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‍Based in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, James is an avid birder and photographer. 

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‍A focus on underappreciated and harder-to-find birds is what sets James apart from other wildlife guides, but he will be more than happy to witness the wonder of Bald Eagles during the Herring Spawn and Salmon Run. 

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‍On a tour with James, be prepared to have fun, find cool birds, laugh a lot (or not if you don’t want to), learn a ton, get distracted, and unlock the world of birding. 

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‍Book a local (or not so local) tour with James, I will travel! 

James Mackenzie bird tour guide
Spark Bird. Are you familiar with the concept? Maybe it was the Osprey you saw as a kid flying over the river. Maybe it was a Northern Flicker landing on your first apartment’s balcony. Maybe it was the crows you watched working together to solve their problems as you couldn’t figure out a group project during university. Maybe it was the Harlequin Ducks that you saw when you went home at Christmas and walked the same walks you’ve been doing your whole life, only this time you say something like “have those ducks been here the whole time?” . A spark bird is the bird that gets you thinking. The bird that makes you do a double take, or wonder if someone’s pet had escaped. You eventually might learn that Western Tanagers are actually pretty common in the right habitat, but when you see your first one you aren’t quite sure what to think. You can have one spark bird, or a dozen, or like me, continually find new spark birds. Sometimes, an old friend will do something novel and you’ll fall down the rabbit hole once again. . If I had to pick one, the Harlequin Duck is my spark bird. I learned at the age of 23ish that I grew up in an internationally significant waterfowl region. My first days birding were by my family home, walking down the 1001 stairs to the beach and seeing wildlife spectacles that I have barely been able to replicate since. Even though that home is no more, I consider that my spark region. . Settings: 1/1250, f7.1, ISO 1000 Time of photo 9:37am Conditions: Sunny . . . #harlequin #harlequinduck #duck #sparkbird #spark #ducksofinsta #jester #whiterock #southsurrey #1001steps #ripmagnoliatree

Experience the Wild: Expert-Led Bird Watching Tours for Nature Enthusiasts

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Thank you for visiting, I like to keep the 90’s tradition of thanking visitors to my web page. That is of course fully ignoring that I am 30 something and this is my first ever website. 


Click here for my most recent Instagram post!

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Spark Bird. Are you familiar with the concept? Maybe it was the Osprey you saw as a kid flying over the river. Maybe it was a Northern Flicker landing on your first apartment’s balcony. Maybe it was the crows you watched working together to solve their problems as you couldn’t figure out a group project during university. Maybe it was the Harlequin Ducks that you saw when you went home at Christmas and walked the same walks you’ve been doing your whole life, only this time you say something like “have those ducks been here the whole time?” . A spark bird is the bird that gets you thinking. The bird that makes you do a double take, or wonder if someone’s pet had escaped. You eventually might learn that Western Tanagers are actually pretty common in the right habitat, but when you see your first one you aren’t quite sure what to think. You can have one spark bird, or a dozen, or like me, continually find new spark birds. Sometimes, an old friend will do something novel and you’ll fall down the rabbit hole once again. . If I had to pick one, the Harlequin Duck is my spark bird. I learned at the age of 23ish that I grew up in an internationally significant waterfowl region. My first days birding were by my family home, walking down the 1001 stairs to the beach and seeing wildlife spectacles that I have barely been able to replicate since. Even though that home is no more, I consider that my spark region. . Settings: 1/1250, f7.1, ISO 1000 Time of photo 9:37am Conditions: Sunny . . . #harlequin #harlequinduck #duck #sparkbird #spark #ducksofinsta #jester #whiterock #southsurrey #1001steps #ripmagnoliatree