METRO VANCOUVER -- The planned expansion of the Deltaport terminal and development of nearby farmland may further imperil bird populations in south Delta, a key landing station on the Pacific coast migratory route, according to a council report.

The port expansion will result in the loss of about 25 acres (10 hectares) of agricultural land, according to the report. And more widespread land development related to the expansion may further threaten the sanctity of the birds’ natural habitat.

The municipality has already expressed concern over bird deaths resulting from collisions with power lines along the Roberts Bank causeway.

Collisions occur when migrating birds flock to the Delta wetlands en route to breeding or wintering grounds. The birds crash into 60-kilovolt power lines that stretch across their path and perish by the hundreds annually, suffering broken wings or breast bones and smashed skulls before dying from physiological shock, not electrical.

Following a port-authored environmental assessment, the municipality of Delta recommended “the issue of bird collisions [be considered] ... to minimize the likelihood of bird collisions along the causeway.”

So far, plans are not in place to bury or submerge the power lines, said Cliff Stewart, a Deltaport director.

The power lines will not be extended with the port expansion, Stewart said, but others fear the planned loss of farmland could compound the threat they pose to migratory birds. “There’s always concerns with industrialization around the farmland because some of the birds rely on the farming backdrop for survival,” said Kathleen Fry, manager of the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, which sits several kilometres northeast of the port.

“The Fraser River estuary is the biggest delta along the Pacific coast, so for migratory birds it’s a major stopover point.”

South Delta MLA Vicki Huntington has expressed concern over 550 acres (220 hectares) of prime farmland surrounding the estuary that were bought by warehouse developer Lamington Heights Investments for industrial use.

“[T]his development isn’t an appropriate use of this land,” she said last month. “It isn’t right for local farming and it isn’t right for the fragile Pacific migratory Bird Flyway.”

The land purchase converts 11 productive farm parcels, which cushion land occupied by migrating birds, into a 13,000-foot intermodal yard and with large warehouses. The upcoming development supports the planned port expansion and B.C.’s Gateway Project, according to Lamington Heights president Ron Emerson.

The nearby bird sanctuary, which hosts species from 22 countries and three continents, and adjacent natural wildlife area are recognized as an internationally significant wetland region.

creynolds@vancouversun.com