George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary

I had the time of my life when I went here on last Thursday! Now, I don’t want to build up expectations for anybody because my Mom and I were just lucky enough to run into and talk to the resident biologist. To start off, there were a ton of Mallard ducks but also Sandhill Cranes at the entrance! I had been to the sanctuary several times before and had seen the beautiful Sandhill Cranes up close but now they feed from your hands when you buy the seeds (super cheap). I felt so enamored by this. Watch out though-​they don’t feed softly with their long beaks and can pinch your skin a lot. After that I started walking the treed northern trail and had special seeds (black oil sunflower seeds-​they are smaller) and started feeding the black-​capped chickadees and chestnut chickadees (less common). This was so amazing to me. I then ran into the biologist making rounds and he told me I could possible get red-​winged blackbirds to feed from my hand. I eventually did get a red-​winged black bird to feed from the seeds in my hands. Unlike the black-​capped chickadees, the red-​winged blackbirds eat them one after another until all seeds are gone. I learned quite a bit about all the birds and their activities from the biologist. I felt very lucky that he had the time to answer my many questions. I also saw 3 night herons and a great blue heron. If you love birds or even have just a fondness for them, this is the place to go! Binoculars would have been helpful!

Always have a great experience out here.
Helpful staff and reasonable entry price. $ 5 for adults and $ 1 a bag for bird seed. Pay the $ 1 for the extra feed — the duck feed as well as the chickadee feed, it will be well worth it. Great place for kids. Many trails to get away from all of the families in the beginning too. Remember layers if you are visiting around this time, it is cold out by the water and remember binoculars!

This place is AMAZING. I have never seen so many different birds in one place, and I visited in the winter! I can’t wait to see what it’s like when the snow geese have migrated back here. I’ll be making the trip to the bird sanctuary probably once a month.
They have guided walks, free with the $ 5 admission, every Sunday morning at 10am. It’s a slow walk, approx 2 hours.

I absolutely love Reifel migratory bird sanctuary. From the scenic ponds to incredible birds, it never lets me down. As a birder everything is fantastic, there are plenty of areas to view birds from high and low vantage points. I have only been twice now, but each time I have gotten about 40 bird species with binoculars. My favorite has to be the wood ducks and Sandhill cranes. The cranes stay for a majority of the year because they were hand bred at Reifel, they are very timid and beautiful. The geese can be little bitches sometimes, hissing if you get to close watch out if you have small children.
Most of the animals are very nice though and sometimes approach you for food. As an environmental scientist this is somewhat problematic for me, here we have a great place for humans and birds to interact, but there is a cost. These birds rely on the people to feed them and would do poorly in an environment that requires them to fend for themselves. It is easy to see that some birds simply walk around waiting for people to feed them. Currently this isn’t a problem, lots of kids and adults walk through this sanctuary handing out food everywhere imaginable. Problems could arise if 1– people stop visiting Reifel (I really hope not) or 2– if the animals go over their carrying capacity. Currently the high volumes of hawks, falcons and eagles will likely keep #2 in check. Hopefully this ecosystem will remain self balanced and continually serve as a safe haven and habitat for its animals to exist.
As a birder I recommend anyone remotely interested in wildlife to come here and enjoy it’s beauty. I wish the hours were more birder friendly, for instance opening at 7 am would help those who want to beat the crowds of loud children and families get first dibs on seeing the birds. Also these crowds can scare away birds for good shots and can become annoying at times because of noise. Overall though you should be able to see the birds you like, most of them are rather used to being around people which can make for even better experiences. For example wood ducks always avoid me in the wild, but here you can get right up close and enjoy their beauty at an arms length, something not likely to happen in the woods. This can be a great tool for learning new birds and seeing them from a new vantage point.
Overall Reifel is a sanctuary, for birds and birders alike. They promote a (somewhat) safe environment for the public to understand these amazing creatures I love and cherish. The feeding and interaction could be better isolated, but it would be difficult to do so in this type of environment. I’d love to see more signs informing people of these birds natural history and teaching those who are unaware of lots of these birds journeys and hardships in their current state. Similarly general information and guest bird walks would be an added bonus (not sure if they do this but they should!). I can’t wait to come back once the sun is out and the birds are chirping!

This is a super fun sanctuary for both adults and kids (and new or seasoned birders alike)! Prices are listed on the Sanctuary website (Adults $ 5, Kids/​Seniors $ 3) and there is enough parking for a lot of visitors (albeit, it can be tight in some spots). There is also a spot near the parking lot where you can wash off mud/​dirt off your shoes.
There are park staff that routinely go around the trails and answer questions or point out where interesting birds are located. There is a bathroom, a heated room to rest, a little gift shop, and picnic area right near the parking lot. Bring your own snacks/​lunch and gloves/​hats if you are visiting during the fall/​winter/​early spring months — the breeze can easily bring a chill to your fingers!
The trail is flat and an easy walk around the entire loop for kids and the elderly. Throughout the park, there are wooden bird-​watching towers that overlook various parts of the marsh. Further out on the loop, there are resident Sandhill Cranes that eat out of your hands!
There are a variety of cool birds here including a variety of ducks, song birds, raptors (you’ll see them flying overhead or way out in the marsh), owls (I saw two Northern Saw-​whet Owls), and more than I can even list! The ducks are really accustomed to people, and they sometimes will sit in the middle of the trail and WILL NOT MOVE for you! It’s pretty funny and endearing because they totally own the sanctuary trail!
One thing though, you will hear shotguns going off in the distance since there is a hunting area not too far away. It’s totally bizarre to see all of these wonderful birds, and to suddenly hear a shotgun blast here and there in the far off distance. I saw kids who kind of jumped when they heard the gun and looked up to their parents with wide-​eyes wondering what that loud sound was. so be prepared to explain that stuff if you have little ones. BUT, there are a lot of kids and parents here and I think hunting season does eventually end (I’m not sure if hunting season is year-​round in Canada.) but it can be tuned out after a while. And no, there is no danger of the stray bullet coming anywhere near the Sanctuary at all, so you are totally safe!
If you have young kids, you might make it half-​way through the entire loop spanning the marsh, but if you are a birder, you can easily spend the entire day here. I’d say for less than $ 20 for an entire family, it’s a really good place to teach your kids about wildlife and still have fun with lots of photo opportunities.

A friend recommend we take our two little ones during one of our days off to the bird sanctuary. Having never been I was a bit skeptical.
Parking was easy, you go pay up at a little house, and get your bird feed that comes in little brown bags. (I highly recommend getting 3 – 4 bags)
We went on our adventurous walk feeding the ducks and the birds along the way. It was an incredible walk through nature, the ducks eat the feed right out of your hands, there are plenty of bathroom stops, benches etc if you feel like taking a break. It truly was an incredible experience, very peaceful and serene.
I highly recommend taking your family for a nice walk out there — the birds are everywhere!
Bring snacks for the kids — it took us a few hours as we kept walking along the trails
at one point the ducks were all following us — it was quite a sight to see!

What a wicked place!!! Great place to go and get your quiet on or bring the kids and feed the ducks.
We’ve been members here for a few years. Buy the membership… you will probably be back and it isn’t that expensive for a family (plus you are helping a wildlife organization!!!)
The outer dyke trail is probably our new favorite. Lots of benches to sit and relax and let the day go by. The top of the lookout tower is beautiful on a sunny day.
Make sure to bring your lunch!!! And buy some lunch for the birds…$ 1.00 for a bag of seed… pretty «cheep cheep» lunch!

If you’re a «bird-​brain,» you’ll probably love this place.
It really is «for the birds.»
But it’s also a great place for people. You want to get away from the noise, the hustle-​bustle of the city? Reifel’s the place. If you have a family with young children, it’s a great facility to take them, in order to give them a taste of nature. And if you’re an avid nature photographer, you won’t find a much better place to snap images of birds than this sanctuary.
Just take a half-hour’s drive from the Vancouver International Airport, and you’ll find yourself in a wetland paradise full of ducks, geese, cranes, and herons — not to mention songbirds like red-​winged blackbirds or raptors like bald eagles or marsh hawks (a.k.a. northern harriers).
I won’t go into too much detail about the sanctuary itself, its history and its functions; that can all be gleaned from the sanctuary website .
I will say that although it is a stopping place for birds migrating north and south in the spring and fall, respectively — an avian «motel» of sorts — it is also a year-​round home for many other birds.
Reifel is one of those rare spots you can visit again and again, and never tire of going there. It’s a special place where you can get close to nature without having to drive too far from your front step, if you live in the Greater Vancouver area. The experiences there are pretty much the same every time, but for me, there’s always one gem of an experience I have that’s a bit different each time, something that sets that visit apart from others.
Of course, you’ll never lack company if you take the time to spend a few toonies and purchase the bags of seed they sell at the admission gate for people to feed the ducks and geese in the sanctuary. (That’s the only food people are allowed to feed them). Be prepared for a stampede, though — if you start sprinkling too close to where you’re sitting or standing, you’ll quickly be swamped by ducks (no pun intended, but if it works, hey…).
A quick word of caution: remember, these are wild animals — they’re not pets, nor is this a zoo, so if you do go and you do feed them, keep that in mind, also. Remember to keep your kids in check, so they don’t hurt (or get hurt!) by getting too close to the animals.
There’s also a quaint little gift shop you can visit after spending some time outdoors — either to remind yourself of your visit with a hat or mug or T-​shirt, or to help you enjoy your next return visit with a bird identification book.
They also sell year-​long membership passes to the sanctuary here, so if you come out one day and you’ve found you’re out of cash, you don’t have to «get in a flap» about it, must show your card.

Sometimes one needs to stop and smell the… birds!!! Okay fine, it’s more like spot the birds, or feed the ducks.
This is among my favourite off-​the-​beaten-​path places in the GVA. Living in a noisy urbanized concrete mass (and Vancouver isn’t even all that bad!), I don’t feel very in tune with nature. To hell with the those pesky birds making a ruckus when I’m trying to catch some extra weekend zzzzz, right? Here, I’m eagerly trying to catch a glimpse of bird xyz (sorry, not a bird scientist…) and being surrounded by their sounds. Things can get real exciting! One time, a crane attacked my Dad. –_​_​–
In October/​November-​ish, the snow geese come to town. Check out the sanctuary’s website for current updates.
The trails are easy to walk on. An peaceful afternoon of gentle scenic strolling and photo ops of you feeding the duckies (and perhaps an adventure with the cranes), yes please!
Adult admission is now $ 5. You can also purchase a bag of feed for a buck or two.

We even go there in summer when only the ‘usual suspects’ (aka mallards) are around. Bring sunflower seeds so that the chickadees can eat out of your hand. Bring binoculars if you want to identify the water birds in the ponds.

This place is one of the most amazingly peaceful spots on earth and it’s only a 20 minute drive from downtown Vancouver.
In the four hours that my friend, her baby, and I meandered through the trails we saw the following creatures that we could identify and countless more that we could not:
–mallard adolescent ducks
–adolescent eagle
–mink
–sandpipers
–Canadian geese
–red tipped black birds
–blue herons
–sandhill cranes
–house sparrows
–dragon flies
Definitely bring lunch, binoculars, a birding book, and a sense of wonder.
Bonus: On the drive back, stop by any of the small farms for fresh produce and eggs.

An Oasis of Ornithology; an Asylum of Aviaries.
One might even call it a Sanctuary… oh wait… they did.
A very relaxing and romantic place to visit. Lots of trails to follow around the various areas. Free kissing booths, oh, wait, those are bird blinds.
Take note the various suggestions for being a responsible visitor to this park:
— only feed the animals the seed purchased at the gate
— don’t pick berries or anything else while in the sanctuary
— close the doors and windows when you leave the blinds.
Bring a friend.
Note: It’s always a good idea to keep some seed in your pocket in case the cranes decide to hold you up. There’s something about these cranes which will remind you uncomfortably of the velociraptors in «Jurassic Park»!

Birds, Birds, Birds. After weeks of wanting to go to the Sanctuary I finally made it there today on a beautiful, chilly December day. It was perfect even if my hands froze a little while taking photos. This park is absolutely my new favorite place to wander trails and look at all the nature and scenery. We wandered for hours without a dull moment.
Ducks chasing you down for bird seed. FUN! Yes, you are actually allowed to feed the birds (bird seed) at the sanctuary. I am not a bird expert by any means but this sanctuary made me want to learn more about them. Today we ended up seeing an eagle, hawks, an owl, many, many mallard ducks, snow geese, chickadees, sandpipers, black-​crowned night herons, sandhill cranes, and a lot of red-​winged black birds.
Prices have gone up since previously stated in earlier reviews. Prices are now:
Adults — $ 5
Children-(2−14 yrs) — $ 3
Seniors (60 yrs+) — $ 3
Single Yearly Membership — $ 25
Family Yearly Membership — $ 50
Life Membership — $ 500
We initially just bought day passes but after enjoying our day out in the sanctuary we got back to the gift shop and asked if we could upgrade and purchase yearly passes. There was no problem with that, the clerk deducted our daily fee from the yearly membership.
Can’t wait for my next trip out to see all the birds and take photos.

The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary is situated on Westham Island in Delta B.C. There is free parking and once you’ve arrived in the area, you’ll see lots of ducks around the parking area. Let the stench begin… Oh yeah, brace yourself. This place smells once you’ve arrive at the parking area. There is a fee for this bird sanctuary.
Adults– $ 4
Children-(2−14 yrs) — $ 2
Seniors (60 yrs+) — $ 2
Well, I paid my fee and I bought my camera. While walking on the trails, I realized that this place is really a smelly place to be with little to see other than ducks you’ll see at Lost Lagoon in Stanley Park or Queen Elizabeth Park duck ponds. There are very little signs to no signs for information on the trail and this bird santuary looks like some sort of deserted place in no man’s land. There are no washrooms on the trails which is also inconvient.
Ironically, I saw more interesting birds outside the bird santuary. About 2 km away from the bird santuary while driving home, I spotted thousands and thousands of snow geese on a farm land. It was a field of white and hundreds of snow geese were flying and landing in the field. So, yep, sometimes you’ll see more interesting things when you don’t pay an entrance fee.
Note: I ended up washing my new Nautica jacket when I got home because of the stench from the bird sancutary. My jacket became destroyed after the first wash. Don’t wear your nice clothes when you visit George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

The Reifel Bird Sanctuary is not just about migratory birds — it’s great all year round. Ten things I love about taking the kids here:
1. There are hundreds of ducks to feed all year round
2. The chickadees will eat seed out of your hands
3. The views across the Georgia Straight from the top of the observation tower
4. The fact that the weather’s often dry and sunny there even when it’s raining in Vancouver
5. Seeing fields full of Snow Geese during migration season
6. Sitting in one of the hides drinking hot chocolate out of a thermos
7. Watching eagles soar over the reed banks
8. Having a chat with the red-​winged blackbirds
9. Freaking out the kids by surreptitiously throwing seeds behind them as they walk so the ducks keep following them
10. Giving the Sandhill Cranes a wide berth because they’re vicious sods.
And at less than $ 50 a year for an annual membership, it’s just about the best value in the Lower Mainland.

This place is for the birds !
Seriously. And birds you will see.
Thousands of Snow Geese migrate to the area. See pix.
An astounding scene to behold for sure. Worth the drive and don’t forget your camera and some binoculars! –and perhaps some lunch :-)

The George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary is located in a wetlands environment at the mouth of the Fraser River on Westham Island. It’s an ideal spot for watching the more than 250 species of migratory birds including herons, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, swans, geese and ducks, that fly and flock throughout the park. In November, the Snow Goose Festival is held as hundreds of birds stop for a rest on their long journey south.