Home Garden Birds Lagoon Birds Wildlife
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 juvenile birds have been observed.
Entries in blue are links to photographs of the bird..
Order is after Donald and Lillian Stokes Field Guide to Birds 1996
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Pied-billed
Grebe Horned
Grebe Red-necked
Grebe Western
Grebe Green
Heron Canada
Goose Wood
Duck Green-winged Teal Mallard Northern
Pintail Blue-winged Teal Northern
Shoveler Gadwall Eurasian
Wigeon American
Wigeon Canvasback Redhead Ring-necked
Duck Lesser
Scaup White-winged Scoter Common
Goldeneye Barrow's
Goldeneye |
Hooded
Merganser Common
Merganser Osprey Bald
Eagle Northern
Goshawk Peregrine
Falcon American
Coot Killdeer Spotted
Sandpiper Least
Sandpiper Bonaparte's
Gull Mew
Gull Ring-billed
Gull Herring
Gull Glaucous-winged
Gull Barn
Owl Barred
Owl Vaux's
Swift Rufous
Hummingbird Belted
Kingfisher Northwestern
Crow Common
Raven Tree
Swallow Violet-green
Swallow |
Northern
Rough-winged Swallow Cliff
Swallow Barn
Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Chestnut-backed
Chickadee Bushtit Red-breasted
Nuthatch Brown
Creeper Bewick's
Wren Winter
Wren Golden-crowned
Kinglet Ruby-crowned
Kinglet Swainson's
Thrush American
Robin Varied
Thrush Gray
Catbird Bohemian
Waxwing Cedar
Waxwing European
Starling Golden-crowned Sparrow White-crowned
Sparrow Red-winged
Blackbird Brewer's
Blackbird Brown-headed
Cowbird House
Finch |
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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
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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. Wilson's Snipes continued to be spotted during the winter months as 2009 is about to begin. |
Top photos Janne Perrin
Flock of Bufflehead on Harrison Lake Surf Scoters
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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. All these birds make a yearly appearance at this south end of Harrison Lake. On October 20, 2008, a small flock of Surf Scoters and the first large flocks of Bufflehead and Lesser Scaup were photographed with the Panasonic Lumix Digital camera I have used since Xmas 2006. |
Photo Janne PerrinAmerican Dipper
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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. |
American Pipit photo Janne Perrin
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A "classy" American Pipit foraged on the lawn of the Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa on September 12, 2008. |
Horned Larks photo Janne Perrin
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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. In 2008, on September 22, a flock of 5 Horned Larks fed on crab grass seeds on the northwest side of the lagoon. Eight Arctic race Horned Larks, one pictured above, turned up April 23, 2009 to feed amongst the coarse grasses. HOLA are seen every year in spring and fall. |
Mandarin Ducks photo Janne Perrin
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On Saturday, April 19, 2008 during a late afternoon walk my friend spotted these three handsome male Mandarins hanging out with the Wood Ducks on the Miami River behind the Old Settler Pub. They stayed around for about a week and then disappeared. |
Western Sandpiper (right) with Killdeer
photo
Janne Perrin
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On September 22, 2008 this little Western Sandpiper (right) was on the north shore of the lagoon with a Killdeer. |
photos Janne Perrin
Great Blue Heron Vesper Sparrow Savannah Sparrow
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Migration was in full swing September 25, 2008 with both a Vesper and a Savannah Sparrow busy feeding on the outer edge of the lagoon. On the edge of the lagoon a juvenile Great Blue Heron was fishing for sticklebacks that inhabit the water. |
Common Loon Female Greater Scaup
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A Common Loon and a female Greater Scaup, which is an unusual bird for the area with Lesser Scaup wintering in the 100's, turn up frequently. The Pacific Loon was seen on |
Top photo Janne Perrin
Meadow Lark
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Late in the afternoon on October 25, 2008, a Western Meadow Lark foraged on the lawn opposite the Muddy Waters Cafe. |
photos: Janne PerrinGreater White-fronted Goose Snow Goose
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On October 6, 2008 this lone Greater White-fronted Goose turned up with the Canada Geese at the lagoon. This is the first time I have seen one in Harrison. A lone Snow Goose appeared for the first time in Harrison to my knowledge on Sunday, November 23, 2008. It stayed with the Canada Geese in the lagoon but was gone on Monday |
photo Janne Perrin
Mountain Bluebird
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This colourful Mountain Bluebird rested on the northwest edge of the lagoon dyke on April 13, 2008 |
photos: Janne Perrin
Lesser Yellowlegs Greater Yellowlegs
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A resting Lesser Yellowlegs (I think but maybe just a Greater) on the rocks on Harrison Lake's south shore dyke of the lagoon on September 6th, 2009 / Greater Yellowlegs wading in boat launch mini-bay September 5, 2010. |
photo Janne Perrin
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Lonely Dunlin November 22, 2008 on outer edge of lagoon |
photo Janne Perrin
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Lapland Longspur November 11 2009 on outer edge of lagoon |
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Juvenile sanderling on float plane beach September 7, 2010 |
Baird's Sandpiper
on float plane beach September 7, 2010 / A Pacific Loon hung
out for a couple of weeks in mid October 2010 / American Tree
Sparrow in shrub on lagoon dyke, November 24, 2010
Snow Buntings are seen spring and fall around the outer edge of the lagoon. This one photographed March 22, 2010 / Gray-crowned Rosy-finch boat launch parking lot, January 9, 2011