Central Vancouver Island
February 4th, 2012 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in Bird Watching, Birds, Central Vancouver Island, Destinations, Estuaries, Landscapes, Nature Viewing
The forecast was pretty good and I decided to check out an area that I haven’t birded before: the Somass Estuary in Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island. Sandy McRuer of Rainbird Excursions wrote up a post describing the estuary and how to get there and I figured that it might be good for some winter [...]
January 29th, 2012 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in Central Vancouver Island, Destinations, Garry Oak Meadows, Landscapes
I was in Nanaimo this Friday and decided to take the “scenic route” through the suburbs along Hammond Bay Road when heading back up-Island. This area of Nanaimo is heavily developed, but fortunately there is a small city park that makes the drive worthwhile. Pipers Lagoon Park is about 8 hectares in size and includes [...]
December 3rd, 2011 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in Central Vancouver Island, Destinations, Fish, Nature Viewing
If you want to experience the awe inspiring spectacle of a salmon run, consider making a trip up to the hatchery on the Big Qualicum River in the next week or so. I headed down island and checked out the Big Qualicum River Hatchery and was amazed at the number of Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) [...]
August 5th, 2011 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in Amphibians, Central Vancouver Island, Destinations, Fish, Landscapes, Nature Viewing, Wetlands
After a hot couple of hours on Notch Hill we drove a short distance back along Fairwinds Road to the trail head for Enos Lake. There’s a network of trails around a series of ponds and ultimately Enos Lake itself which makes for easy walking. We found the trails to be a little confusing and [...]
August 3rd, 2011 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in Central Vancouver Island, Destinations, Garry Oak Meadows, Hiking, Landscapes
Jocie and I had a rare day without the kids and took full advantage of being able to explore an area that we haven’t visited before. After dropping the kids off at day care we packed a couple of water bottles, some lunch and headed south towards Nanoose Bay. The weather was definitely iffy and [...]
July 23rd, 2011 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in BC Parks, Central Vancouver Island, Destinations, Fish, Nature Viewing
We had originally planned a family trip to the spectacular Little Qualicum Falls in Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park but by the time we arrived (approximately 45 minutes from Courtenay) both of the kids were asleep in the back of the car and we were faced with a dilemma: wake the kids or drive further [...]
February 10th, 2011 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in Central Vancouver Island, Destinations, Marine Mammals
I headed down to Fanny Bay this week to check out the arrival of California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus). The government wharf is an excellent place to view these magnificent marine mammals up close since they often haul out on the pontoons that act like breakwaters for the boats tied up at the dock. There [...]
January 25th, 2011 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in BC Parks, Blogging Events, Central Vancouver Island, Circus of the Spineless, Environmental Issues, Intertidal Zone, Introduced Species, Macro Monday, Sea Shore, Snails and Slugs
A couple of weekends ago we enjoyed a sunny trip down island to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park. This BC Park is a fantastic place for kids and in the winter time the number of people using the trails and beaches are few(er) – note that on a sunny day there are still plenty of people [...]
December 30th, 2010 |
By Editor |
Published in Bird Watching, Birds, Central Vancouver Island, Destinations, Events
I was up at around 6 am yesterday to make the drive down to meet a group of birders doing the 2010 Nanaimo Christmas Bird Count. As I scraped the frost of the windows of the car I was hopeful – the sky was clear and it actually felt fairly mild. Weather on Vancouver Island [...]
December 20th, 2010 |
By Dave Ingram |
Published in Bird Watching, Birds, Central Vancouver Island
If you’ve never done a Christmas Bird Count (CBC) you still have time to experience the “fun” of a full day of birding in the middle of winter. On Vancouver Island in British Columbia this usually means a cold wet day spent in all weather rain gear drinking coffee out of a Thermos. There is [...]