One of the nicest spots for birdwatching this time of the year on Gabriola Island has to be the Lock Bay Salt Marsh adjacent to Sandwell Provincial Park. This brackish tidal marsh is home to a number of bird species of waterfowl, wading birds, and songbirds, and vultures and bald eagles are often seen soaring overhead. There are also a few resident river otters and beavers, should you be lucky enough to spot them.
I believe most of the marsh is private property, but there is a well-used public pathway that leads past the marsh just above the beach at Lock Bay. Please use respect when visiting the park or the marsh.
Here are a few photos of birds I managed to capture on my last visit to the marsh - you can click on any of the images to see a larger version.
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Lock Bay Salt Marsh, Gabriola Island |
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| Great Blue Heron, Lock Bay Salt Marsh |
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Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius) |
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Red-Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
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Red-Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
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Canada Geese (Branta canadensis) |
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Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) |
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Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)
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| Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
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All images were captured using a hand-held Fujifilm X-H2S digital camera and XF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 R LM OIS WR zoom lens. All images are Copyright © Cliff LeSergent.
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