Birdtrekkerbc's Birding Adventures

 WELCOME TO MAPLEWOOD FLATS – NORTH VANCOUVER, BC

Maplewood Flats Conservation Area is a birding hotspot located in North Vancouver, BC. A beautiful park located east of the Second Narrows Bridge along Burrard Inlet. Maplewood is made up of mudflats, grassland, ponds, shoreline, deciduous woods, and a salt marsh that attracts many different species of birds.  Over 3 km of  trails wind throughout the area taking you through many different types of vegetation. A great place to bird all year around.

DIRECTIONS FROM VANCOUVER

Maplewood is located at 2645 Dollarton Highway, North Vancouver. After getting over the Second Narrows/Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, take the first exit, Dollarton Hwy. Follow Dollarton Hwy east for 2 kms, then turn right into the entrance and parking area. Watch for the signs as you approach.

DIRECTIONS FROM HORSESHOE BAY FERRY TERMINAL/WHISTLER

Take the Main Street Exit from Hwy#1 just after you get to the bottom of the cut. Turn left at the light and continue east along Dollarton Hwy for 2 kms, then turn right into the entrance and parking area. Watch for the signs as you approach.

Please note that the gate closes at 6pm on weekdays and 4pm on weekends. If you think you might be there beyond those times, there is plenty of parking across the street in the gravel lot and a entrance through the fence right next to the car entrance.

All levels of birders are welcome to join the Wild Bird Trust’s monthly bird survey of Maplewood.  The survey is conducted on the first Saturday of each month. Meet at 8:00am in the parking lot of the Pacific Environment Science Centre, 2645 Dollarton Highway. If the gate is closed, park adjacent to the highway.

Bird Species

Maplewood contains many different resident and breeding birds, as well as rare visitors and accidental out of range sightings. It’s a great place to bring a scope to find the shorebirds, ducks and sea birds on a low tide at the east side mudflats and in Burrard Inlet. On the most recent Maplewood checklist, there has been 244 species recorded. A checklist of Maplewood birds is available at the Nature House. Some of the rare birds seen at Maplewood over the last few years include Yellow-billed Loon, Redhead, Northern Goshawk, Gyrfalcon, Sooty Grouse, Sandhill Crane, Long-billed Curlew, Pomarine Jaeger, Great Gray Owl, Long-eared Owl, Alder Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Horned Lark, Sage Thrasher, Bohemian Waxwing, Mountain Chickadee, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Northern Waterthrush, American Tree Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Harris’s Sparrow, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Rusty Blackbird and Pine Grosbeak.

We had the pleasure in September 2009 to have 2 Lewis’s Woodpeckers hang around for a few days.

Please help me keep this list up to date. Although I get to Maplewood a few times a week 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 Maplewood and the Lower Mainland.

Recent notable sightings at Maplewood for May 2012

Vesper Sparrow (Quentin Brown) First Record for Maplewood

FOY Western Tanager (Rob Lyske)

Recent noteable sightings at Maplewood for April 2012

American Bittern (excellent Maplewood bird)

Virgina Rail

Sandhill Cranes (flying overhead)

Osprey’s have arrived

Northern Goshawk

Long-billed Dowitcher

Bonaparte’s Gull

Hammond’s Flycatcher (Rob Lyske)

Northern Shrike

Hermit Thrush (first of the spring)

Warblers moving through in the 100′s

Yellow-rumped

Orange-crowned

Nashville (Quentin Brown)

Black-throated Gray

Wilson’s

Evening Grosbeak (Rob Lyske)

Western Meadowlark (Rod Alexander)

Photograph by Rob Alexander

Recent noteable sighting at Maplewood for March 2012

SAY’S PHOEBE – March 10th & 11th

Photograph by Paul Kusmin

The Bird Checklist of the Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats, North Vancouver, British Columbia

The checklist area includes Maplewood Flats, the upland habitats immediately adjacent and the waters visible from this area.

Relative Abundance

• A = abundant (seen in large numbers everyday)
• C = common (easily observed on any visit)
• F = frequent (usually observed on any visit)
• U = Uncommon (sometimes observed on any visit)
• R = Rare (only a few records each year)
• CA = casual (not recorded every year)
• 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 Maplewood. Not all species can be seen at all times. For example a VARIED THRUSH might be a common bird during the winter, but will not be seen during the summer.  Many migrants such as a YELLOW WARBLER will be frequent during the spring, summer and fall but not seen through the winter. If you have any questions about this list, please contact me birdtrekkerbc@gmail.com.

1. Greater White-fronted Goose - AC (4 records)
2. Snow Goose – AC (4 records)
3. Brant – CA
4. Canada Goose – A
5. Mute Swan – AC (1 record)
6. Trumpter Swan – CA
7. Tundra Swan – CA
8. Wood Duck – U
9. Gadwall – U
10. Eurasian Wigeon – R
11. American Wigeon – C
12. Mallard – A
13. Blue-winged Teal – R
14. Cinnamon Teal – R
15. Northern Shoveler – R
16. Northern Pintail – U
17. Green-winged Teal – C
18. Canvasback – CA
19. Redhead – AC (1 record)
20. Tufted Duck – AC
21. Greater Scaup – U
22. Lesser Scaup – U
23. Harlequin Duck – C
24. Surf Scoter – C
25. White-winged Scoter – CA
26. Black Scoter – CA
27. Long-tailed Duck – CA
28. Bufflehead – F
29. Common Goldeneye – U
30. Barrow’s Goldeneye – U
31. Hooded Merganser – U
32. Common Merganser – F
33. Red-breasted Merganser – U
34. Ruddy Duck – AC
35. Ring-necked Pheasant – AC
36. Ruffed Grouse – CA
37. Sooty Grouse – AC (2 records)
38. Red-throated Loon – R
39. Pacific Loon – R
40. Common Loon – U
41. Yellow-billed Loon – AC (1 record)
42. Pied-billed Grebe – R
43. Horned Grebe – U
44. Red-necked Grebe – U
45. Western Grebe – U
46. American White Pelican – AC
47. Brandt’s Cormorant – CA
48. Double-crested Cormorant – F
49. Pelagic Cormorant – F
50. American Bittern – CA
51. Great Blue Heron – F
52. Green Heron – R
53. Turkey Vulture – R
54. Osprey – F
55. Bald Eagle – F
56. Northern Harrier – R
57. Sharp-shinned Hawk – R
58. Cooper’s Hawk – U
59. Northern Goshawk – AC
60. Red-tailed Hawk – U
61. Rough-legged Hawk – CA
62. Golden Eagle – AC
63. American Kestrel – R
64. Merlin – U
65. Gyrfalcon – AC (1 record)
66. Peregrine Falcon – R
67. Virginia Rail – R
68. Sora – R
69. American Coot – U
70. Sandhill Crane – AC (1 record)
71. Black-bellied Plover – CA
72. Semipalmated Plover – R
73. Killdeer – F
74. Black Oystercatcher – U
75. American Avocet – AC
76. Spotted Sandpiper – F
77. Solitary Sandpiper – CA
78. GreaterYellowlegs – F
79. Lesser Yellowlegs – U
80. Whimbrel – CA
81. Long-billed Curlew – AC (3 records, April 2011)
82. Ruddy Turnstone – CA
83. Black Turnstone – U
84. Sanderling – R
85. Semipalmated Sandpiper – R
86. Western Sandpiper – C
87. Least Sandpiper – U
88. Baird’s Sandpiper – R
89. Pectoral Sandpiper – R
90. Dunlin – R
91. Stilt Sandpiper – CA
92. Short-billed Dowitcher – R
93. Long-billed Dowitcher – F
94. Wilson’s Snipe – F
95. Wilson’s Phalarope – R
96. Red-necked Phalarope – R
97. Pomarine Jaeger – AC (1 record)
98. Parasitic Jaeger – CA
99. Franklin’s Gull – CA
100. Bonaparte’s Gull – U
101. Mew Gull – C
102. Ring-billed Gull – F
103. California Gull – U
104. Herring Gull – AC
105. Thayer’s Gull – U
106. Western Gull – AC (1 record)
107. Glaucous-winged Gull – A
108. Glaucous Gull – AC
109. Caspian Tern – U
110. Common Tern – R
111. Common Murre – CA
112. Pigeon Guillemot – U
113. Marbled Murrelet – CA
114. Rock Pigeon – C
115. Band-tailed Pigeon – F
116. Mourning Dove – R
117. Barn Owl – AC
118. Great Horned Owl – R
119. Northern Pygmy-Owl – R
120. Barred Owl – CA
121. Great Gray Owl – AC (2 records 1996, 2009)
122. Long-eared Owl – AC (1 record)
123. Short-eared Owl – CA
124. Northern Saw-whet Owl – CA
125. Common Nighthawk – R
126. Black Swift – R
127. Vaux’s Swift – F
128. Anna’s Hummingbird – CA
129. Calliope Hummingbird – CA
130. Rufous Hummingbird – F
131. Belted Kingfisher – U
132. Red-breasted Sapsucker – U
133. Downy Woodpecker – U
134. Hairy Woodpecker – R
135. Lewis’s Woodpecker – AC (1 record)
136. Northern Flicker (red-shafted) – F
137. Northern Flicker (yellow-shafted) – R
138. Pileated Woodpecker – U
139. Olive-sided Flycatcher – R
140. Western Wood-Pewee- R
141. Alder Flycatcher – AC (2 records 1981, 1989)
142. Willow Flycatcher – F
143. Hammond’s Flycatcher – U
144. Dusky Flycatcher – AC (1 record 2011)
145. Pacific-slope Flycatcher – U
146. Say’s Phoebe – CA
147. Ash-throated Flycatcher – AC (2 records 1991)
148. Western Kingbird – R
149. Eastern Kingbird – R
150. Northern Shrike – CA
151. Cassin’s Vireo – R
152. Hutton’s Vireo – CA
153. Warbling Vireo – F
154. Red-eyed Vireo – U
155. Steller’s Jay – U
156. Northwestern Crow – A
157. Common Raven – U
158. Horned Lark – AC (2 records)
159. Purple Martin – F
160. Tree Swallow – F
161. Violet-green Swallow – C
162. Northern Rough-winged Swallow – F
163. Bank Swallow – R
164. Cliff Swallow – U
165. Barn Swallow – C
166. Black-capped Chickadee – A
167. Mountain Chickadee – AC (1 record)
168. Chestnut-backed Chickadee – R
169. Bushtit – F
170. Red-breasted Nuthatch – R
171. Brown Creeper – R
172. Bewick’s Wren – R
173. House Wren – AC
174. Pacific Wren – F
175. Marsh Wren – U
176. American Dipper – CA
177. Golden-crowned Kinglet – F
178. Ruby-crowned Kinglet – F
179. Mountain Bluebird – CA
180. Townsend’s Solitaire – R
181. Swainson’s Thrush – F
182. Hermit Thrush – R
183. American Robin – C
184. Varied Thrush – F
185. Sage Thrasher – AC (1 record 2007)
186. European Starling – C
187. American Pipit – R
188. Bohemian Waxwing – CA
189. Cedar Waxwing – F
190. Tennessee Warbler – AC
191. Orange-crowned Warbler – U
192. Tennessee Warbler – AC (1 record 2007)
193. Nashville Warbler – CA
194. Yellow Warbler – F
195. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon) – F
196. Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) – U
197. Black-throated Gray Warbler – F
198. Black-throated Green Warbler – AC (1 record 1997)
199. Townsend’s Warbler – U
200. Palm Warbler – AC (3 records 1994, 1995, 2010)
201. Black and White Warbler – AC (1 record 2007)
202. American Redstart – CA
203. Northern Waterthrush – AC
204. MacGillvray’s Warbler – U
205. Common Yellowthroat – U
206. Wilson’s Warbler – F
207. Western Tanager – F
208. Spotted Towhee – A
209. American Tree Sparrow – AC
210. Chipping Sparrow – CA
211. Savannah Sparrow – F
212. Fox Sparrow – F
213. Song Sparrow – A
214. Lincoln’s Sparrow – U
215. Swamp Sparrow – AC (2 records)
216. White-throated Sparrow – AC
217. Harris’s Sparrow – AC (2 records)
218. White-crowned Sparrow – F
219. Golden-crowned Sparrow – F
220. Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) – F
221. Dark-eyed Junco (Slate) – CA
222. Lapland Longspur – CA
223. Chestnut-collared Longspur – AC (1 record 1981)
224. Snow Bunting – CA
225. Black-headed Grosbeak – U
226. Lazuli Bunting – CA
227. Bobolink – AC (1 record 1980)
228. Red-winged Blackbird – F
229. Western Meadowlark – R
230. Yellow-headed Blackbird – R
231. Rusty Blackbird – AC (3 records)
232. Brewer’s Blackbird – U
233. Brown-headed Cowbird – F
234. Bullock’s Oriole – CA
235. Gray-crowned Rosy Finch – AC
236. Pine Grobeak – AC (1 record)
237. Purple Finch – F
238. House Finch – C
239. Red Crossbill – CA
240. Common Redpoll – CA
241. Pine Siskin – F
242. American Goldfinch – F
243. Evening Grosbeak – CA
244. House Sparrow – R