Thanks a Million

 A Million Views. Thank you

My thirty year newspaper career ended 2011. I loved every moment of it, ups and the downs. The newspaper business had changed, page counts had shrank, leaving little need for a dedicated staff photographer. Social media platforms had taken a bite out of earnings. Staff were cut, myself included. 

The first three months following my departure from Black Press/Langley Times was a huge adjustment. Instead of being in the office interacting with writers or on assignment I felt strangely adrift. I had been accustomed to interacting with the community and seeing my work published on a regular basis. On whim I decided to start a birding and travel blog. On Dec 2011 Listening to Birds was born. It eventually became an extension of what I had loved doing for a living, photographing and telling stores. What I didn’t know at the time was the Lower Mainland had a vibrant and welcoming birding community. The blog was well received. it was a lifeline at a time of transition. As a bonus I even had a few images and articles published.

 

Fifteen years and five hundred and sixty-eight blogs later the site has just passed one million pages views. Where all those views came from who knows but it's been a fun trip, typos and all.

I am not sure I have anything more to say but...

Thanks to everyone who visited Listening to Birds. 

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Thinking of taking up birding?

Even garden birds bring joy. Ask my wife, a non-birder. She spends hours watching the feeder, especially when fledglings arrive for the first time. 

All one needs to take up bird watching is a little free time and some patience. Local libraries offer binoculars and related reading to the curious while local nature clubs throughout the Lower Mainland have weekly walks and monthly presentations. I am a member of the Langley Field Naturalists and the British Columbia Field Ornithologists. Check them out, it may change your life. It did mine.

Langley Field Naturalists

and

BCFO

A fledgling House Finch still has fluffy tuffs (often called "feathered horns" ).
Young fledglings have wispy down feathers and shorter tails and wings, the last remnants of their newborn down.

First Flight

A recently fledged House Finch ponders how to land on the bird feeder.

Manning Park Bird Blitz 2026

Manning Bird Blitz June 19-21 2026

The Manning Park Bird Blitz was founded in 1983 by Environmental Endowment Commission Canadian Commissioner Gail Ross, is British Columbia's longest-running bird count. It is an annual citizen-science event held every June during the active bird.

Spectacular Scenery

June is a great time to visit, when forests are alive with a riot of birds exuberantly advertising for mates and defending territory. This, combined with the park’s extensive network of scenic trails, makes Manning a paradise for birders - experts and novices alike!

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Three-toed Woodpecker

 E.C. Manning Provincial Park boasts over 100 varieties of alpine and subalpine wildflowers, acting as a transition zone between coastal and dry interior climates. Highlights include the Pacific rhododendron (blooming mid-June), avalanche lilies (late spring), and vast meadows filled with mountain-heather and harsh paintbrush. We were too late for the avalanche lilies but several butterfly species were seen during the heat of the day when the birds were less active.  

Hoffmann's Checkerspot.

Hoffmann's Checkerspot ranges from California to British Columbia. 

In British Columbia it is only found at Manning Park. 

Hermit Thrush

Canada Jays are always on the lookout for a handout. Feeding wildlife is frowned upon.

A flock of six Pine Grosbeaks visited the campsite everyday.

Western White feeds on the nectar of the Saskatoon flower

After walking part of the Poland Lake trail to the top of the ski lift our group stopped for lunch. The break gave is a chance to take in spectacular views. Our gaze was interrupted when a Mountain Bluebird flew past us into a cavity in the ski lift apparatus, a nest site perhaps. Soon afterwards we spotted a Sooty Grouse, five chicks could seen following close behind. 

 

Sooty Grouse

 We may have been too close as one of the chick flew into a bush. We continued our walk.

Sooty Grouse chick 

Portions of Strawberry Flats were well shaded providing the moisture for numerous species of butterflies.

Western Meadow Fritillary

The annual Manning Park Bird Blitz is one of the best kept secrets in the birding community. If three days of birding in a region of natural beauty isn't enough, add great camaraderie, butterflying, wildflowers and wildlife sightings. Enough said. See you there next year,

A short video here

Manning Park Bird Blitz Video

"It's never too late to attend a Manning Park Bird Blitz"

John Gordon

Langley/Cloverdale

Skagit Valley Bird Blitz 2026

 

Skagit Valley Bird Blitz 2026

The Skagit’s Valley Bird Blitz is over for another year. Inaugurated in 2011, the Skagit Valley Bird Blitz was created by Kelly Pearce with help from Denis Knopp, Al and Jude Grass, Scott Denkers and other birding enthusiasts. The event seeks to replicate the Manning Park Bird Blitz, a successful event that now spans 41 years of ornithological sightings! 

Birding in the Skagit Skagit in early May is a great time for novice and experienced birders alike to visit the Skagit – the birds are singing and nesting; spring wildflowers are in glorious bloom; and the infamous Skagit mosquitoes have not yet achieved their full blood-sucking majesty!

With 199 recorded species, the Skagit offers a beautiful mountain setting and a classic “U-shaped” glaciated valley that is traversed by a widely meandering river. Healthy waterfowl populations are found here, including harlequin ducks and the lush riparian forests are alive with songbirds. There are also dry forests of Ponderosa Pine and open meadows where birds of prey frequently hunt. All in all, a thriving web of diverse ecosystems to attract our birds.

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As the Skagit Valley spans the Canadian-U.S. border, it forms a natural corridor for north-south migrants, an important corridor to study in the years ahead, as climate change continues to impact the timing of bird breeding and migration. Human migrants enjoy the Skagit Valley lands too, both Americans and Canadians can enjoy birding in this trans-boundary wilderness.

My first visit to the area twenty years was with noted naturalists Al and Jude Grass. Al encouraged us to appreciate not just the birds but the scenery, butterflies, wild flowers and assorted critters. Al has passed on now but many in the nature community remember him fondly. While the weekend was mostly spent collecting bird data it was impossible not to be struck by the sheer beauty of the surrounding mountains and the crystal clear waters of the Skagit River. Early one morning I spotted a flock of Pine Siskin feeding on a sandbar. One bird stood out as being slightly larger. Intrigued I took a long distance photo which revealed a female Cassin’s Finch, a good Fraser Valley (FV) year bird. 

Saturday morning we split into groups to bird different trails. Beginner birders were led by Bird Blitz staff Kelly Pearce and Scott Denkers. I teamed up with Angela Bond and birded Whitworth Meadows where we spotted a hummingbird chasing a flycatcher. The hummer, a Calliope was another year bird. Then Angela picked up a Dusky Flycatcher on the Merlin ap. Merlin can be less than accurate but in this case it was spot on. Whitworth Meadows is one of the closest locations to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland to find Calliope.

Another highlight of the weekend was the Saturday night presentation by Bird Canada’s Rémi Torrenta’s. The subject Black Swifts. We learnt that Black Swifts nest deep in our mountains, under waterfalls  and is one of the most mysterious bird species in North America. We learnt what Birds Canada is doing to better understand this elusive, enigmatic, and endangered bird, and advance its conservation. 

After an hour long presentation under the stars Rémi mentioned the ability to specify donations to go to the BC branch rather than for out of province projects if so desired , something I wasn’t aware of.

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The Bird Blitz has provided a multi-year database of Skagit Valley birds that is shared with park staff, biologists, and the general public

For more information or questions on how to take part in the 2027 Skagit Bird Blitz, please contact Tunde

at tmurphy@hopemountain.org or 604-869-1274

Join us for a weekend of fun at our annual Skagit Bird Blitz once again!