Stories from Tri-City News headlines of decades past is a recurring feature as the publication marks its 40th anniversary in 2024.
When a little hummingbird alighted at a feeder in the backyard of a Port Coquitlam home in June 1995, birders from as far away as Alberta and Oregon flocked to catch a glimpse.
The Costa’s hummingbird is the second smallest bird in North America and it normally lives in arid climes in the western United States.
So when one showed up in the Lower Mainland for only the fourth time since such records were kept, it caused a big fuss.
Over the course of a weekend, about 100 birders made their way to Karen Bidniak’s driveway to add the sighting to their life lists.
Bidniak helped their quest by setting up lawn chairs in her driveway to give her visitors a favourable line of sight to her three feeders.
She also acted as a spotter, alerting the birders when the Costas managed to gain a spot amidst the usual appearances of the more common Rufous hummingbirds.
The rare visitor was also a boon for local shops selling bird feeders and supplies.
“You wouldn’t believe how many hummingbird feeders I sold,” said the owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in PoCo, Rich Kenzie.
The Tri-City News has covered civic affairs, local crime, festivals, events, personalities, sports and arts in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody since 1983. Bound back issues of the paper are available at the Coquitlam Archives, while digital versions of several past years can be found at issuu.com.
