WELCOME TO AMBLESIDE PARK IN WEST VANCOUVER
Green Heron
Ambleside Park is located in West Vancouver across Burrard Inlet from Stanley Park’s Prospect Point. It’s only a short 10 to 15 minute drive from downtown Vancouver over the Lion’s Gate Bridge. Ambleside boosts a large number of winter ducks and spring and fall migrants in a small easy to walk area. The trail along the shoreline between the Ambleside Pier to the mouth of the Capilano River is 1.2 kms, with a smaller, circular loop that will take you around the duck pond. Ambleside Park contains 59 acres of parkland including several forested areas. The duck pond is full of many different species of ducks throughout the fall and winter and is a popular feeding area with families. The resident MUTE SWANS can be seen on almost every visit. In years past, this has been the only nesting spot on the North Shore for the GREEN HERON.
Ambleside Beach looking at Stanley Park
Duck Pond at Ambleside Park
Forested Trails through Ambleside Park
Ambleside Park can be birded easily in an hour or two. If you are looking to spend more time searching for some North Shore birds, follow the trail up the Capilano River that becomes the Capilano River Regional Park. This trail follows the Capilano River north for 8kms up to Cleveland Dam in North Vancouver. The Capilano River Regional Park Trail is home to several species of Owls and in the spring and summer several species of Warblers and Sparrows.
The mouth of the Capilano River
DIRECTIONS FROM VANCOUVER
Once you cross over the Lion’s Gate Bridge, stay in the left lane and follow the signs to West Vancouver. There are several entrance points to the park. Turn left at the first set of lights on Taylor Way and you will find plenty of free parking behind Park Royal Mall. This entrance is where Ambleside Park and Capilano River Regional Park come together. To start at the other end of the park at the Ambleside Pier, continue on through the lights at Taylor Way. You will pass through two pedestrian light (one at Park Royal Mall and the second at 11th Ave.) The next light you will be making a left handed turn at 13th Ave, and this will lead right into the large parking area to the sporting fields and beach.
BIRD SPECIES
Ambleside Park is a great place to bird year round and attracts many different species of birds. Burrard Inlet is a great place to see open water birds such as Loons, Scoters, Ducks, Guillemots, Grebes, Murrelets and Cormornants. The duck pond is home to many different species of Ducks, Sparrows, Great Blue Herons, Green Herons and Black-capped Chickadees. The surrounding wooded areas can yield Warblers, Thrushes, Raptors and Owls. If you are looking to brush up on your Gull identification, the sports fields and beach are excellent locations to do so. A scan through the hundreds of Gulls (and they stay fairly close for great viewing) usually turns up a California, Thayer’s, Herring, Mew, Ring-billed or Bonaparte’s Gull. On most occasions you will also find hundreds of Canada Geese with Cackling Geese mixed in.
Please help me keep this list up to date. I bird Ambleside a few times a week, but I can’t see everything. Your help is greatly appreciated. If you see an uncommon or rare bird, please let me know at birdtrekkerbc@gmail.com and/or report in the the various BC birding forums (these forums can be found in the links section on my home page). I also check the forums regularly to see what’s visiting Ambleside Park and the Lower Mainland.
Recent, uncommon sightings at Ambleside Park
MARCH 2012
Cedar Waxwing
Red Crossbill
The Bird Checklist of Ambleside Park, West Vancouver, British Columbia
The checklist area includes Ambleside Park from the mouth of the Capilano River to the Ambleside Pier area immediately adjacent to Park Royal Mall and the waters visible from this area.
Relative Abundance
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A = abundant (seen in large numbers everyday)
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C = common (easily observed on any visit)
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F = frequent (usually observed on any visit)
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U = Uncommon (sometimes observed on any visit)
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R = Rare (only a few records each year)
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CA = casual (not recorded every year)
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AC = accidential, out of range only recorded once or twice
Please remember the time of year (spring, summer, fall, winter) when planning your trip to Ambleside Park. Not all species can be seen at all times. For example the duck pond will be a busy place with several species during the winter but is much quieter during the summer. Many migrants such as WESTERN TANAGER may be seen frequently during the spring and fall but not seen through the winter. If you have any questions about this list, please contact me at birdtrekkerbc@gmail.com.
- Greater White-fronted Goose – CA (3 records)
- Cackling Goose – U
- Canada Goose – C
- Mute Swan – C
- Wood Duck – R
- Gadwall – R
- Eurasian Wigeon – R
- American Wigeon – A
- Mallard -A
- Northern Shoveler – R
- Northern Pintail – U
- Green-winged Teal – U
- Redhead – CA
- Ring-necked Duck – F
- Greater Scaup – F
- Lesser Scaup – F
- King Eider – AC (1 record 1994)
- Surf Scoter – C
- White-winged Scoter – R
- Black Scoter – R
- Harlequin Duck – F
- Bufflehead – C
- Common Goldeneye – C
- Barrow’s Goldeneye – C
- Hooded Merganser – F
- Common Merganser – C
- Red-breasted Merganser – U
- Red-throated Loon – R
- Pacific Loon – R
- Common Loon – U
- Pied-billed Grebe – R
- Horned Grebe – U
- Red-necked Grebe – CA
- Clark’s Grebe – AC (1 record 1988)
- Western Grebe – U
- American White Pelican – AC (1 record 1992)
- Brandt’s Cormorant – F
- Double-crested Cormorant – C
- Pelagic Cormorant – F
- Great Blue Heron – C
- Green Heron – CA
- American Coot – F
- Turkey Vulture – R
- Osprey – U
- Golden Eagle – CA
- Bald Eagle – C
- Sharp-shinned Hawk – U
- Cooper’s Hawk – U
- Northern Goshawk – CA
- Red-tailed Hawk – R
- Killdeer – R
- Black Oystercatcher – R
- Greater Yellowlegs – R
- Sanderling – U
- Dunlin – U
- Western Sandpiper – R
- Bonaparte’s Gull – CA
- Ring-billed Gull – F
- Mew Gull – F
- California Gull – U
- Herring Gull – U
- Thayer’s Gull – U
- Western Gull – R
- Glaucous-winged Gull – A
- Caspian Tern – CA
- Forster’s Tern – AC (1 record 1974)
- Common Murre – CA
- Pigeon Guillemot – R
- Marbled Murrelet – CA
- Band-tailed Pigeon – CA
- Rock Pigeon – A
- Great Horned Owl – R
- Barred Owl – R
- Vaux’s Swift – R
- Anna’s Hummingbird – C
- Rufous Hummingbird – U
- Belted Kingfisher – U
- Red-breasted Sapsucker – R
- Downy Woodpecker – F
- Northern Flicker (red-shafted) – U
- Olive-sided Flycatcher – CA
- Western Wood-Pewee – R
- Willow Flycatcher -U
- Pacific-slope Flycatcher – CA
- Ash-throated Flycatcher – AC (2 records 1971, 1982)
- Hutton’s Vireo – U
- Warbling Vireo – U
- Blue Jay – AC (1 record 2010)
- Steller’s Jay – F
- Northwestern Crow – A
- Common Raven – R
- Tree Swallow – F
- Violet-green Swallow – U
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow – U
- Barn Swallow – F
- Black-capped Chickadee – A
- Bushtit – F
- Red-breasted Nuthatch – F
- Pygmy Nuthatch – AC (1 record 1973)
- Brown Creeper – U
- Bewick’s Wren – R
- Pacific Wren – F
- Rock Wren – AC (1 record 1983)
- Marsh Wren – U
- American Dipper -CA
- Golden-crowned Kinglet – F
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet – F
- Hermit Thrush – R
- Swainson’s Thrush – U
- American Robin – A
- Varied Thrush – U
- European Starling – A
- White Wagtail – AC (1 record 1982)
- American Pipit – CA
- Cedar Waxwing – U
- Orange-crowned Warbler – U
- Yellow Warbler – U
- Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) – F
- Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle’s) – U
- Wilson’s Warbler – F
- Common Yellowthroat – U
- Painted Redstart – AC (1 record 1973)
- Western Tanager – CA
- Spotted Towhee – A
- Lark Sparrow – AC (1 record 1986)
- Fox Sparrow – C
- Lark Bunting – AC (1 record 1975)
- Savannah Sparrow – U
- Lincoln’s Sparrow – U
- Song Sparrow – A
- White-crowned Sparrow – C
- Golden-crowned Sparrow – F
- Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) – F
- Black-headed Grosbeak – CA
- Yellow-headed Blackbird – CA
- Red-winged Blackbird – F
- Rusty Blackbird – CA
- Brewer’s Blackbird – CA
- Brown-headed Cowbird – R
- Purple Finch – F
- House Finch – C
- Red Crossbill – CA
- Pine Siskin – F
- American Goldfinch – U
- House Sparrow – C
