British Columbia (western Canada), September 2006
Species List (continued...)
The following abbreviations are used throughout:
VI = Vancouver Island
Van = Vancouver area (i.e. coastal region between Vancouver and Boundary Bay)
Int = Interior, i.e. anywhere inland of Vancouver
Click on the photos to see a larger (and sometimes less heavily cropped) version.
MAMMALS, REPTILES, AMPHIBIANS and INSECTS
MAMMALS
Black Bear Ursus americanus
Int – 1 between Lillooet and Lytton 14th.
Mink Mustela vison
VI – 1 MacIntyre Reservoir 13th.
River Otter Lutra canadensis
VI – 2 from the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay ferry 9th, 3 Clover Point, Victoria 9th. I had assumed these were Sea Otters given their choice of marine habitat and their similarity to the Sea Otters we saw in California - thanks to Guy Monty for putting me right on this.
Harbour Seal Phoca vitulina
VI – c15 from the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay ferry 9th.
Chipmunk sp. Eutamias sp.
Int – 1 Marble Canyon Provincial Park 14th, 2 Emerald Lake 16th, 1 Emerald Lake 17th, 1 Panorama Road, Invermere 18th, 1 Beaver Lake 19th. I am not certain which species was involved but on range I believe they are most likely to be either Red-tailed Chipmunk Eutamias ruficaudus or Yellow Pine Chipmunk Eutamias amoenus . I've very tentatively identified the one photographed as Yellow Pine Chipmunk but if anyone can confirm or contradict, please let me know.
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| Yellow Pine Chipmunk?, Emerald Lake, 17th September 2006 |
Eastern Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
Van – 1 melanistic Grey Squirrel Westham Island 8th. Apparently Grey Squirrels in this area are introduced Eastern Grey Squirrels (Western Grey Squirrel's native range does not extend north into Canada). A normal coloured one was seen elsewhere while Vitty saw another melanistic individual at Boundary Bay on 9th.
Spruce Squirrel (Red Squirrel) Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
A very different species to the Red Squirrel in Europe!
Int – Common. It's distinctive ratchet-like call quickly became familiar. Counts included 10 Illecillewaet 15th.
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| Spruce Squirrel, Wilmer Bird Sanctuary, 18th September 2006 |
Muskrat Ondatra zibethica
Int – 3 Creston Valley 18th.
| Muskrat, Creston Valley, 18th September 2006 | |
Eastern Cotton-tail Sylvilagus floridansus
VI – The rabbits here are introduced and much despised!
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| Eastern Cotton-tail, Oyster Bay Shoreline Park, 12th September 2006 |
Elk Cervus canadensis
Int – 8 Field 16th, 2 Kootenay Valley 17th, 2 Wilmer Bird Sanctuary 18th.
| Elks, Field, 16th September 2006. | |
Coastal Black-tailed Deer Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
VI – 1 Englishman River Estuary 11th, 2 Ucluelet 11th. 4 deer sp., Nanaimo 10th were most probably this species.
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Coastal Black-tailed Deer, Englishman River Estuary, 11th September 2006
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| Coastal Black-tailed Deer, Ucluelet, 11th September 2006 |
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White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus
Int – 2 Creston Valley 18th, 6 Fauquier to Vernon 18th.
Bighorn Sheep Ovis canadensis
Int – 9 Golden 16th. I wasn't sure what these were as none of them had the big curly horns which Bighorn Sheep are famous for; Thanks Guy Monty for confirming.
| Bighorn Sheep, Golden, 16th September 2006. | |
Pacific White-sided Dolphin Lagenorhynchus obliquidens
VI – 2 dolphins from the Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen ferry on 13th had pale flanks and were perhaps Pacific White-sided Dolphins. However I am far from certain that other species could be eliminated.
Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena
VI – 12 dolphins from the Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay ferry on 9th were not positively identified, but some or all of them were probably Harbour Porpoises.
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS
Northwestern Garter Snake Thamnophis ordinoides
VI – 1 Cowichan Bay 10th.
Turtle sp.
Int – several (c10?) Bobolink Meadows 19th. I have no idea how to identify these so if anyone can identify these please contact me.
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| Turtle sp., Bobolink Meadows, 19th September 2006 |
INSECTS
I have virtually no knowledge on how to identify North American insects. If anyone can provide me with an ID for any of these I would be very grateful! Please email me if you can.
Butterflies and Moths Lepidoptera
In addition to those photographed, the following butterflies were seen:
1 Bobolink Meadows 19th: this resembled Lorquin's Admiral Limenitis lorquini, a species I've seen previously in California, but I've no idea if that species occurs here or if there are other confusion species here.
Several small yellow butterflies seen which loosely resembled European species, Clouded YellowColias crocea. I believe the North American equilvalents, which these presumably were, are called Sulphurs but I have no idea how to identify them or which species occur in BC.
Some more yellow butterflies were seen from the aeroplane when it stopped at Calgary (Alberta) on 7th. They were flying along the short grass adajacent to the runways and my impression from inside the plane was that these were larger and plainer than the sulphurs.
Dragonflies Odonata
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| Dragonfly sp., Cowichan Bay, 10th September 2006 (different individuals, though very possibly the same species)
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| Damslefly sp., Island View Beach, 13th September 2006
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Grasshoppers
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| Grasshopper, Invermere, 18-Sep-06 |
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