(begin part 2 of 2)

BRUNSWICK POINT

What's interesting about this site is that the offshore flats seem to have
the biggest northbound flocks of all in late April, often numbering over a
million birds (one northbound flock a few Aprils ago was estimated at
between two and three million birds!). This may have something to do with
the fact that this is one of the last human-inaccessible---therefore
dog-inaccessible---tidal flats left. There's two ways to approach this site.
from the south and from the north; in both cases, the wide gravel dike road
around the point is completely wheelchair-accessible from the south end at
the base of the Roberts Bank Coalport Jetty to the north end at the W end of
River Road in Ladner BC. From one end to the other, it's a long walk, about
8 km (5mi), no facilities such as shelters, interpretive signs, water or
washrooms. Except at the south end, there's nowhere to get close to the
shorebird action except a gravel road along the north side of the Roberts
Bank Jetty (not recommended as there's four busy tracks of Mr. Peabody's
coal-trains haulin' away Muehlenbach County). Long scope-range only.

Brunswick Point--South end: Roberts Bank Coalport Jetty section

--from Hwy 17 take DeltaPort Way westbound;
--turn L onto Arthur Drive to 28 Avenue;
--turn R onto 28 Ave to the base of the jetty, parking on right and left;
--the dike to the point and River Road's western terminus begins here.

Brunswick Point--North end: River Road section

--continue on River Road West in Ladner past the Westham Island Bridge to end;
--park at end of the road; at this point, the dike will rise in a steep bank
above you on the right and is inaccessible to anyone with disability;
--walk or wheel about 200 meters beyond the gate at road's end to the point
where the path joins the dike at its own level.


IONA ISLAND

For both the able- and disabled shorebirder, after Boundary Bay, Iona
Island's settling ponds---part of the Iona Island Waste-Water Treatment
Plant---and South Jetty are what the doctor ordered and why the preacher
danced. A short (~40 minutes) drive on Hwy 99 from the border or, from the
opposite direction, down Oak Street from downtown Vancouver BC (there is a
way to access Iona over the Arthur Laing Bridge---Crested Mynas at the N end
of which, BTW---at the S end of Granville Street but getting onto Sea and
Iona from the S end of that bridge is a confusing rat's-nest of stop-signs
and turns---keep it simple and use Oak Street), the dike road around and
between the settlng ponds in particular allows fully wheelchair-accessible
close approach to shore birds---sometimes in large numbers and many
species---from as close as focus-down bins range to reasonably close
scope-range. Public washrooms and *maybe* a drinking fountain are near the
base of the South Jetty in the Iona Island Regional Park shelter buildings.

>From the US:

--drive N on Hwy 99 to the Bridgeport Rd. exit;
--when you come to traffic lights, turn L and remain on Bridgeport to
traffic lights at No. 3 Road;
--turn L onto No. 3 Rd for a very short block to another set of lights;
--turn R onto Sea Island Way and go over a small lift bridge (the Mornay
Channel Bridge);

>From Vancouver BC

--take Oak Street southbound;
--cross over the Oak Street Bridge, taking the Airport exit onto Sea Island Way;
--stay on Sea Island Way until you cross the small lift bridge;

then,

--take the *first* R on the other side of the bridge
--remain on this road as it takes you beneath the large bridge over the
Fraser River, North Arm, turns W and straightens into Grauer Road;
--after some curves, it becomes Ferguson Road for about 4 km (~2.5 mi) and
follows the line of the fence along the N side of Vancouver International
Airport (YVR);
--eventually, it curves off to the R onto a causeway. On the L (west) side
of the causeway check the deadheads for Peregrine Falcons and for shorebird
flocks, particularly on rising high tides. At the end of the causeway is the
entrance to the Iona Treatment Plant.

Normally, the plant staff---with whom a cordial relationship with birders
exists, incidentally, in spite of being taken virtually completely for
granted by the local birding organisation, and in spite of some bonehead
stupidity on the part of a few of the local birders---prefer that birders
park outside the fence by the yellow gate just W of the plant entrance. But
for the wheelchair-bound or otherwise-disabled birder, I would suggest going
into the plant, explaining your situation inside at the office, and asking
them if you can park in the plant parking-lot. They'll probably say yes:
they're pretty good folks there. It's easy access to the NE and SE settling
ponds from this point.

Near a small unlocked gate in the fence (the Birders' Gate) you'll see a
small green wooden structure: this contains a sighting book where the
visiting birder(s) can see what's been around recently or that day. The
Outflow Pond is across the road from the Birders' Gate, but there's no
public access. The Outer Pond lies another 300 meters to the W and has a
ramp-accessible wooden boardwalk and viewing platform at its west end (from
which you can often see territoral male Yellow-headed Blackbirds,
incidentally), and the base of the Iona South Jetty another few hundred
meters beyond. The South Jetty has a wide gravel road from which one can see
shorebirds at close to moderate and distant scope range for most shorebirds,
occasionally bins range. Take water if you're planning to go out to the end
of the jetty--it's a 4 km (2.5 mi) journey with toilets at the end. Check
the rocks at and around the end as well for roosting gulls and shorebirds,
and that's where you're likeliest to see Wandering Tattler (mid-May
northbound, late July and later August southbound) if there's one there.

And don't leave anything valuable in your car at any of these locations.

Although encroaching development, non-wildlife-related human activities, and
off-leash dog harassment are degrading these sites to a shadow of former
years (I don't mean to sound like Grandpop: the degradation has occurred
within the last ten to fifteen years, and is winding some of these sites
down), and actual protection, the kind that's enforced rather than the
photo-op kind, is entirely absent, one can still see some mighty assemblies
of shorebirds, particularly on the one large tidal-flat that is still
inaccessible, and from a distance, Roberts Bank.

Common unless marked otherwise; some species uncommon to common only in
narrow migrational windows.

SPECIES B BAY REIFEL B POINT IONA

Black-bellied Plover x x x
Pacific Golden-Plover x x x x uncommon
American Golden-Plover x x x x uncommon
Snowy Plover x x very rare
Semipalmated Plover x x x x
Killdeer x x x x
Black Oystercatcher x rare, this loc.
Black-necked Stilt x x very rare
American Avocet x x x x rare
Greater Yellowlegs x x x x
Lesser Yellowlegs x x x x
Spotted Redshank x very rare
Solitary Sandpiper x x x x rare
Willet x x x rare
Wandering Tattler x
Spotted Sandpiper x x x x
Upland Sandpiper x x x very rare
Whimbrel x x x x
Bristle-thighed Curlew x accidental
Far Eastern Curlew x accidental
Long-billed Curlew x x x x rare
Hudsonian Godwit x x x rare
Bar-tailed Godwit x southbound rare but
regular
Marbled Godwit x x x rare
Ruddy Turnstone x x x uncommon
Black Turnstone x
Surfbird x uncommon, this loc.
Red Knot x x rare/uncommon
Sanderling x x x x
Semipalmated Sandpiper x x x x
Western Sandpiper x x x x
Red-necked Stint x x x very rare
Little Stint x accidental
Temminck's Stint x accidental
Long-toed Stint not yet....
Least Sandpiper x x x x
White-rumped Sandpiper x very rare
Baird's Sandpiper x x x x
Pectoral Sandpiper x x x x
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper x x x uncommon, Sept
Rock Sandpiper
Dunlin x x x x
Curlew Sandpiper x very rare
Stilt Sandpiper x x x x uncommon
Spoonbill Sandpiper x accidental
Buff-breasted Sandpiper x x x rare
Ruff x x x rare
Short-billed Dowitcher x x x x
Long-billed Dowitcher x x x x
Common Snipe x x x x
Wilson's Phalarope x x x
Red-necked Phalarope x x x x
Red Phalarope x x rare



Hope this helps.

Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
mprice at mindlink.net