shorebird areas are to the immediate right (west) of the outflow channel
and to the left (east) along the foreshore;
--the best spot (the best shorebird-viewing spot in Western Canada, IMHO),
early on a rising tide, is the 112th Street Spit, a grassy spit about 1 km
(~0.5 mi) E of the end of 112th Street: with care, it's
limited-mobility-accessible, but not wheelchair-accessible.

Other sites as you go W along the N shore of Boundary Bay are the south ends
of the other numbered streets off Hornby Drive: 104th & 96th Streets; off
Highway 10, 88th, 72nd and 64th Streets. In each instance, the foreshore is
neither wheelchair- or limited-mobility-accessible but birds can be, tide
depending, scope-accessible.

Washrooms along the N side of Boundary Bay: only tow places I know of:

1.
at the Delta Air Park at the S end of 104th St (where they've also got a
coffee-sandwich-and-cookie-counter where you're on your honor if no-one's
there; nice folks, too);

2.
at the Boundary Bay Airport along 72nd Street, also a sandwich bar.

NOTE: At high tide, the shorebirds go into the fields to the N of Boundary
Bay and often form multi-species roosts and feeding flocks, particularly if
there's standing water in the fields. You can locate these flocks in the
fields by cruising these roads. While none of these areas are
wheelchair-accessible, it may be possible to scope these flocks from the car
or from the shoulder.

BEACH GROVE LAGOON

At the W end of Boundary Bay, good on a low or rising tide, and both
wheelchair- and limited-mobility-accessible along a wide solid dike, is the
Beach Grove Lagoon in the municipality of Tsawwassen. No washrooms. Birds
are at scope and bins distance.

--take Hwy 10 W to the Hwy 17 traffic lights;
--turn L onto Hwy 17 and go to the 56st Street traffic lights;
--turn L onto 56th Street and go S to the 12th Avenue traffic lights;
--turn L onto 12th Ave and go E down the hill;
--when 12th begins to turn R, continue straight and park in the small gravel
lot just across the road; the dike begins there, the lagoon is to the left.

REIFEL REFUGE

The Refuge is both wheelchair- and limited-mobility-accessible in many
parts, including the display pond near the entrance, though the outer dike,
from which one can see the most shorebird activity *at high tide* in the
South & West fields (where there are enclosed wooden blinds), may be a bit
of a slog both in distance and comfort, but do-able. I'd check with John
Ireland, the Refuge Manager (and one of Vancouver BC's top birders, BTW) at
(604) 946-6980. Public washrooms just off the parking lot. Paid admission.
At low tide, in the last week of April, there are *vast* flocks of
shorebirds moving north over the distant foreshore. Close bins- to long
scope-range.

--get on Hwy 10 westbound and stay on it as it becomes first Ladner Trunk
Road then River Road West as it through the municipality of Ladner;
--remain on River Rd. westbound about 5 km (3 mi) until the Westham Island
Bridge;
--turn R onto the bridge and Westham Island Rd;
--remain on this road until reaching the entrance to the Refuge ~5 km (3 mi).

(end of part 1 of 2)

Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
mprice at mindlink.net