Skip to content

Birding goes digital at Quesnel’s timber park

The Baker Creek Enhancement society used QR codes to connect birders with their quarry
23865690_web1_210108-QCO-Birding-trail_1
QR codes posted along trails inside West Fraser Timber Park helped aspiring birders identify common species. (Submitted Photo)

Quesnel’s unseasonally mild weather and a global pandemic has more people walking outside and spotting wildlife.

The Baker Creek Enhancement Society looked to take advantage, by moving their Christmas bird count for children.

Instead of a single day event, Amanda Vibert, who works at the Nature Education and Resource Centre at the West Fraser Timber Park put up QR codes throughout the park.

“Because of COVID-19, we took a different approach,” she said. “People could scan the QR code and be directed to a list of birds that are known to be in the timber park at this time of year.”

Vibert said the best rare bird to see regularly in the timber park is a Wood Duck, but aspiring birders will have to wait to see them.

“I’m still learning a lot about birding,” Vibert said. “Usually at this time of year you see a variety of woodpeckers… a variety of chickadees, nut hatches, grosbeaks, and then ravens and eagles.”

Vibert said birding is growing in popularity with 20-30 year olds.

“[I want to] connect people to the timber park through making people aware of how many different animals it’s home to,” she said. “We’re so lucky to have that space in Quesnel, that’s in the municipality.”

Vibert said she hopes to bring back the codes for other spieces, including bugs and summer birds.

READ MORE: Fishy things going on in Quesnel schools

Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com


@GimliJetsMan
cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.