Birding in British Columbia 2012

Just a sample of the birds we filmed in British Columbia in the last couple of months. Some are migratory, some are rare like the The Long-billed Curlew and some are common like the Canada Geese.

The Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus - RARE YouTube

It is believed that there are only a few hundred breeding pairs of Long-billed Curlews in British Columbia, Canada.

Prior to legal protection in early 1900s, Long-billed Curlews were decimated by hunters in eastern North America, and were eliminated from many parts of their range by expansion of agriculture on the plains and prairies in the 1930s. The Long-billed Curlew has already disappeared from most parts of eastern Canada and United States.

In British Columbia, curlews breed in the Southern Interior; primary breeding areas are the open grasslands from Williams Lake west through Alexis Creek, in the Okanagan and lower Similkameen valleys, in the East Kootenay Trench, in the Nicola Valley and near Kamloops; a few pairs breed north along the North Thompson River to Clearwater and along the Fraser River near McBride.

Curlews frequent grassy terrain, newly-ploughed fields, green hayfields, meadows and pastures; birds do not have to be near water.

Curlews got their name from their unmistakable call, "curleeuu, curleeuu, curleeuu. "

When danger approaches, parents sound an alarm call telling chicks to "freeze" and hide; parents and neighbouring birds dive from skies to drive intruders off.

Threats:
Habitat loss due to agriculture and urban development.
Sensitivity to human disturbance.
Off-road vehicle use in or near nesting habitat.

Info via Government of British Columbia - Ministry of the Environment
Music by Alexander Blu 11 - Fadeoutv