The growing importance of bird watching is not lost on Whistlers Michael Thompson.
Just as canaries were used to alert miners to the presence of gas, and eagle populations alerted people to the dangers of the pesticide DDT, Whistler birds have a story to tell.
To know that story, you first have to get to know the birds what species live here, and in what numbers? Where do they live? And how do they fit into our ecology, whether theyre visitors to the valley on their seasonal migrations or residents?
Once a month Thompson co-ordinates a bird walk for the Whistler Naturalists, inviting expert birders like Karl Ricker, Nancy Ricker and Heather Baines to lead tours along Whistlers lakes. Sometimes Thompson leads the group himself, but mostly he goes along as an extra set of eyes.
During those walks around Alta Lake and Green Lake, Thompson helps to compile a list of birds spotted. Over time those lists will be used to show what varieties of birds call Whistler home and when; where those birds live; and, given enough years, those lists will also show change, for better or for worse.
For his contributions to the Whistler Naturalists, and his dedication to the monthly bird walk, Thompson was presented with the societys Naturalist of the Year award at the groups general meeting on Nov. 13.
A homeowner in Whistler since 1981, Thompson was an active member of the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment in its early years, and helped to found the Whistler Naturalists almost five years ago with four others.
The goal was to create a nature group in Whistler that was not founded on advocacy and environmental politics like AWARE, but rather on education building an awareness and appreciation of the natural world.
Pique sat down with Michael Thompson to discuss nature, birds and the future of naturalism in Whistler.
Pique
: When you were presented with the Naturalist of the Year award, (fellow Whistler Naturalist founder) Bob Brett referred to you as the reluctant bird expertMT:
The word expert shouldnt enter into the discussion in any way. Im not an expert. I dont hold a candle to Karl Ricker or Nancy Ricker or Heather Baines or Max Götz theyre the real experts here. Ive learned so much from them over the years.Pique:
Whats your background? And how did you get into birding?MT:
I grew up in Montreal, and we had a country place in the Laurentians. In the winter wed go up on the weekends skiing and in the summer it was the lakes, and we had a little cabin there. We were three kids in the family, and the shoes would come off in June and went on again in September.There was lots of bush and forest, and thats where I found my initial interest in the outdoors.
I also took up photography, although I was an amateur, and stuck with it all my life.
We did a lot of canoeing, which is just a great way to see wildlife. A canoe doesnt spook them much, so you can just slide right in to get a good look.
I graduated university as a mechanical engineer, and most of my work was being a plant engineer, and later an owners engineer things like grain elevators for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. It was project management-type stuff.
My last job was the CEO of Prince Rupert Grain, which brought me to Vancouver. Ive worked in Thunder Bay, and in places up the West Coast, and travelled the country in between.
Now Ive lived in Quebec, in Thunder Bay, in Winnipeg, in Regina, and in Vancouver.
Pique:
Have you always been a birder, or is it something you just dabbled in until recently?MT:
We did dabble, my wife Shirley and myself thats a good word for it. The first records we kept were in Winnipeg, where we had a place on the Assiniboine River. There was also lots of wildlife in Regina.It was a continuing interest, but it wasnt until I came up here that I was exposed to it. Max Gotz was a big help in getting us interested, and why we started bird walks years ago.
Pique:
Theres a lot of different natural topics that naturalists can get into. What was it that appealed to you about bird-watching?MT:
First of all, its in the outdoors. And its a challenge to go out there and find these little creatures that are, in our view, very worthwhile.Pique:
Obviously its tough to spot the birds sometimes. What makes a great birder?MT:
I dont know I dont consider myself a great birder, just a person with a great passion for birding.Youre always looking, but knowing what to look for is important. And keep your ears open. Max Gotz used to say that if I was struck blind tomorrow it wouldnt affect my bird watching.
When I talk to people about birding I make it clear that while it seems insuperable that you have to know 40,000 species of birds, but thats not the case. When you first see a bird, you know right away that there are 39,000 things it cant possibly be. When youre looking at a warbler, you know its not a seagull or a hawk.
The first thing is to recognize that its a warbler, which is easy, and from there you can hammer it down to the exact species.
If its a duck, recognize that its a duck, and ducks fall into two categories. You do a little detective work. If its a dabbling duck, then its bum will stick out of the water. Diving ducks go under the water. If it has orange legs, then its almost certainly a mallard.
Theres not much to it in the beginning. You just need a few basics, and a good guide book to bring with you, and youre on your way.
Pique:
Any favourite birds?MT:
The trumpeter swans are always arresting. Its just a spectacular bird to watch I believe its the second heaviest flying bird in North America. I dont have a bias, but I enjoy watching the big birds, like the swans or herons.Shorebirds, rooks, and sorrels can be challenging to find, but I dont see them that often.
Pique:
Any unusual sightings over the years?MT:
I dont have as much luck with that as Karl Ricker, hes the one who finds all the rare birds. I spotted a great catbird on the railway tracks in 1997, one of the few that have been seen up here. Of course Karl saw the other sightings on Alpha Lake. Its not a spectacular bird, but theyre exceptional in that theyre rare for these parts.Pique:
Birds are now widely accepted as an indicator species for the health of the environment, and youre on the front lines here. Has anything changed since you started birding in Whistler?MT:
Sure. One thing weve noticed is an increase of brown-headed cowbirds in the area. Theyre usually found in Saskatchewan but for some reason theyre showing up in Whistler. Theyre brood parasites that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and when they hatch they out-compete the others for food. Eventually they can push the native birds out, and that can have an effect on indigenous species.Theyre prairie birds really, but for whatever reason they came over the mountains. I dont know if that has something to do with the weather, or farming, or something to do with predators, but its a problem. Some people think they follow the hydro lines and roads.
Pique:
You were active in AWARE and now youre active with the Whistler Naturalists. Have you been following the sustainability issue?MT:
We support the environmental community however we can. Were in AWARE and the Naturalists, and Im part of the Nature Conservancy and the Nature Trust of British Columbia.We follow the issues and we do what we can. I like to quote the Union of B.C. Naturalists, because I think it really sums up what we believe and what the Naturalists believe "To know nature and keep it worth knowing."
Pique:
Whats the next step for the Naturalists and bird watchers?MT:
Youve probably seen the excellent bird checklist that Max Gotz put together many years ago. It was a wonderful effort. Now were working to put together a supplementary list I think there were 170 birds on the original list, and were thinking 40 to 50 additional birds.With the CHiRP (Community Habitat Resources Project), Ive been a liaison for the Naturalists in regards to the birds so I have all of our bird count numbers from the Christmas bird counts and the our monthly bird walks.
Ive been working with a (bird watching software) system called AviSys to keep track of bird sightings by me or Shirley. It records data, the place of a sighting and other attributes, like time of day, time of year, was it on the top of a deciduous tree or a conifer, all kinds of descriptors. Ive been using it for five years, so theres getting to be quite a lot of data in there we can use.
The important thing is to be consistent. We walk the same transect from Alta Lake to Green Lake every month, and after a while you get a sense of what should be there and whats unique.
The other day I saw 18 trumpeter swans (Nov. 19) but if they dont show up on a count day it doesnt appear on the official records. This way you get a clearer picture of whats typical for Whistler. There are always going to be unusual sightings, but resident bird populations interest us the most. Unless theyre something like the cowbird, of course.
Pique:
It seems that Whistler has a hardcore group of birders. Is that group growing at all or is it the same people coming out? Do you need more people out there?MT:
On our monthly bird walks weve had anywhere from two to 17 people in a group. One Canada Day three years ago I did the transect myself.Ive given a little thought to this and there are a few things I would like to see. The first is revised bird list with an additional supplement to Maxs original list.
Id also like to increase the number of eyes out there, so that we can go beyond Alta Lake and Green Lake. We could have a bird watch on the mountains, at Lost Lake, at Alpha Lake and the dump. These areas are part of the Christmas Count, but we would get a better picture if we visited these areas year round.
That said I know people are transient here, they come and go. I dont know what the answer is to that, but birders have a habit of turning up. We have hosted birders from North Bay (Ontario) and Michigan, and from England and all kinds of places. They ask the concierges in the hotels where to go, and they get in contact with us.
Birding was the fastest growing hobby in North America for a while.
Part of the reason is because its kind of fun to be in the outdoors, and all you really need is some binoculars and a good bird book. A good pair of boots comes in handy, too.
There are more of us than you would think.