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Birding
Around the Lagoon
The man-made
lagoon in Harrison Hot Springs B.C. attracts a variety of diving and
dabbling ducks during the fall and winter. The geese are considered
a nuisance by the tourists and hang out all year. Most other
waterfowl leave by mid spring except for one Lesser Scaup that spent
the summer in 2001. The bottom of the lagoon is filled with weeds.
When it was partially drained in the fall of 1999 for "cleaning,
sculpturing and water flow" work, the ducks had a heyday with the trapped
fish.
Some birds
on this list frequent the inshore area of Harrison Lake and the lower
reaches of the Miami River where it flows through the Harrison Resort
Property.
Listed below
are birds seen or heard around the lagoon and lake in downtown Harrison at
various seasons of the year:
Entries in purple
indicate young birds have been observed.
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Common
Loon
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Yellow-billed
Loon
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Pied-billed
Grebe
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Horned
Grebe
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Western
Grebe
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Great Blue
Heron
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Canada
Goose
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Mallard
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Northern
Pintail
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Northern
Shoveler
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Gadwall
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Eurasian
Wigeon
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American
Wigeon
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Canvasback
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Redhead
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Ring-neck
Duck
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Greater
Scaup
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Lesser
Scaup
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Long-tailed Duck
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Surf Scoter
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Common
Goldeneye
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Barrow's
Goldeneye
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Bufflehead
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Hooded
Merganser
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Long-tailed
Duck

Sunday, December 22, 2002
- A single female Long-tailed Duck was observed swimming about 100
metres out in Harrison Lake opposite the lagoon. She spent more time
under the water than on the surface.
Wilson's
Snipe

Sunday, November 24, 2002 -
Two Common Snipes were busy probing the mud on the banks of the Miami
river adjacent to Spring Park. It is surprising how well they camouflage
into the grasses on the river's edge.
On January 8 & 15,
2005, Snipes, now back to the name Wilson's from Common, were again
observed. Again the individuals seen were probing the mud along the
frozen shores of the Miami or that of the small rivulets running down the
mountain into the river behind the Harrison Hot Springs Resort.
Surf
Scoter

| October 20.
2002 - Five female Surf Scoters were observed off shore from the man
made lagoon. They dived in unison every minute or two. A
flock of Lesser Scaup, a single female Canvasback and a few
Bufflehead frequented the same area. |
American
Dipper

| Sunday, January 6.
2002 - An American Dipper was observed in the Miami River at
Hot Springs Road. It bobbed on the rocks and dipped under the
water and soon emerged with an 8cm. long fish. It proceeded to
batter the fish on the nearest rocks unmercifully, often losing grip
of its prey and needing to retrieve it from the water.
After 5 to 7 minutes of this performance, the Dipper abruptly
abandoned the minnow in the shallows and bobbed off to another
vantage point. Here, the bird immediately dove under and
emerged with a 5 cm long fish. It began to repeat the previous
scenario but after two bashes promptly ate the fish, head first and
retired to a favourite rock to preen! |
Horned
Lark

| On a late, afternoon
walk around the lagoon in blustery mid October 2001, my
friend noticed two dumpy little birds running along the shoreline.
We first thought they were shorebirds but the black facial pattern,
the yellow throat, black tail feathers with white trim on the outer
in flight confirmed the identification even in the fading
light. It was a pair of Horned Larks -one adult and the other
duller one, an immature bird.
On September 11, 2004, four Horned
Larks were arguing over weed seeds in the corner of the boat
launch parking lot about 7 p.m. One bird actually
"attacked" another in a flurry of cheeps and feather. Calm
prevailed soon and fight forgotten, all devoured pig weed seeds
hungrily. The following day, Sept. 12, 2004, 45 to 50 Horned Larks,
a mixture of immature and adults, were observed in the same
spot eating eating seeds and
insects. |
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