Recommended Birding Areas
The old-growth forests, marshy areas, streams and lakes of Cypress Provincial Park provide for the needs (food, water and cover) of birds and other wildlife. By visiting these different habitats, you will see a greater variety of birds. Even though birds may be found throughout the park, the following locations include a range of habitats and offer a variety of viewing opportunities.
Hi-view and Quarry Lookouts: These roadside areas provide opportunities to observe Cypress Provincial park's well-known fall hawk migration, especially in Setpember. Sharp-shinned, Cooper's amd Red-tailed Hawks are frequently seen in these locations. Hi-view Lookout also offers good tree-top birding.
Yew Lake Wetlands: This wheelchair accessible area provides a great range of birding opportunities. Commonly observed species include Hooded Merganser, Lesser Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper, Gray Jay and Steller's Jay. American Dipper are often found along the nearby creeks. The wildlife trees (dead and dying trees) around the lake are used by Hairy and Three-toed Woodpeckers. In the summer, Townsend's Warbler, Black Swift and Vaux's Seift may be observed.
Black and Strachan Mountains: The Yew Lake Lookout above Cabin Lake on Black Mountain offers good fall viewing of hawks as they pass through the Cypress Creek valley. The Howe Sound Crest Trail on the lower slope of Strachan Mountain is considered the most considtent site in the Lower Mainland for viewing Three-toed Woodpeckers. Blue Grouse and migrating hawks can also be seen or heard on the regenerating lower slopes of both mountains.
Baden-Powell Trail: This 41.7 km trail, named after Lord Baden-Powell of Boy Scout fame, extends from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Deep Cover in North Vancouver. The park sections are located near the transition between two forest zones, the mountain hemlock zone and the Western hemlock zone. Look for a range of species, including Red-breasted Sapsucker, Hutton's Vireo, Hermit Thrush, Varied Thrush, Barred Owl and Red Crossbill.
. . . other viewing opportunities at Cypress Provincial Park
May 2002 - The taxonomic order, common names and four-letter codes included in this web version of the Cypress Provincial Park Bird Checklist originally printed in 1996 and then updated on-line only in March 2001 have been updated using the 7th edition of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) Check-List of North American Birds (AOU 1998) and its supplement (AOU 2000).