The Peace

The Peace River

I had wanted to head up into north eastern BC soon after the American authorities had closed the door on a summer excursion into the US by virtue of their visa regulations.

The Peace River region in north east BC held some birding Holy Grail – at least for BC and visiting birders;  A considerable number of eastern species extended their breeding range eastward  across almost the entire top of North America until the Rockies trapped them and their forests on the eastern side. 

Gary though had warned me that the season would be all but finished by the time of my arrival as the northern birds start singing and breeding early and then shutup! Mark Phinney, a very helpful local biologist and birder, upon meeting me said calmly, “You should have been here three weeks ago as now the birds will be difficult to find.”

Peace River - eroding down through the surrounding plateau

Their advice and observations  soon were shown to be pretty much spot on. To add to the problems the temperature was some 6 or 7 degrees higher than average and the heat seemed to stop the birds and my activity.

The family, perhaps not surprisingly also put quite major stops on my exploring and birding by myself when it was hot, tiring and difficult soon lost some of its appeal. And the Sloughs were obscenely infested with mozzies. And I didn’t use tapes, cds or ipods!!

So as a bad trade man blames his tools and as a poor sportsman gets his excuses out early so the above paragraphs  mentions many of my excuses for failing to see a lot of new birds.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

So in the several days that we were located in or near the Peace country – Fort St John and Dawson Creek – I saw new birds such as Sora, American Three-toed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Rose-breasted Grosbeak alas only females seen well], Eastern Phoebe, Ovenbird, Black and White Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Canada Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, White-bellied Nuthatch, Blue-headed Vireo, Swamp Sparrow and perhaps some others that memory failure is concealing. Dipped on Nelsons Sparrow [ mozzies too fierce and the birds completely quiet and or invisible], Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, Cape May Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, Pine Warbler etc

Also I experienced something that I will describe as a major bloody tragedy. After a morning’s birding I stopped at a service station on the way back and went in to get a coke and use the atm. I thought I had locked the vehicle – apparently not. My binoculars have not been seen since. I can only hope that  the person who stole them has an incredibly tragic life and experiences much and many hardships due to the curse that I have placed on him. Apparently the insurance will not be covering the loss as the vehicle was not locked but we shall see.

Curved Bridge

I wrote a letter to the local newspaper and have had it published on their website – it reads;

“I will never forget my recent visit to Dawson Creek.

Sadly though it is for all of the wrong reasons.

I'm a birder from Australia and recently I began a trip-of-a-lifetime to B.C. and Alberta to experience your fauna and fantastic parks. Less than a week into this vacation my binoculars [valued at over $2,000] were stolen from my car when I went into a fuel station.

My trip has been practically ruined, as I cannot afford to replace them nor will insurance cover the entire value.

Thanks for the memories Dawson Creek!!”

A wealthy oil baron who is deeply concerned about the reputation damage to the Dawson Creek brand is yet to approach me to make appropriate compensations…………

If you have not yet worked it out I am [still] pissed off about this and was [quietly and not-so-quietly] angry and depressed to the cost of my family around me.

The one slight positive is that I could use Megan’s binoculars which are a hell of a lot better than nothing.

I would love to return to the Peace to do some birding in the season and to see some of the species that I missed and some of the others better. Hopefully it may happen one day.

Day 4 –

Drove from Fort St John via Hudson’s Hope where we picnicked in the town and explored the little museum there and its pioneer homes. Also enjoyed some good views of the Peace River and its valley. Visited a few parks enroute and got some of the first specialties. Our first choice of camping at Fort St John was Beatton however it was full. Typical. WE camped instead at Charlie Lake. Here in the plantation Chickadees, Yellow Warblers and Least Flycatchers dominated. The kids were extremely excited about their first night under canvas and it took too much time to settle them such that sleep was possible.

Cowbird being fed by White throated Sparrow

Day 5
 

Up quite early and dragged the family to Beatton Provincial Park where Megan entertained the kids and took them swimming in the cloudy algae laden waters of Charlie Lake. Saw the first of a few lifers here; bh vireo, Tennessee warbler and ovenbird in a heady 25 seconds. Also saw many sparrows; Clay coloured, Lincolns, White throated one with cowbird young in attendance], Savannahs etc.

The heat drove us to a cleaner swim at the Aquatic centre – the beginning of a theme for our trip. After we went for a too-long-drive to Boundary Lake which sits firmly on the border between BC and Alberta. It’s a nice little area although [again] the time to visit was poor. The sun was high and the heat was legitimite and with Megan and the kids refusing to leave the car pressure of time was real. Black terns were the first obvious species and then my Sora lifer appeared. A few waders and waterfowl , blackbirds and a Grackle completed the glary picture. This is another location for Nelson’s Sparrow.    Another location to revisit!! Drove west back to Fort St John in a vehicle that was stoney and silent.

Day 6 – Saturday July 7

Up at 4-30 am to return to Beatton’s. Re-saw the lifers from the day before. Great views of many Ovenbird. Bay breasted Warbler – a well coloured male - was the clear highlight among the many yellow, yellow-rumped [Myrtle] and American Redstarts. Saw Rose breasted Grosbeaks however the view of the male could only be described as fleeting. All in all a reasonable morning’s tramp through the sodden forest understory before returning to the fam.

By 10 am we departed south for Dawson Creek speeding past too many promising sites. Sped past a dead moose – the first of two we would encounter.

Pow Wowing

Listen to the drumming....

We arrived in Dawson Creek for a burger [today – Dairyqueen!]. And as we looked for public toilets we saw advertised at the local hall a POW WOW. We went in and watched for an hour or so. First Nation people from ‘all-over’ had descended to Dawson Creek for a dance competition. We arrived in time for the grand entrance. An opening chant and drumming from Mountain Cree was amazing and the variety of costume, colour and ages of the performing people was astonishing. Superficially at least the generation gap in the sport of POW WOW is non existent .  The lack of light and the speed of the performers explains, in part, my poor pics. Anyway we felt lucky to be able to see, albeit briefly, some indigenous people displaying aspects of their culture.

The Grand Entrance to the Pow Wow

In the afternoon we visited Swan Lake Provincial Park which was packed as it was Saturday. There was a small swimming area that was green with algae. Undeterred, as were many other people, the kids went in. They only suffered minor rashes!

Boardwalk at McQeen's Slough

Finally a quick visit too McQueens Slough  [pronounce slew], a wetland, where there were a variety of waterfowl  etc. Saw Soras easily, actually squeaked, an aggressive individual out. Again the family’s wishes precluded too lengthy a visit.

McQueen's Slough

The kids have colds, and are miserable in the hot weather. Their conversation, infuriating enough, seems to concentrate on planning parties; birthdays and especially the ‘welcome home to Australia’ variety’. Perhaps not the best advertisement for where we are and what we are doing. Pets, Pokemon and Star Wars seem also to capture my kids’ imaginings rather than the Peace…………      

Day 7 – Sunday

Sunday the day of rest and even for me the religiously lacking. Slept in until 8am!

Mark Phinney, a local birder, biologist and a nice guy into the bargain, arrived at about 9am to show me some biridng sites and a few new birds -   Black and White Warbler, Eastern Phoebe, Swamp Sparrow to name a few. SAw a Black Bear briefly and Mark claimed that they were not worth worrying about...

Got back to camp about 1am and took Megs and the kids into Dawson Creek for subway, a visit to the Art Gallery complete with an interesting photographic display of images form the days of constructing the Alaskan highway [which Dawson Creek is famously 'Mile Zero'].

We then visited Rotary Lake - an outside man made lake which is a large swimming, wading complex. All enjoyed the cool off.

Did some birding at one of the sites near Swan Lake recommended by Mark. Walked for quite a while and saw mostly common species including possibly an armchair bird - the eastern sub spp of Warbling Vireo, a quite easy bird to distinguish. Saw Mourning Warbler near the car as i returned. The Canada warbler and the Black and White remained invisible.............. 

Visited the Heritage Railway bridge near Pouce Coupe, where we had camped. And won a soccer ball in an all too dramatic soccer game with a trash-talking-truck-driving Canadian who spent much of his down time drinking and much of the game on the verge of a heart attack. He was extremely theatrical and shared his enthusiasm for the sport and, sadly his perspiration. Canada versus Australia. The game decided by a penalty shoot out. Thank the makers we triumphed. [I had been on a little local excursion and came home with the game in full swing. Millie yelled out, "You've got to own him Dad!". Clearly she overestimated my soccer abilities.]

Heritage Railway Bridge at Pouce Coupe

Day 8 - Monday

Up at 4-30 for a morning's birding. Tried McQueens Slough first - eaten alive and no squeak from the Nelsons Sparrows. Tried the wind farm but managed to get a little lost so lost too much time as the heat quickly returned.

Wetland near Pouce Coupe

Pissed off I returned home and visited the servo. Locked the car but didn't - the key lock button sometimes sticks - and the bins were lifted.

Got back to the camp site and heard warnings of a 'possible severe thunderstorm that evening so we decied to move to a motel for the night to be on the safe side. Upon arriving at the hotel the bins were discovered missing. 

Spent the day before missing the bins at the Rotary Lake where the kids started using Water Pistols purchased from Walmart. Also visited the adjacent Heritage village which was really quite good.

Day 9 - Monday

Explored every option regarding bins until realised the truth of theft. Retraced every step from the day before and searched everything in our belongings several times over.

Moved south to Swan :Lake Provincial Park as camping spaces were now available after the weekend. Swimming was off as the algae had worsened.
Had a walk near the lake and was rewarded with great views of two beavers who hung around long enough to drag the fam down for views as well.

Day 10

Swimming complex at Grande Cache

Grande Cache Swimming Complex

Still very much pissed off i decided to leave the ironically named Peace enroute to Grand Prairie. Visited a giant Beaver enroute as you do. At Grande Prairie visited a huge swimming complex. Complex is the right word as they have water slides, wave pools, river rapids etc as well as a pool for laps. The kids loved it and the Dinosaur surrounds. Arrived at the little foothill town of Grande Cache where we set up camp for two days.

Now that's a big beaver........

Amateur rodent impersonators

Sulphur River near Grande Cache

By virtue of camping in the local municipal campground for two nights we were rewarded with a family pass to the swimming complex, which again, for the size of the town, was huge.  
 

Grande Cache

At Grande Cache we walked the Sulphur Rim Canyon and saw the confluence of two rivers – namely the Smoky and the Sulphur. The kids swam at Grande Cache Lake while I wallowed in self pity. WE had the family swim at the pool complex and enjoyed the camp site. My first decent view of Snowshoe Hare and lots of great views of Red Squirrel around our camp site.