Farmland Wildlife
Click on the links below to learn more about the types of birds and other wildlife seen in the area.
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are migratory water birds. During the summer, they breed from the interior of the province all the way to the high arctic.
Raptors
Raptors are predatory birds that rely on keen eyesight & hearing to locate prey. Raptors use their sharp talons to seize & kill prey.
Shorebirds
‘Shorebirds’ is used to describe plovers & sandpipers. Both are highly migratory birds that generally use marshes, estuaries, & sea shores as feeding habitat.
Wading birds and Cranes
Wading birds & cranes can both be found on farmland in Delta. They appear similar in body type but are acutally from different families.
Songbirds
Songbirds, or passerines, are a diverse group of small birds that use song to attract mates & defend breeding territories.
Small mammals
Small mammals are critical to the conservation of raptors and wading birds. Shrews, mice, and especially Townsend’s vole are prey for these predatory birds.
Beneficial Arthropods
Arthropods are an extremely diverse phylum of animals, united by their hard exoskeleton, jointed limbs, and segmented bodies.
The Fraser River delta is located in southwestern B.C. The silt and clay deposited by the river over the last 10,000 years makes the region extremely fertile for both agricultural production and wildlife. Each autumn, millions of migratory birds travel south from their summer breeding grounds to their wintering sites. In the spring, the birds return north.
There are hundreds of different species using the delta, including waterfowl, raptors, shorebirds, wading birds, and songbirds. In fact, there are so many birds using the area that the Fraser River delta is recognized as Canada’s most significant Important Bird Area.
Some birds, like waterfowl and raptors, will spend the entire winter on the Fraser River delta. Others birds, such as songbirds, will travel as far as South America.
Many of the birds that use the Fraser River delta, whether migrating through or spending the winter, use farmland as feeding and resting habitat. Explore the links below to learn more about the ways that Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust’s programs benefit the wildlife that relies on this farmland.
