They flocked to Belcarra Regional Park with cameras and binoculars but they weren't paparazzi and the object of their interest wasn't a Hollywood celebrity.
For a crowd of Tri-City birders, a small black and white bird with a long tail captured their attention on a cool, damp weekend.
Black-billed magpies are extremely rare on the west coast, preferring dryer haunts in B.C.'s Interior, so the sighting of the creature was a big event, according to John Reynolds, an SFU professor and avid birder.
"It was surreal to see a bird from a dry Interior calling from the top of a hemlock in Belcarra Regional Park," said Reynolds, who headed to the park to see the visitor for himself after seeing a posting on ebird.ca, an online data collection website for amateur birding enthusiasts.
Reynolds said the magpie is common in Merritt and the Okanagan and probably strayed from its natural home — and was likely surprised to have ended up in such a damp place.
"It's not adapted to wet coastal forest and won't won't start a breeding population," he said. "Hopefully, it will end up back where it belongs."
The magpie was first spotted in the area mid-week and, by the weekend, many people headed to Belcarra for a look.
Reynolds and another birder, Hilary Maguire, weren't disappointed and were able to snap a picture of the bird, albeit a blurry photo from a long way away.
Although this bird is rare, this region is home to many different bird species and it's not unusual to spot several different kinds of birds during an autumn or winter walk. With just a little knowledge and keen eyes, one might see as many as 35 species during a single hike around Port Moody's Shoreline Park, for example.
The Tri-Cities is also home to an enthusiastic birding community and many birders are expected to take part in the annual Christmas Bird Count, which will take place Jan. 2.
Reynolds helps organize the event locally and expects a good turnout again this year, with information sent to the Audubon Society for compiling.
As for the black-billed magpie at Belcarra park, with the recent wind and rain storms, it's probably wishing it had stayed home.
