Birds of New Westminster

290 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of New Westminster (British Columbia) since 2010, across 815,286 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are American Crow, Song Sparrow and Black-capped Chickadee.

New Westminster is backyard-bird country: 72% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. American Crow, Song Sparrow, Black-capped Chickadee and Spotted Towhee make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

27 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Bald Eagle and Red-tailed Hawk.

Records peak in May and are lowest in November — about 3.6 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Burquitlam, 4 mi to the north, has more species on record (306 against 290).

Daylight runs from 16 h 14 min at midsummer to 8 h 12 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:21 AM in mid-April and 5:05 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

• American Crow

  Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Song Sparrow

  Millet · Hulled sunflower · Cracked corn

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Black-oil sunflower · Suet · Shelled peanuts

• Spotted Towhee

  Millet · Sunflower chips

• American Robin

  Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets

• Northern Flicker

  Suet · Peanut hearts

• Burquitlam4 mi north · 306 species
• Essondale5 mi east · 295 species
• Strawberry Hill5 mi south · 300 species
• Fleetwood6 mi south-east · 272 species
• Port Moody6 mi north-east · 296 species
• Victoria-Fraserview7 mi west · 339 species