Bird watching: LPP Birds of Canada

Self-tutoring about birds: the tutor mentions a new-found resource.

Amidst the bustle of summer, a copy of Lone Pine’s Birds of Canada appeared on a shelf here. I’ve noticed it a couple of times but haven’t had time to examine it until today.

I loved Lone Pine’s Plants of Coastal British Columbia, so I expected to like Birds of Canada, which I do. In five minutes it’s already taught me something: trumpeter swans winter here.

On Vancouver Island, seeing geese and swans in cultivated fields is common, especially in winter. However, I’d heard the trumpeter swan is rare and sticks to a very limited range both in winter and summer. Perhaps less so today: around 10,000 are said to winter in southwest BC. Doubtless I’ve seen some from the car, too far away to realize their true size.

Source:

Hoar, De Smet, et al. Birds of Canada. Edmonton: Lone Pine Publishing, 2010