Reifel

Joe Meche is president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and also serves the chapter as newsletter editor and birding programs coordinator. He has been watching birds for more than 50 years and photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years. He has written more than 100 articles for Whatcom Watch.

As surprising as it might seem, quite a few of the local birdwatchers are unaware that one of the best places to watch birds in the Northwest is a mere 46 miles from downtown Bellingham. Getting to this mysterious place involves driving into British Columbia and dealing with the usual grind of border crossings and negotiating often-busy highways. If you’re an early starter, the northbound crossing is always quick. The southbound, on the other hand, is always slower but provides an ideal time to reflect on all the birds you saw at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, known to most of its ardent supporters simply as Reifel.

Reifel isn’t just a good place to watch birds; it is a world-class bird refuge. This safe haven for birds is located on Westham Island, which lies between the North and South Arms of one of western Canada’s major waterways, the Fraser River. Its location in the Fraser estuary makes it an ideal foraging and resting place for numerous species of waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors. It is a refuge for all seasons and the abundant bird life attracts all levels of bird watchers from near and far, especially in winter and spring.

The concept of sanctuary is not lost on the birds that spend time at Reifel. In their avian way of thinking, there is no threat to them there, even though the sounds of shotguns can be heard in the distance during the fall hunting season. As you walk the network of trails around the refuge, you’re constantly presented with up-close and personal views of a variety of bird species. Even the common mallards display a certain level of shyness, but they’re eager to see if you might have picked up a bag of bird seed at the gate — 25-cent donation for one bag.

More than 280 species of birds have been observed at Reifel and several species that are difficult to find in other places are often readily viewable at the refuge. There is usually a small contingent of the shy and secretive black-crowned night herons just past the gate house, and long-eared and saw-whet owls have been consistent attractions over the years. Occasionally, a rare bird will find its way to this haven and draw crowds from as far away as Seattle. Such was the case a few years ago when a boreal owl spent several months enjoying the quiet of the sanctuary.

The refuge and the surrounding agricultural fields of Westham Island annually play host to trumpeter and tundra swans and, more notably, thousands of migratory lesser snow geese from Wrangell Island in the Russian Arctic. The refuge annually celebrates their return in late October and November. Depending on the nesting success on their Arctic breeding grounds, the number of snow geese in the area around the refuge can exceed 20,000.

Reifel is open year round from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the gift shop at the gate house has an ample supply of books, maps, field guides and refuge and bird related paraphernalia to bide your time in case of rain delays. If it happens to be a wetter day than usual and you need a break from the rigors of hard core bird watching, a fire is always kept in the woodstove in the adjacent warming hut. The hut is a good place for lunch breaks and even provides drier viewing through the wraparound windows.

The 740 acres of the refuge encompass tidal marshes, cattail wetlands and sloughs that are usually busy with a variety of birds. Waterfowl utilize the ponds and backwaters within the refuge while shorebirds fly into the quiet shallow water fields to rest and forage in the soft mud. The 10-meter observation tower provides a perfect vantage point for viewing all the activity across the tidal marsh and into the Strait of Georgia. The majority of the trails throughout the sanctuary are wheelchair accessible, as are all the blinds for closer viewing.

Over the past several years, one of the big attractions at Reifel has been the growing numbers of sandhill cranes that have taken up residence and are now nesting and raising young on the refuge. Visitors need to exercise caution around the cranes, however, and especially when there are chicks around. You might be walking along minding your own business, when you turn a blind corner and find yourself almost face-to-face with one of these large and formidable birds. At any time of year, be wary of their stiletto-like bills.

Raptor watchers find delights aplenty inside the refuge as well as in the surrounding agricultural fields. For those seeking the always secretive and elusive saw-whet owls, Reifel is often a sure bet for as many as a half dozen of these diminutive birds. Great Horned Owls nest on the grounds and just three quarters of a mile outside the refuge, a rare northern hawk owl entertained fans from the beginning of December into March. Peregrine falcons, merlins and Cooper’s hawks are regular visitors to the sanctuary.

In spring, the sounds and colors of migratory songbirds are a delight to behold. Many nesting passerine species take up residence and raise their young well within view of visitors. Two species of swallows often build their nests on the rafters of the warming hut, allowing for easy viewing and study. Hummingbird feeders in the trees and hanging from the gatehouse and warming hut attract a steady stream of consumers. Marsh wrens and common yellowthroats sing in the cattails while American bitterns and Virginia rails prowl through the marshes.

If you wish to enjoy a wonderful day of bird watching, not too far from home, pack a lunch on a nice spring day and travel north to one of the truly magnificent places to watch birds in the Northwest. Your entry fee will benefit the birds and the wonderful organization that manages the refuge, the British Columbia Waterfowl Society. This non-profit conservation organization has focused on stewardship and management of the sanctuary for over forty years. The society manages public use of Reifel and finances all activities with memberships, entrance fees, and merchandise sales, as well as charitable donations and bequests.

My plan for this year is to spend at least one day each month at Reifel. As the seasons change, so do the birds; and as springtime approaches, there will certainly be new birds added to the respective flocks. If you plan to go and would like to know what’s being seen at the refuge, go to www.reifelbirdsanctuary.com for the latest update. Who knows, you might be walking along minding your own business, when you turn a blind corner and find yourself almost face-to-face with….me! §