Canada Ramsar wetland
Alaksen National Wildlife Area
310 bird species recorded; the most in May and from September to October.
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX IT Services GmbH (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data), CC BY 4.0, with relief shading from Copernicus WorldDEM-30
This month here
194 species in January.195 species in February.185 species in March.216 species in April.237 species in May.200 species in June.191 species in July.210 species in August.238 species in September.224 species in October.207 species in November.198 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
NT
NT
NT
NT
NT
NTNT
NTNT
NT
VU
NTVUNT
NT
NTNTVUNTNTNT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
310 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 310Speciesrecorded more than once
- 191Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 17ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 1,246,399Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 14Raptors
- 11Owls
- 46Waders
- 28Gulls & seabirds
- 44Ducks & geese
- 18Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 125Songbirds
- 23Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 310 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- Falco atricapillusFalco atricapillus
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- Prairie FalconFalco mexicanus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
Owls11 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- Northern Saw-Whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Snowy OwlBubo scandiacusVU
- Tengmalm's OwlAegolius funereus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Western Screech-owlMegascops kennicottii
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Northern Hawk-OwlSurnia ulula
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
Waders46 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Black OystercatcherHaematopus bachmani
- Black TurnstoneArenaria melanocephala
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaVU
- SurfbirdCalidris virgata
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Wood SandpiperTringa glareola
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
- Temminck's StintCalidris temminckii
- Rock SandpiperCalidris ptilocnemis
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- Hudsonian WhimbrelNumenius hudsonicus
Gulls & seabirds28 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Short-billed GullLarus brachyrhynchus
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- California GullLarus californicus
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Pacific LoonGavia pacifica
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Larus occidentalisLarus occidentalis
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Cepphus columbaCepphus columba
- Marbled MurreletBrachyramphus marmoratus
- Rhinoceros AukletCerorhinca monocerata
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Heermann's GullLarus heermanniNT
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Ancient MurreletSynthliboramphus antiquus
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Ivory GullPagophila eburneaNT
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
Ducks & geese44 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinator
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanoptera
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- American Black DuckAnas rubripes
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- RedheadAythya americana
- Barrow's GoldeneyeBucephala islandica
- Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Ross's GooseAnser rossii
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Emperor GooseAnser canagicus
- Green-winged tealAnas carolinensis
- SmewMergellus albellus
- Velvet scoterMelanitta fuscaVU
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
Herons, ibises & grebes18 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Western GrebeAechmophorus occidentalis
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Pelagic CormorantPhalacrocorax pelagicus
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Brandt's CormorantUrile penicillatus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Clark's GrebeAechmophorus clarkii
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Plegadis chihiPlegadis chihi
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds125 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-capped ChickadeePoecile atricapillus
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- Pipilo maculatusPipilo maculatus
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Golden-crowned SparrowZonotrichia atricapilla
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Bewick's WrenThryomanes bewickii
- American BushtitPsaltriparus minimus
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Troglodytes pacificusTroglodytes pacificus
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalusNT
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Violet-green SwallowTachycineta thalassina
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Varied ThrushIxoreus naevius
- Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Black-headed GrosbeakPheucticus melanocephalus
- Bullock's OrioleIcterus bullockii
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- Chestnut-backed ChickadeePoecile rufescens
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Sturnella neglectaSturnella neglecta
- Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri
- Empidonax difficilisEmpidonax difficilis
- Vireo huttoniVireo huttoni
- Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Western Wood-PeweeContopus sordidulus
- California Scrub JayAphelocoma californica
- Townsend's WarblerSetophaga townsendi
- Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaVU
- Harris's SparrowZonotrichia querulaNT
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Black-throated Grey WarblerSetophaga nigrescens
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Black phoebeSayornis nigricans
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- Hammond's FlycatcherEmpidonax hammondii
- Ash-throated FlycatcherMyiarchus cinerascens
- MacGillivray's WarblerGeothlypis tolmiei
- Blue JayCyanocitta cristata
- Mountain ChickadeePoecile gambeli
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- White-winged CrossbillLoxia leucoptera
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Townsend's SolitaireMyadestes townsendi
- Vireo cassiniiVireo cassinii
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- North-western CrowCorvus caurinus
- Rock WrenSalpinctes obsoletus
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- Crested mynaAcridotheres cristatellus
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Grey CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Mountain BluebirdSialia currucoides
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Pine GrosbeakPinicola enucleator
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Say's phoebeSayornis saya
- Green-tailed TowheePipilo chlorurus
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Gray-crowned Rosy-FinchLeucosticte tephrocotis
- Hooded OrioleIcterus cucullatus
- Lesser GoldfinchSpinus psaltria
- American Dusky FlycatcherEmpidonax oberholseri
- Lazuli BuntingPasserina amoena
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Common GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNT
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Canada JayPerisoreus canadensis
- Black-billed MagpiePica hudsonia
- Audubon's WarblerSetophaga auduboni
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
Other birds23 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- American CootFulica americana
- Anna's HummingbirdCalypte anna
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufusNT
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Band-tailed PigeonPatagioenas fasciata
- Vaux's SwiftChaetura vauxi
- American Black SwiftCypseloides nigerVU
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Red-breasted SapsuckerSphyrapicus ruber
- California QuailCallipepla californica
- Common NighthawkChordeiles minor
- Lewis's WoodpeckerMelanerpes lewis
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- Oriental Turtle DoveStreptopelia orientalis
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in May and from September to October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan6°/3°194 mm
- Feb7°/3°102 mm
- Mar9°/4°142 mm
- Apr12°/6°87 mm
- May16°/10°60 mm
- Jun18°/12°46 mm
- Jul22°/15°26 mm
- Aug22°/15°33 mm
- Sep18°/13°70 mm
- Oct13°/9°140 mm
- Nov9°/5°206 mm
- Dec6°/3°177 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Alaksen National Wildlife Area.
National Wildlife Area of Canada in Delta, British Columbia
Alaksen National Wildlife Area is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in Canada.
310 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 1,246,399 open records.
The most recorded are the Mallard, the Black-capped Chickadee and the Song Sparrow.
92 species come for the summer, 90 for the winter and 9 only pass through.
17 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover, Lesser yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitcher.
The most species are recorded in May and from September to October.
Get there and watch
- VisitingHours in OpenStreetMap: Mo-Fr 08:00-16:00 · free entryOfficial site↗
- Woodward's Landing Campgroundcampsite · 5.8 km · 3 within 10 km
- Steveston Waterfront Hotelplace to stay · 2.3 km · 35 within 10 km
- Stevestonnearest town · 2.8 km in a straight line
- Vancouver International Airport (YVR)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 10 km in a straight lineCar hire at YVR airport (Vancouver)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 4bird hides within 6 km
- 4observation towers within 6 kmViewing Platform and 3 more
- 2visitor centres within 6 kmSteveston Village
- 19viewpoints within 5 kmNo 2 Road Pier, Pumphouse Tower and 17 more
- 132car parks within 3 km
- 48restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 kmWoodward's Landing Campground, Muskrat Meadows, ParkCanada RV Park
- 35places to stay within 10 kmSteveston Waterfront Hotel, The Steveston Cafe & Hotel, Vickie's Bed & Breakfast and 32 more
- marked trails within 4 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Alaksen National Wildlife Area.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas4 mountains within 25 kmBoundary Bluff · 13 kmLittle Mountain125 m · 16 kmParkcrest · 24 kmCapitol Hill · 25 km
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmSteveston Bar · 1.8 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q4705758) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 1,246,399 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Coastya |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit 
caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit