Sketch and story by Tom Godin,
June 8, 2001

On June 2, the beginning of our annual Churn Creek weekend trip, the weather didn't look good. The day before, cold air began crossing the province and this sent the temperatures dropping. Snow was mentioned for the high passes and precipitation was expected everywhere.

As I drove to the rendezvous point in town I thought that this looked like the bleakest start since I had been going on these trips. Nevertheless a small but enthusiastic crowd of 'Churners' showed up at the marsh and spirits, despite the weather, seemed good.

One of our group who drove into town from the north said he had seen a lone Surf Scoter at Mile 101 marsh. We all agreed that we would go to that spot to get such a noteworthy bird right after we got the birds on the marsh.

It was then that a brilliant strategy was concocted. (It didn't seem brilliant at first). If we were going that way for the Scoter why couldn't we do the Churn Creek trip in reverse? We would go to Williams Lake, then turn onto the Dog Creek road and arrive at Churn Creek, our overnight stop, by evening. Birding along Highway 97 didn't immediately strike me as a great idea.

Before we left the marsh we tramped around the margin getting what species were visible through the rain. The inclement weather had all the Swallow species of the Cariboo lined up on one wire over by the arena. We stood in the shelter of the side porch of that structure and got the Barn Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Bank, Cliff and Rough-winged Swallow all at a glance. Swallowing isn't that easy on warm days.

A walk through Centennial Park netted us the Common Merganser, Hammond's and Willow Flycatcher, and the Olive-sided Flycatcher and assorted smaller varieties like the Black-capped Chickadee, Lincoln Sparrow and Golden and Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Hummingbirds. Two birds I hoped to get, the American Dipper and the Winter Wren, were no shows.

The first stop going north was the Mile 101 marsh but the Surf Scoter was not there. Eared Grebes, Redhead Ducks and Black terns were added though. After that stop we wended our way up the highway stopping at ponds and places where likely sightings might present themselves.

I thought it would seem dangerous stopping to get sighting along a busy highway but the spray from passing rigs and cars seemed somewhat exhilerating. Hearing birds was challenging with all the vehicular noise. Just past Lac la Hache we strained to hear the first Clay-coloured Sparrow. We heard many Clay-coloureds that day.

Numbers kept climbing with each stop. Osprey and Bald Eagle were identified without difficulty while moving.

We turned off the 97 onto the Mission Road for a more leisurely and quiet bit of birding. A creek with remnants of cottonwood harboured a few more species. A Swainsons Hawk, one of three we would see on the trip flew close to us along the big rock outcroppings.

We completed the circuit to Highway 97 and were soon in Williams Lake. This is where the genius of coming north became evident. It was still raining but the temperature had risen as we descended to the town and when we hit Scout Island the bird sounds heard rose dramatically as well. The Island was throbbing with sound. We added the Herring and Ring-billed gulls in the parking lot. A male Bullock's Oriole glowed from the lake willows. A shy Catbird sent up a series of mimicked birdcalls. We set off along the series of trails with great anticipation and were not disappointed.

We crossed a small bridge on the trail and were listening to the Northern Waterthrush and Veery sing when I heard a finch call coming from a willow shrub in front of us. A warm wind caused the limbs to sway and I pointed the sound out to a fellow birder.

"It sounds like a finch right here but all I see is a Chickadee." I said.

"That's no Chickadee!" he replied. "That's a Blackpoll Warbler." It was! And a lifer for me! In the white throat area the distinct 'reins' of black could be seen from the gape of the mouth back to the shoulders. The Blackpoll Warbler began moving about feeding methodically in front of us not twenty feet away. Its deliberate movements reminded me more of a Vireo than the usual frenetic pace of some other warbler species.

"I see your finch too," said the fellow birder. "There are a pair of Goldfinches on the other side of this bush".

We added other great birds at this site. A Wood Duck male flew up. A Redstart male sang. Catbirds seemed to be in every bush.

We all agreed that coming through Williams Lake should always be a contingency plan on future cold weather bird outings.

When we felt we had wrung all the species from this incredible spot we left town and turned onto Dog Creek Road. By the time we got to Springhouse the rise in elevation was cooling the air again. We needed a Canvasback and a Horned Grebe but failed to see any on the many small lakes that sit near the road.

Before we reached Alkali Lake the sound of a loud Warbler song brought the caravan to a halt. Soon the bird sat in the open. It was a male Townsend's Warbler. A MacGillivray's also sang and gave us a great view of its distinct markings.

We reached Alkali Lake and found it almost bereft of birds. A lone Wilson's Phalarope crouched in a flooded field. We scanned the lake for Pelicans to no avail. As we stood beside the lakeshore enjoying the first rays of sunshine we were surprised by the sudden appearance of a Swan a-swimming. It must have been right up against the reed bed because it materialized very close to where we were. It had a sooty head and neck and appeared to be a Tundra. Swan sightings this late in spring in this area are rare.

We continued on the Dog Creek road adding the Lewis's Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Lazuli Bunting, and Savannah and Vesper Sparrows. By evening we were near Dog Creek. We stopped to scan the high basaltic cliffs for Swifts but found none. Instead a constant chatter from the cliff face turned out to be Falcons, probably Peregrines. A pair pursued a passing Red-tailed Hawk high along the cliff top, most likely to keep it away from their nest.

I was glad to hear the resident Red-eyed Vireo singing in its usual location just down from the old waterwheel in Dog Creek. For the past few years it has been absent or silent when I passed. The Black-billed Magpie was seen as we crossed the Fraser to the Chilcotin side. A Say's Phoebe was nesting on the bridge over Churn Creek.

We reached the Churn Creek campsite at seven o'clock and set up camp. Western Kingbirds and Bullock's Orioles kept up a constant chatter around us. Lewis's Woodpeckers, which usually nest at this location, were absent this year. A Nighthawk called in the rainy night.

The next morning many us reported having been awakened early by a constant, repetitive, birdcall. Those who were familiar with the Whip-poor-will call said that the sound was similar. One of our group who was outside their tent late said they saw a bird they couldn't identify flying low over the ground. It could have been a Nighthawk but it could also have been the Common Poorwill which can be found in this area.

The sky cleared by early morning and the sun shone brilliantly. We all drove up to Gang Ranch to look for the Long-billed Curlew. On the top of a treeless promontory the Curlew sat for all to see. Another called and flew about, trying to get a Swainson's Hawk to leave the area.

At the Ranch itself two male Ring-necked Pheasants, resplendent in their colourful plumage, surprised us. These birds had obviously spent the entire winter outdoors and their tails were in fine shape.

On the way back down to the Fraser we stopped near a waterfall where we had, on previous trips, seen a Pacific Slope Flycatcher. Before we reached the spot on foot we could hear the distinct rising call note of the bird. It's amazing how birds gravitate to a specific habitat or locale year after year.

In a spot on the East side of the Fraser I call Poison Ivy Gulch, we spent time looking for the Spotted Towhee, which we sighted, and other birds that usually can be found there. A few saw a Nashville Warbler but I didn't get that bird until back at Dog Creek. I did see the Cassin's Finch though and the Ruffed Grouse.

As we were leaving Dog Creek we got a good look at a soaring Golden Eagle. This was the second time I had ever seen this bird. In flight it is so distinct from the Bald Eagle.

Again as we rose up from the Fraser to the plateau the air temperature dropped noticeably. This day was sunny though so was pleasant enough. The rest of the trip, once up on the plateau was a standard day in the South Cariboo at such an elevation with sightings of Townsend's Solitaire, Solitary Sandpiper, Swainson's Thrush and more waterfowl.

The birds species that were really up in numbers this year were the Western Kingbird and the Western Wood Pewee. Lazuli Buntings seemed to be prominent as well. All the participants on this year's Churn Creek trip agreed that this year was the best for birds yet, with many surprising and varied sightings and the most species counted, 134 in all.

Here is the complete list of birds sighted in the two-day trip:

Common Loon	Pied-billed Grebe	Horned Grebe	Red-necked Grebe
Eared Grebe	Sandhill Crane	Canada Goose	Tundra Swan
Wood Duck	American Wigeon	Mallard	Blue-winged Teal
Cinnamon Teal	Northern Shoveler	Northern Pintail	Gadwall
Green-winged Teal	Redhead	Ring-necked Duck	Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter	Bufflehead	Barrow’s Goldeneye	Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser	Ruddy Duck	Osprey	Northern Harrier
Swainson’s Hawk	Red-tailed Hawk	Golden Eagle	Bald Eagle
American Kestrel	Peregrine Falcon	Ring-necked Pheasant	Ruffed Grouse
Sora Rail	American Coot	Killdeer	Solitary Sandpiper
Spotted Sandpiper	Calidridine Sandpipers (sp)	Long-billed Curlew	Common Snipe
Wilson’s Phalarope	Ring-billed Gull	Herring Gull	Black Tern
Rock Dove	Mourning Dove	Common Nighthawk	Calliope Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird	Belted Kingfisher	Lewis’s Woodpecker	Red-naped Sapsucker
Hairy Woodpecker	Downy Woodpecker	Northern Flicker	Pileated Woodpecker
Olive-sided Flycatcher	Western Wood Pewee	Willow Flycatcher	Least Flycatcher
Hammond’s Flycatcher	Dusky Flycatcher	Pacificslope flycatcher	Say’s Phoebe
Western Kingbird	Eastern Kingbird	Cassin’s Vireo	Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo	Gray Jay	Black-billed Magpie	American Crow
Common Raven	Tree Swallow	Violet-green Swallow	N. Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow	Cliff Swallow	Barn Swallow	Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Marsh Wren	Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Mountain Bluebird	Townsend’s Solitaire	Veery
Swainson’s Thrush	Hermit Thrush	American Robin	Varied Thrush
Gray Catbird	Cedar Waxwing	E. Starling	Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Magnolia Warbler	Yellow Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler	Blackpoll Warbler	American Redstart	Northern Waterthrush
MacGillivray’s Warbler	Common Yellowthroat	Wilson’s Warbler	Western Tanager
Spotted Towhee	Chipping Sparrow	Clay-coloured Sparrow	Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow	Song Sparrow	Lincoln’s Sparrow	Dark-eyed Junco
Lazuli Bunting	Red-winged Blackbird	Yellow-headed Blackbird	Western Meadowlark
Brewer’s Blackbird	Brown-headed Cowbird	Bullock’s Oriole	Purple Finch
Cassin’s Finch	House Finch	Pine Siskin	American Goldfinch
Evening Grosbeak	House Sparrow