Early Bird Tour:

An easy morning walk through prime bird habitat in Pacific Rim National Park and waterfowl and shorebird reserves of international significance. This walk offers our best survey of local west coast bird species. We cover a variety of habitats, and see shorebirds, seabirds, and forest birds. The extensive protected areas here give us many choices of bird watching spots, and we change our locations keeping in touch with seasonal bird migration. Tofino is a strip of land with long sandy beaches on the open Pacific Ocean to the west, and a large sheltered eel-grass mudflat to the east. The forests are composed of magnificent Sitka Spruce, ancient Red Cedars and picturesque twisted pines on the windy points. Pacific storms produce many rare birds. Tours can be designed to get you the species you want to see. We take our clients to the best spots at the best times for the best birding in our area.

Shorebird Walk:

This tour is designed to take advantage of the great diversity and numbers of shorebirds in our area. If you are learning about shorebirds or want to add a few unusual species to your list, this is the tour for you. In the spring whirling flocks of thousands of Western Sandpipers, mixed with Least Sandpipers and Dunlin. The brilliant Red Knot in breeding plumage mingles with Black-bellied Plovers and Semipalmated Plovers. The lonely calls of the Whimbrel, the churr of hundreds of Dowitchers, and the worried dear dear dear of the Yellowlegs make for a symphony of shorebird sound. In August we scan the Pacific beaches for specialties such as Baird's Sandpiper. Fall and winter bring the excited chatter of the flocks of Black Turnstones hopping around the rocks with Surfbirds and Rock Sandpipers. Wandering Tattler is also another rock loving local sandpiper sometimes seen on our trip. Our stunning Black Oystercatchers with their bright red bills have been seen to chase eagles out of their territories! From huge intertidal mudflats to long sand beaches to surf pounded rocky islands, you’ll see lots of good shorebirds on this trip.

Paddle with Eagles:

Cruising in our 22-foot Voyageur canoe, we slip up quietly to eagles perched in the dead forked tops of huge old cedars. The ancient forest provides sturdy trees for the huge eagle nests. A high concentration of Bald Eagles gives us great opportunities to watch eagle behavior up close. We explore quiet bays where herons fish among small flocks of teal and Wood Ducks. The low sound of the Pied-billed Grebe and the loud knocking of a nearby Pileated Woodpecker break the morning silence. Sharp-shinned Hawks fly low over the brushy shoreline for songbirds and Goshawks hunt Band-tailed Pigeons and grouse in the deep forest. During migration, Merlins pursue sandpipers over the marshes and Peregrines hunt ducks and sandpipers. One morning we watched a Peregrine catch a Snipe in the marsh grass. An instant later, out of nowhere, an eagle swooped down and ripped the Snipe from the falcon’s talons.

River otters and seals pop up above the surface and watch our canoe go by, and nervous mink scamper around the rocks and logs. Evening canoe tours may encounter the beaver swimming outside the large pile of sticks marking their lodge. During salmon migration, black bears wade out in the shallow water or climb up onto shoreline logs and rocks while they search for fish.

Our small 4 hp, 4-stroke motor enables us to travel distances without paddling; we then turn off the motor and paddle while viewing birds or wildlife. This is a full day tour with lunch on a small island and an opportunity to swim before heading back upstream. A unique tour offering a river journey into solitude.

Seabird Voyage:

A two hour trip to Cleland Island ecological reserve. We do not land on Cleland as it is an ecological reserve. We can easily spot our birds either sitting on the rocks or feeding in mixed species flocks off of the island. Your guide will take you to the best spots for seabirds and we often see Wandering Tattler and Surfbird on this tour. Come see the Spectacular Tufted Puffin, Marbled Murrelets, Rhinoceros Auklet, and Black Oystercatchers. During migration long lines of loons and scoters fill the horizon and Harlequin Ducks play in the rocky shorelines. Black-legged Kittiwake in spring and Hermann’s Gull in late summer make this a good west coast gull tour. Tofino’s only boat tour specializing in birdwatching.

Read our bird list to hear details of recent exciting sightings!

Pelagic Birding

A full day of birdwatching offshore. Albatross, shearwaters, storm petrels, auklets, murres, jaegers, and fulmars can be found and will be identified by your guide. Schedule subject to weather. You never know what you will see next when birding as far west as possible in Canada where the continental shelf meets the deep water of the Pacific Ocean. Pelagic trips from Tofino have recorded the following species: Laysan and Black-footed Albatross, Northern Fulmar, Mottled Petrel, Pink-footed, Flesh-footed, Bullers, Sooty. Short-tailed and Black-vented Shearwaters, Fork-tailed and Leach's Storm Petrels, Brown Pelican, South Polar Skua, Pomarine, Parastic and Long-tailed Jaegers, Slaty-backed Gull, Sabines Gull, Arctic Tern, Common and Thick-billed Murres, Pigeon Guillemot,Marbled Murrelet, Ancient, Xantus', Cassins', Parakeet and Rhinoceros Auklets, Atlantic, Tufted and Horned Puffins. Marvel at the soaring grace of an albatross or a whirling flock of Phalaropes at sea.

Mountain Birding

As the first rays of the sunrise filter through the old growth forest our birding has already begun. The deep hooting of the Blue Grouse booms out from the shadows, with the ethereal ringing of Varied Thrush and the buzzing of Black-throated Gray Warblers singing from high above. The striking Western Tanagers with their yellow bodies and bright red heads flit closer to investigate us. A full day tour at high elevation in the old growth Douglas Fir forest gives us many bird species not breeding on the outer coast. The Red-naped Sapsuckers performs mid air acrobatics, snatching insects around the hundreds of holes drilled in the bark of giant hemlock trees. Flocks of Vaux’s Swifts whiz by above the rock cliffs and alpine swamps resound with the cheery MacGillivary’s Warbler and the calls of the Hammond’s and Willow Flycatchers. At night if we are lucky we may hear or see the endangered Vancouver Island Screech Owl. This is birding in the mountain home of the cougar and the Vancouver Island elk, a birding tour in nature unchanged.

Peru Tour

Click here to learn about our new Peru Trip! We also have a slide show of this recent trip.

Argentina Tour

You will be dancing the birder’s tango after you tour Argentina, the eighth largest country in the world. Join us at Just Birding in Argentina and you will see why a bird watching trip set up for birders, by birders, is such a great experience. Click here for more information.

Equador Adventure

Ecuador offers nearly 1600 bird species in an amazing variety of habitats. This small country boasts approximately 114 species of hummingbirds alone!
Click here for more information.

Your Guide:

Just Birding is owned and operated by George Bradd. He has an extensive background in bird research and conservation, bird guiding and outdoor recreation and education. George taught environmental science at the North Vancouver Outdoor School and worked for Parks Canada in various positions. Many of his winters have been spent birding in other countries and he has led bird groups in California, Mexico, Costa Rica, Fiji, and Western Australia. He has a strong paddling background and worked as a whitewater raft guide in Canada, New Zealand, and Costa Rica.

George's love of the birds and people of Latin and South America started with his first birding in Mexico in the sixties. His birding has since taken him far from the normal gringo trail. During his travels he has discovered many great birding spots that are included in our southern tours.

Join us for quality experienced guiding in small groups. Enjoying superb west coast Canadian birding or adventure birding in South America.
 

The following is a list of things to bring
on our bird tours with Just Birding:

• Waterbottle or Gatorade or other sports drinks
• Baseball hat or hat with sun visor or brim
• Sunglasses with neck strap
• Binoculars or cameras
• Personal Medication
• Rainjacket and rain pants
• Rainhat, Wool hat or touque
• Pile or fleece jacket
• Pile pants
• Hiking boots or Rubber boots
• Polypropolene underwear
• Wool socks
• Mosquito Repellent
   

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Just Birding: 1 250 725-2520. P. O. Box 990, Tofino, BC. V0R 2Z0 Canada