Charles Helm
The fifth printing of The Birds of Tumbler Ridge: A Checklist is about to be published as a project of the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global Geopark, in partnership with the Biodiversity Centre for Wildlife Studies.
This printing will incorporate the latest bird sightings, with an impressive total of 233 species now having been recorded in the Tumbler Ridge area, of which 105 have been recorded breeding here.
In 2018 the official naming order of North American bird species was also significantly updated by the American Ornithological Society, and these changes have been incorporated into the brochure.
The brochure indicates during which seasons the birds have recorded, and how frequently, and also features highlights that make the Tumbler Ridge area an intriguing destination for visiting birders.
For example, this is the area where the distribution ranges of eastern and western species meet, and therefore provides a unique opportunity to see such species together. Research done in Tumbler Ridge by scientists from UBC actually led to the identification of a new bird species for North America, the Pacific Wren. Tumbler Ridge is also on the migration route for the biggest raptor migration in the world, that of the Golden Eagle.
Exhibits in the Dinosaur Discovery Gallery celebrate the discoveries of a number of fossil bird tracksites, and replicas of these tracks are exhibited and interpreted. Add to this the dinosaur footprint tours that feature theropod tracks (birds are descended from theropods), and it is clear that Tumbler Ridge provides a one-of-a-kind birding experience.
The brochure will be available in the Visitor Centre and Dinosaur Discovery Gallery and other locations. Anyone with interesting bird observations or with sightings that seem to be new for the checklist are asked to please provide details to Charles Helm (250 242 3984).
