| BOUNDARY BAY |
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| The Ecological Importance of Boundary Bay and the Fraser Delta Boundary Bay is a shallow marine bay that lies just south of Vancouver, British Columbia and straddles the BC - Washington State border. It is part of the Fraser River estuary, although its habitat is more marine than other parts of the estuary, as it is separated from the mouth of the river by the Tsawwassen - Point Roberts peninsula. The bay is a renowned wildlife habitat, being one of the few lowland marshy areas on the mountainous BC coast. It is particularly known for its bird life, but the waters of the bay and the adjacent Georgia Strait are rich in marine life that includes grey whales, endangered southern resident killer whales, humpback whales, porpoises, seals and sea lions, in season. Fraser salmon gather in the Fraser River estuary on their way up the river to spawn. Boundary Bay and the Fraser Estuary lie on the Pacific Flyway migration corridor between the Arctic and Central and South America. It is visited by millions of birds every spring and fall, and hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese winter in the area. Up to 50 species of shorebird have been recorded here, and some species such as the western sandpiper, least sandpiper, black-bellied plover and dunlin, occur in high numbers during migration. Plovers and dunlin can also be found here in winter. Boundary Bay is also the most important location in Canada for numbers and diversity of wintering birds of prey (raptors) and is a magnet for birders in search of owls. In some winters it is possible to see snowy owl, great horned owl, barred owl, short-eared owl, barn owl and northern sawhet owl on a single day. The Annex site on this website has checklists for the key birding locations around Boundary Bay, as well as plant and tree lists available for download. Boundary Bay is one of three key component sites of the Fraser River Estuary Important Bird Area. Together with Roberts Bank and Sturgeon Bank, it ranks highest among the nearly 600 Important Bird Area sites in Canada for the diversity and number of species reaching global thresholds. It is considered to be among the top 20 wetland sites in North America. The Important Bird Area program is an international, cooperative initiative organized by BirdLife International partners around the globe. In Canada, the program is coordinated by Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada. In British Columbia, the lead partners are BC Nature (the Federation of BC Naturalists) and Bird Studies Canada, BC office. Boundary Bay, including Roberts Bank and Sturgeon Bank, is a Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network Site. The WHSRN program is an international, cooperative initiative to protect shorebirds and their habitat along the migratory flyways. The Fraser River estuary wetlands are also a Ramsar Site (Wetland of International Importance). To find out more about wildlife in and around Boundary Bay, read A Nature Guide to Boundary Bay. More information on stewardship programs and outings can be found on the Birds on the Bay site and on the list of links to local clubs, agencies and groups. |
| Download Birds on the Bay brochures: Boundary Bay ~ A special place (English language version) Boundary Bay ~ en endroit special (French language version) Eelgrass brochure (outside) Eelgrass brochure (inside) |
A Long-eared Owl roosting near Boundary Bay
in 2012 (click on picture to see the
well-camouflaged owl).
The habitats of the Fraser delta are excellent
for owls of all kinds. As many as seven
species have been observed in one day -
Snowy (invasion years only), Short-eared,
Barn, Barred, Northern Saw-whet, Long-eared
Owl (rare), and Northern Hawk-Owl (very rare).
Photographers: please, please, please, do
not go close to owls. They need to roost and
hunt undisturbed if they are going to survive.
Take your photo from a good long distance
away. Do not spend too long in the vicinity of
the owl. If you discover a roosting owl, please
do not post the location on the internet.
in 2012 (click on picture to see the
well-camouflaged owl).
The habitats of the Fraser delta are excellent
for owls of all kinds. As many as seven
species have been observed in one day -
Snowy (invasion years only), Short-eared,
Barn, Barred, Northern Saw-whet, Long-eared
Owl (rare), and Northern Hawk-Owl (very rare).
Photographers: please, please, please, do
not go close to owls. They need to roost and
hunt undisturbed if they are going to survive.
Take your photo from a good long distance
away. Do not spend too long in the vicinity of
the owl. If you discover a roosting owl, please
do not post the location on the internet.
| A historic document Ours to Preserve Boundary Bay Conservation Committee This report by the Boundary Bay Conservation Committee, (Ed. Anne Murray and Mary Taitt) was published in 1992, and endorsed by 22 community organizations and agencies, including municipalities. It provided a rationale for many conservation actions in the Fraser delta since then. Although the proposed biosphere reserve was never implemented, many of the recommendations were achieved, in whole or in part including Ramsar and Western Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve designation, Wildlife Management Area designations, protection of Burns Bog as an Ecological Reserve, formation of a farmland committee and promotion of ecologically sustainable farming techniques and stewardship (Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust), examination of transborder issues, linear parks as habitat corridors, etc. Please excuse the poor quality of the scanned report. A few hard copies may be still available, contact me for details. |