Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

🇨🇦 Canada

🐋 Gray Whales Pass the Surf Coast

🌍 #175 Global · 3.6 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ #20 in North America #20 in Temperate Forest

Pacific Northwest, Canada 492 spp. recorded

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, part of the Pacific Northwest. It is a temperate conifer forest hugging a rugged shoreline, with moss‑laden old growth, sandy beaches, and tide‑pools.

48.815° N 125.149° W

Wildlife

⭐ Iconic Species

American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

60–70% · Likely

Gray Whale

Eschrichtius robustus

10–20% · With luck

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

60–70% · Likely

Sea Otter

Enhydra lutris

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos

70–80% · Very likely

Glaucous-winged Gull

Larus glaucescens

70–80% · Very likely

American Robin

Turdus migratorius

70–80% · Likely

Pacific Wren

Troglodytes pacificus

50–60% · Likely

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

50–60% · Likely

Song Sparrow

Melospiza melodia

50–60% · Likely

Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

50–60% · Likely

Common Raven

Corvus corax

50–60% · Likely

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Poecile rufescens

50–60% · Likely

Mule Deer

Odocoileus hemionus

40–50% · Likely

Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus bachmani

40–50% · Likely

Western Red-backed Salamander

Plethodon vehiculum

40–50% · Likely

⭐ Iconic Species

American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

60–70% · Likely

Gray Whale

Eschrichtius robustus

10–20% · With luck

Sea Otter

Enhydra lutris

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

Mule Deer

Odocoileus hemionus

40–50% · Likely

Harbor Seal

Phoca vitulina

40–50% · Likely

American Red Squirrel

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

30–40% · Possible

Northern Sea Lion

Eumetopias jubatus

30–40% · Possible

California Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus

30–40% · Possible

Humpback Whale

Megaptera novaeangliae

20–30% · Possible

Northern River Otter

Lontra canadensis

20–30% · Possible

Elk

Cervus elaphus

20–30% · Possible

Gray Wolf

Canis lupus

20–30% · With luck

Killer Whale

Orcinus orca

10–20% · With luck

Common Raccoon

Procyon lotor

10–20% · With luck

American Beaver

Castor canadensis

10–20% · With luck

⭐ Iconic Species

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

60–70% · Likely

📊 Most Spotted

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos

70–80% · Very likely

Glaucous-winged Gull

Larus glaucescens

70–80% · Very likely

American Robin

Turdus migratorius

70–80% · Likely

Pacific Wren

Troglodytes pacificus

50–60% · Likely

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

50–60% · Likely

Song Sparrow

Melospiza melodia

50–60% · Likely

Steller's Jay

Cyanocitta stelleri

50–60% · Likely

Common Raven

Corvus corax

50–60% · Likely

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Poecile rufescens

50–60% · Likely

Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus bachmani

40–50% · Likely

Surf Scoter

Melanitta perspicillata

40–50% · Likely

California Gull

Larus californicus

30–40% · Possible

📊 Most Spotted

Common Garter Snake

Thamnophis sirtalis

30–40% · Possible

Northwestern Garter Snake

Thamnophis ordinoides

30–40% · Possible

Western Terrestrial Garter Snake

Thamnophis elegans

Insufficient data

Common Wall Lizard

Podarcis muralis

Insufficient data

Green Turtle

Chelonia mydas

Insufficient data

Northern Alligator Lizard

Elgaria coerulea

Insufficient data

📊 Most Spotted

Western Red-backed Salamander

Plethodon vehiculum

40–50% · Likely

Northern Red-legged Frog

Rana aurora

30–40% · Possible

Pacific chorus frog

Pseudacris regilla

30–40% · Possible

Western Toad

Anaxyrus boreas

30–40% · Possible

Rough-skinned Newt

Taricha granulosa

20–30% · Possible

Northwestern Salamander

Ambystoma gracile

20–30% · Possible

Wandering Salamander

Aneides vagrans

10–20% · With luck

Ensatina

Ensatina eschscholtzii

Insufficient data

Animal Events

🐋

Gray Whale Spring Migration

MarAprMay

~20,000 gray whales pass close to shore on their Baja-to-Arctic migration each spring

Gray Whale

Eschrichtius robustus

10–20% · With luck

🐻

Black Bears on the Shoreline

MayJunJulAugSep

Black bears emerge to forage the intertidal zone at low tide, turning over rocks for crabs and shellfish along the park's beaches and inlets.

American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

60–70% · Likely

🐦

Shorebird Migration Stopover

AprMayJulAugSep

Pacific Rim's beaches and mudflats are a critical Pacific Flyway stopover: western sandpipers and other shorebirds throng the shore in spring and again southbound in late summer, peaking in .

Western Sandpiper

Calidris mauri

20–30% · Possible

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

10–20% · With luck

Sanderling

Calidris alba

10–20% · With luck

Sighting Calendar

Chance of spotting each species, month by month

Species Total

40–50

40–50

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

40–50

American Black Bear

30–40

10–20

10–20

50–60

60–70

60–70

60–70

70–80

70–80

50–60

50–60

30–40

<5

<5

20–30

20–30

20–30

20–30

10–20

10–20

20–30

5–10

<5

<5

70–80

80–90

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

70–80

60–70

30–40

60–70

60–70

70–80

<5

30–40

40–50

30–40

20–30

30–40

30–40

20–30

30–40

30–40

20–30

10–20

70–80

70–80

70–80

80–90

80–90

80–90

80–90

70–80

70–80

70–80

70–80

60–70

Glaucous-winged Gull

80–90

80–90

60–70

60–70

70–80

50–60

50–60

70–80

80–90

70–80

70–80

70–80

20–30

20–30

60–70

90–100

80–90

90–100

80–90

60–70

60–70

60–70

30–40

20–30

50–60

40–50

50–60

70–80

50–60

50–60

60–70

40–50

50–60

60–70

60–70

50–60

Golden-crowned Kinglet

60–70

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

60–70

60–70

70–80

60–70

60–70

40–50

30–40

40–50

60–70

60–70

60–70

40–50

30–40

60–70

70–80

60–70

50–60

40–50

20–30

30–40

50–60

50–60

40–50

40–50

60–70

70–80

60–70

60–70

40–50

50–60

50–60

40–50

40–50

50–60

40–50

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

50–60

40–50

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

50–60

30–40

30–40

40–50

40–50

50–60

60–70

60–70

60–70

50–60

50–60

30–40

20–30

40–50

30–40

40–50

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

40–50

30–40

30–40

40–50

Black Oystercatcher

50–60

60–70

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

40–50

50–60

30–40

40–50

40–50

Western Red-backed Salamander

30–40

40–50

50–60

50–60

50–60

40–50

30–40

20–30

20–30

40–50

40–50

30–40

Animal Events

🐋 Gray Whale Spring Migration

🐻 Black Bears on the Shoreline

🐦 Shorebird Migration Stopover

Sighting Zones

Warm areas are where all species together are recorded most, so they track where people go as much as where animals are. For one species, see the map on its own page.

0.0 ★★★★★ ★★★★★ Good

🐋 Gray Whales Pass the Surf Coast

🦜

Biodiversity

Very good

How rich is the wildlife?

4.3 Global avg

4.2 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

Species by taxon

🦅 Birds

374

🐒 Mammals

98

🦎 Reptiles

9

🐸 Amphibians

11

492 Total Species

850 Global average across 296 parks

40 Threatened 60 Endemic

🔭

Sighting

Very good

How likely to see animals?

3.6 Global avg

3.4 ★★★★★ ★★★★★

🎯

Top-12 Avg Probability

62% Global avg

61%

📊

Coverage (134 species at ≥5% of 492 in the inventory)

24% Global avg

27%

🔀

Taxon variety in top 12 (10 bird, 2 mammal)

46% Global avg

37%

🔭

Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)

134 Global avg

101

🌟

Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)

15 Global avg

16

⭐

High-prob species (>40%)

27 Global avg

16

Quick answers

What animals can you see in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

The most likely sightings are American Crow (seen by 70–80% of wildlife watchers), Glaucous-winged Gull (seen by 70–80% of wildlife watchers), American Robin (seen by 70–80% of wildlife watchers), Bald Eagle (seen by 60–70% of wildlife watchers), American Black Bear (seen by 60–70% of wildlife watchers) — among 492 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.

When is the best time to visit Pacific Rim National Park Reserve for wildlife?

September has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.

Can you see American Black Bear in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

Yes — about 62% of wildlife watchers report a American Black Bear sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, based on 431 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Can you see Gray Whale in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

Yes — about 18% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Whale sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, based on 46 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Can you see Bald Eagle in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

Yes — about 69% of wildlife watchers report a Bald Eagle sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, based on 1,786 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Can you see Sea Otter in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve?

Yes — about 31% of wildlife watchers report a Sea Otter sighting in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, based on 109 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

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