An early morning mist rolls across the cold autumn waters of the Squamish River, as the first rays of sunlight flicker through the golden leaves of the cottonwood trees lining the river’s bank. A bald eagle swoops down and lands on a sandbar on the far side of the river, its talons piercing the soft black sand. After neatly folding its wings it hops awkwardly across the sandbar towards a shallow pool at the edge of the river. A movement in the shallow water reveals the dorsal fin of a large chum salmon. A few strides from its prey, the eagle bursts into the air and pounces on the salmon. With its wings straining under the weight of its 10-kilogram breakfast, the bald eagle slowly lifts the thrashing salmon out of the water and heads for its perch on one of the tall cottonwoods.

This scene is repeated numerous times each year between November and February, when thousands of bald eagles congregate along the Squamish River near the small community of Brackendale, to feast on chum salmon. Brackendale is located off highway 99 about 85 kilometres north of Vancouver. For more information contact the Brackendale Art Gallery at 604-898-3333.

However, eagle watching is only one of the many spectacular wildlife-viewing opportunities awaiting you in British Columbia. BC’s large tracks of pristine wilderness and nutrient-rich coastal waters support a rich and diverse wildlife population. The best part is that the wildlife is very accessible, so you don’t have to hike for days into the wilderness see it.

For example, almost half of Canada’s 13,000 grizzly bears live in BC and there is no better time to see them than in late fall when they gather along coastal rivers to feed on the returning salmon. Grizzlies are omnivores, meaning they eat just about everything including plants, berries, small mammals and, of course, salmon. Each fall they gather along BC’s salmon spawning streams to gorge themselves and bulk-up in preparation for their winter hibernation.

A great place to see large numbers of grizzlies in their natural habitat is Glendale Cove in the Knight Inlet, about 300 kilometres north of Vancouver. Here you can observe the bears from one of the five viewing platforms erected along the banks of the Glendale River. Tide Rip Tours Ltd. (1-888-643-9319 or 1-877-636-9572; www.tiderip.com), offers daily trips to Glendale Cove from Telegraph Cove on Vancouver Island. Knight Inlet Lodge offers 3-day bear watching safaris, call (250) 334-8858 or 1-877-764-4286, or visit www.knightinletlodge.com for more information. Near to Knight Inlet, Homalco Wildlife Tours has daily grizzly viewing trips to Bute Inlet from Campbell River on Vancouver Island. Call (250) 923-0758 or 1-866-234-BEAR (2327), or visit www.bearsofbute.com.

Speaking of salmon, no visit to BC would be complete without witnessing the world’s largest sockeye salmon run. Each October the placid, clear waters of the Adams River in Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park, are transformed into a frenzied stage where the drama of renewal and death unfolds before your eyes. In some years there are exceptionally large runs called 'dominant runs.' This is a dominant-run year and more than 100,000 visitors will flock to the park to see the river teem with the crimson mass of nearly 2 million sockeye salmon. You can view the salmon from special platforms erected along the riverbank or from small bridges that span the smaller feeder streams. Park rangers lead narrated walks along the riverbank and give informal presentations at the viewing platforms. Most of the spawning takes place in the shallow waters within a meter or so of the riverbank. The park is located about 60 kilometres east of Kamloops off Highway 1. Just follow the bright red salmon signs pointing the way to the park. For more information visit www.salmonsociety.com.

For the more adventurous type, Paradise Found Adventures on Vancouver Island offers the unique experience of snorkeling with salmon in the Campbell River. They provide all the equipment including wet suits and guides and you float down the river over the spawning beds filled with hundreds of salmon. This once in a lifetime experience runs each year from July to the end of October. For more information call 1-800-897-2872, or visit www.paradisefound.bc.ca.

Another must see BC wildlife event is the arrival of 25,000 lesser snow geese from Wrangel Island in the Siberian Arctic. The geese arrive at the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary about November and feed in the sanctuary’s marshy coastal bays and salt-water mud flats until April. Each day the geese leave the open fields adjoining the sanctuary and fly out to the coastal mud flats to feed. Few wildlife experiences can match the spectacle of 25,000 large white geese taking flight at the same time. The deafening sound of thousands of flapping wings and incessant honking fills the blue morning sky. The sanctuary is located in Delta, 8 kilometres west of the small town of Ladner (about 20 kilometres south of Vancouver). For information contact 604-946-6980, or visit www.reifelbirdsanctuary.com.