If you plan on taking your car on the ferry to Sointula and/or Alert Bay, contact BC Ferries beforehand to inquire about arrival times. These smaller ferries can fill up quickly.
Below are some of my favourite sites in the area, ordered from southeast to northwest. Local birders have also come up with a brochure for the area which should be available in Port McNeill and Sointula.
NIMPKISH ESTUARY Beginning at the southeast edge of the area (presumably where most visitors will be coming from), this is the first stop of interest for birders.
From the Sayward turnoff on Hwy. 19, drive north for 121 km (75 mi.) then turn right onto Beaver Cove Rd. (if you cross the Nimpkish River you’ve gone too far), and make an immediate left onto a gravel track. On the right side of this old road, you’ll see a track leading through the woods to the beach. It’s possible to drive all the way to the estuary but the track is often fraught with deep muddy ruts and overgrown alders. It’s only a 300 m (328 yd.) walk, so I recommend leaving your car along this gravel side road (ensure that other vehicles can get past, of course) and walking.
From Port McNeill, head south on Hwy. 19; 1.7 km (1 mi.) beyond the Nimpkish River Bridge, turn left on Beaver Cove Rd., and make an immediate left onto the gravel track.
The mudflats south of the river mouth provide some of the best shorebird habitat in the region, with thousands of Western Sandpipers passing through in April–May and August–October, joined by lesser numbers of Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Sanderling, Black Turnstone, Ruddy Turnstone, Surfbird, and Short-billed Dowitcher. From late fall to early spring, expect flocks of Dunlin; Killdeer are present off and on throughout the year. Rarer species that are still expected annually include Pacific Golden-Plover, Marbled Godwit, and Red Knot. The usual mix of migratory dabbling ducks are also common during the spring/fall passage as well as in winter, and more than ten species of gulls, including Thayer’s Gull (outside the summer months) are annual visitors here.
In spring and fall, the coastal waters around Port McNeill and Johnstone Strait can be fantastic for watching water bird migration. Here a group of American Wigeon pass Malcolm Island on their southward fall passage with the Coast Mountains of the mainland in the background. GORDON CURRY
WEST BAY In an area that’s already under-birded, this site is probably one of the least known and visited, despite being one of the better shorebirding sites in the area. I don’t actually know what this bay is called because it doesn’t appear on any maps, so I’ve taken the liberty of naming it myself.
The forestry roads to get here should be drivable for all vehicles, but watch out for logging trucks and drive carefully when the road is wet. From the junction of Campbell Way and Hwy. 19 (the main turnoff to Port McNeill), head west toward Port Hardy for 3.7 km (2.3 mi.) then turn right at a crossroads onto a well-maintained gravel road. Stay left at the first junction, 350 m/yd. along; after an additional 950 m/yd., turn left again. You’ll get onto a relatively straight stretch that parallels the highway and some power-lines; after 2.4 km (1.5 mi.), turn right. This track will curve back to the northeast. Drive for 1.3 km (0.8 mi.). Stay right at a minor junction to keep to the main road until you reach an obvious wider section where you can turn around and park. A short trail leads down to the north side of West Bay.
Expect a similar mix of species to that in the Nimpkish Estuary. For the best experience here, be prepared to walk across the mudflats to view all corners of the bay. Bring rubber boots if you don’t want your toes to get wet. Although it’s possible to scope most of the bay without setting foot on the mud, many of the birds will be far away and, if the tide is low, many more will be out of view around the corner to the east.
CLUXEWE ESTUARY Just over 9 km (5.6 mi.) from the Port McNeill turnoff (heading northwest toward Port Hardy), watch for Cluxewe Resort signs on the right. Park near the Cluxewe Resort office, let them know what you’re up to, and then start your birding by scanning the grassland/wetland habitat of the estuary directly to the west. This area can be quiet at times, but Short-eared Owl and Mountain Bluebird are possible to spot in migration, and rarer species may yet be found with more coverage.
As you move along the beach beyond the camping area, you’ll get out onto the gravelly spit at the mouth of the estuary. Since there isn’t much mud here, most sandpipers prefer to poke through the clumps of washed-up seaweed for invertebrates. At high tide, approach the tip of the spit carefully—it’s often a roosting site for shorebirds. The gravelly spit and woody debris are also frequented by foraging flocks of American Pipit, Horned Lark, Lapland Longspur, and Snow Bunting (the latter three being uncommon but regular in fall). Finally, check through the shrubs and grassy clumps along the ridge of the spit for possible rarities among the numerous Savannah, Song, and Lincoln’s Sparrows in spring/fall passage.
The Bald Eagle is one of the most recognizable birds in the world thanks to our southern neighbours, however nowhere are they more common than the coastal estuaries of British Columbia, particularly during the salmon spawning season in fall and early winter. LIRON GERTSMAN
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SALMON RIVER ESTUARY, SAYWARD
IF YOU COULD travel back in time to the 1970s or earlier, you could depart Port McNeill on the Inside Passage ferry and cruise down the scenic Johnstone Strait to the route’s southern terminus at Port Kelsey. However, since Hwy. 19 was pushed through from Campbell River to Port Hardy in 1978, the ferry has moved north as well, giving the isolated timber village of Sayward an even quieter complexion. In the past few decades, a slowing forestry industry has affected their struggling economy and in 2006 there were only 341 residents in the Sayward Valley. Fast-forward to 2015, and visitors will see that many of the old businesses are still boarded up, but an increase in sport-fishing and eco-tourism is fostering a renewed interest in this hitherto forgotten corner of Vancouver Island.
For visiting birders, the quiet quaintness of tiny Sayward and Port Kelsey, nestled in between high coastal mountains, brooding Johnstone Strait, and the Salmon River Estuary, gives the place all the allure it needs. You’ll rarely bump into another sightseer while walking the nature trails around town. As for the environment, there are few estuaries in BC that are both ecologically pristine and easily accessible to visitors.
BIRDING GUIDE
As you leave Hwy. 19 and begin the drive down the Sayward Valley, following the Salmon River, look and listen for Black-throated Gray Warblers singing from the cottonwood trees lining the river. Turn right to get onto the Salmon River Rd. (see next page) giving access to the first Nature Trust trail on the right/east side. This trail is about a 1.5 km (1 mi.) loop through mature Sitka Spruce forest and estuarine back-channel habitats, bordering on brackish marshland.
Return to your car and drive 1.1 km (0.7 mi.) northwest along the Salmon River Rd., where a second Nature Trust sign indicates the Viewing Tower Trail. The isolated lines of alders and other deciduous trees, surrounded by estuary wetlands and meadows, can act as a natural funnel for migrating songbirds. Look and listen for mixed flocks in spring and late summer. This trail is also a good way to access the estuary for scoping shorebirds. On the right tides it’s possible to scope the main shorebird flocks from close to your car (see next