Birds of Saanichton

303 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of Saanichton (British Columbia) since 2010, across 1,055,279 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are American Robin, Glaucous-winged Gull and Spotted Towhee.

Saanichton is backyard-bird country: 64% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. American Robin, Spotted Towhee, Common Raven and Anna's Hummingbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

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

Records peak in December and are lowest in September — about 1.7 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.

Brentwood Bay, 2 mi to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (306 against 303).

Daylight runs from 16 h 9 min at midsummer to 8 h 17 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:25 AM in mid-April and 5:10 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 Robin

  Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets

• Spotted Towhee

  Millet · Sunflower chips

• Common Raven

  Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Anna's Hummingbird

  Sugar water: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water

• Dark-eyed Junco

  White proso millet · Hulled sunflower · Cracked corn

• Chestnut-backed Chickadee

  Black-oil sunflower · Suet

• Brentwood Bay2 mi south-west · 306 species
• Central Saanich2 mi south · 321 species
• Sidney3 mi north · 297 species
• Deep Cove6 mi north · 268 species
• Mill Bay7 mi north-west · 251 species
• View Royal10 mi south · 361 species