As the BC Bird Trail expands throughout the province, we wanted to shine a light on the people on the ground in these communities. Learn more about the bird-watching experiences in these destinations through the eyes of the experienced locals with our BC Birders profile series.
Dave Leman is an active member of the Prince George Naturalists Club, who has had a lifelong passion for wildlife conservation and nature stewardship. He can’t decide whether his favorite bird is the Southern Ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri) or the Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum), but early on these converted him into a lover of BC birds.
Dave credits watching Jane Goodall on TV as a boy for his early interest in the great outdoors and wildlife conservation. He was drawn to Africa and wanted to experience the “charismatic megafauna, such as giraffes, buffalo and lions.” In 1982, he participated in a University of Calgary ecological study tour and spent three months in Tanzania and Kenya.
During his second trip to Africa in 1995, Dave spent a few months in East Africa with his wife. This time, he was astonished by the sheer diversity and abundance of bird species, although he still focused on the mammals. In 1998, Dave came across an invitation to participate in a wetland bird count in Tanzania—he, along with his wife and a friend, headed back. But this time, they were “looking for birds – water birds. It was a great opportunity to participate in citizen science”. British Columbia and Tanzania are almost identical in size, with the former having approximately 600 bird species and the latter nearly double at around 1160. The avian biodiversity overwhelmed Dave. It compelled him to “take a closer look at birding here (BC).”
“Be patient. Let the bird show you itself and something worth photographing. A lot of good moments are missed because you don’t take quite enough time to wait for something special to happen.”
Dave Leman
To start birding, Dave recommends the best quality binoculars you can afford (8 or 10 power magnification) and a good bird guide, like Sibley Guides, All About Birds, or the Merlin App. He encourages people new to birding to seek out birding stores where they exist, “a great resource.” At the Prince George Public Library, users can sign out birding backpacks with everything they need, and the Prince George Naturalists Club offers walks throughout the year. Dave considers himself an “enthusiastic amateur, or fledgling, surrounded by great mentors.” Living in Prince George, you don’t see mammals every day, but there are always birds. “They always give us a way to connect with wildlife pretty much everywhere on the planet,” he affirms.
May to August is typically the best time of year to see the most species around Prince George. A few places to explore include Cottonwood Island Nature Park, which has woodpeckers, ducks, geese, great blue herons and kingfishers, and a stand of old-growth cottonwood trees, along with willows and alders. Also, the Hudson Bay Wetland Nature Park and Forests for the World are excellent spots. You can find all these birding hot spots and more on the Prince George Bird Trail.
One of Dave’s favourite birds is the long-billed Curlew, with its haunting call. It winters in California and Oregon. This blue-listed (threatened) bird has been coming further north in BC to breed more frequently. “Although it’s a water bird, it doesn’t need to be near water when breeding and it nests in rangeland and agricultural fields.” The pileated woodpecker is another favourite. “It’s probably the inspiration for Woody—big, colourful and quite tolerant of humans.”
“I’m always stopping to take photos,” Dave shares. He doesn’t believe you need a “two-foot lens” to capture a great photograph—his iPhone does a good job. Unlike photographers who blur the background to showcase a bird and follow the “focus on the (bird’s) eye,” Dave prefers to show the bird interacting in its environment. ‘This observation can inspire stewardship and greater awareness of nature.”
Constantly in awe of nature, Dave stresses, “It doesn’t matter where your interest comes from, or at what level you do your ‘birding’… you don’t have to know much to be inspired, delighted or intrigued while bathing in the beauty and majesty of the natural world.” If you want to learn more about birding in Prince George, check out this blog on PG Birds by Dave Leman.
