Hi All

This trip up to North Bend BC began at 7:00 on Thursday morning and as
we were sitting in the engine (tied onto our train in the Port Coquitlam
rail yard waiting for some minor repairs) about 100 ft in front of us a
two point buck, in velvet, wandered across the track. He took his time
and did not seem terribly concerned about all the mechanical noises
going on around him.

Next to show up, before we'd even left the yard, was a Coy-dog
(coyote-dog hybrid) that slunk through our train about 5 cars behind the
engines.

Once we got under way most of the bird life was what is to be expected
for this time of year with three Turkey Vultures (for Diann) sighted
along a 12 mi stretch of track east of Agassiz BC.

Things did not get exciting until we had to stop in a siding near Saddle
Rock (in the Fraser Canyon) and as we had about 30 min until our meet
showed up I got off and did a little birding. The first thing I heard
after I got off the engine was a very loud "continuous series of short,
robinlike phrases" that stood out above the sound of the engines beside
me.

I spent the next 20 min trying to locate the source of the song in the
strip of mixed birch, cottonwood, maple and fir forest that is between
the tracks and the river. Birding by ear is not my forte mainly because
my ears suffer from different degrees of frequency attenuation which
makes locating some song sources a very trying ordeal. Finally, much to
my surprise (as I was expecting something a little larger) out popped a
small Vireo. As I had no binos with me I had to wait until I got home
and could check out the bird calls to confirm that I could add a
Red-eyed Vireo to my life list.

The next 25 min stop (only 6 mi further along) was at Spuzzum were I
managed to get my second contact with a Veery at this location. This is
noteworthy only because the southern limit for nesting of this species
(in the Fraser Canyon) is in the lower canyon, somewhere and over the
years I have been trying to pin down the cut-off point. As I do not bird
the area unless I am working and it can take years to get the right stop
at the right time of year this may well take a long time. BTW this bird
was in habitat that would better be characterized as Edge rather than
Riparian.

As we were pulling into North Bend (after a 110 mi, 6 hr trip) I spotted
a pair of Eastern Kingbirds which I had not seen before in this area.
There is a small beaver pond near by which would provide suitable
nesting habitat for them but as I said I have not seen them there until
now. Western Kingbirds used to nest near the old station house but I
have not seen any for 3 or 4 years.

The Band-tailed Pigeon flock that hangs around the rail yard and
competes with the local flock (diminishing) of Rock Doves has now
expanded to about 40.

The trip home started at 9PM and the only mentionable sighting was
around 1AM at Hatzic Prairie (just east of Mission BC) when a Barn Owl
flew over the tracks in front of us.

That's it for now.

Well some of it was at track speed anyhow!

Roger Craik
Maple Ridge BC
east of Vancouver