Island NatureExploring nature on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and beyond

Aside from the sewage outfall at Iona Beach Regional Park, birders are also drawn irresistibly to both the North and South Marshes and of course, the waste settling ponds. And so it was, after returning from my long walk to the tip of the outfall and back I thought that I would be remiss if [...]

I spent last weekend in Vancouver doing some bird watching at Iona Beach Regional Park, famous for its sewage lagoon and the long sewage outfall (approximately 4km one way). The last time I was at Iona was back in December of 2004 looking for a MacKay’s Bunting that had been reported out at the end [...]

Everyone has heard of the Red-winged Blackbird, and many are familiar with the Brewer’s Blackbird, but how many have seen or even heard of a Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)? Not very many I would wager. It’s not surprising because the Rusty is uncommon in the west, and its North American population has declined over 90% [...]

If you’re a birder and in Vancouver, British Columbia, you will probably eventually end up at Reifel Bird Sanctuary on Westham Island. Reifel was one of my stops on a whirlwind birding trip to the Lower Mainland this past weekend and I have to admit that it was a bit of a love/hate experience. Maybe [...]

I headed out to Woodhus Slough this morning to do some casual birding with the kids and to check out how last week’s heavy rain, high tides and storm had affected the slough. The change was dramatic – while the dyke separating the slough from the ocean hadn’t been breached it was obvious that the [...]

The action at the feeders this week has been interesting. I’ve noticed a significant increase in the number of Pine Siskins visiting the feeders (at one point we had over 80 Siskins at the feeder, on the ground beneath the feeder, and in the trees around our patio). American Goldfinch continue to show up in [...]

Some new additions to the regulars at the feeders this week. Late last week we had a few Pine Siskins and a couple of American Goldfinches at the feeders. I added a tube feeder with black oil sunflower seeds and some niger seeds and that brought in the finches. We’ve had over 40 Pine Siskins [...]

I’ve been meaning to do the Little River Ferry Christmas Bird Count (CBC) since it was inaugurated by Guy Monty in 2003 but for one reason or another was unable to. This count is one of the few in BC that really focuses on “off shore” birds because the count circle essentially is the Strait [...]

As we creep closer to the beginning of a New Year it’s time to review our lists of nature sightings for 2009 and ponder the possibilities for 2010. I admit that I’ve been inconsistent in my record keeping over the last couple of years – two young children under three means more emphasis on family. [...]

Join Dave Ingram for an audio podcast featuring winter birdwatching at Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo, British Columbia. This episode of Discovering Nature takes place at a great spot for both birds of the thicket and birds of the marsh. Buttertubs is surround on all sides by suburbs so the marsh is a natural refuge for [...]