Yesterday I was in charge of the kids for a couple of hours so I decided that a trip up to Campbell River was in order. I figured that after about 3o minutes of driving they would both be asleep and I could do some roadside birding along the shoreline. In particular, I was hoping to find some Brandt’s Cormorants …
Birds
California Gulls, California Gulls
A flock of mostly Thayer’s Gulls (Larus thayeri). Note the yellow legs of the California Gulls (Larus californicus) in the center of the image. I happened to be down in Parksville yesterday and did some pre-meeting birding at the Parksville Community Park on the waterfront. It was a blustery day but the gulls were out in numbers. Birds are beginning …
Winter Birding at Oyster Bay
Looking out at the old pilings at Oyster Bay. The eastern coast of Vancouver Island has many locations that are excellent for winter birding. Sheltered bays offer resting places for numerous species of waterfowl and the beaches can be productive for shorebirds. One of the highlights between Courtenay and Campbell River is Oyster Bay Shoreline Regional Park, which is located …
Book Review – Field Guide to Birds of North America
Win a copy of Field Guide to Birds of North America – see contest details below. National Wildlife FederationField Guide to Birds of North AmericaEdward S. BrinkleySterling Publishing CompanyPaperback527 pages2007 I’m always looking for good natural history reference books and discovered the National Wildlife Federation’s Field Guide to Birds of North America while browsing the nature section in Chapters. I …
Backyard Birds – January 25-February 7
We’re still getting over a dozen different species of birds at the feeders but most of them are the same ones that we’ve had for most of the winter so I’m going to do a bi-weekly feeder report instead of weekly. Observations of birds are noted for Project Feederwatch. Project Feederwatch Highlights Some of the notable highlights over the last …
Great Backyard Bird Count – February 12-15, 2010
House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) should be easy to find on Vancouver Island during the Great Backyard Bird Count. Photo © Judy Howle. Bird watchers coast to coast are invited to take part in the 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count, Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15, 2010. Participants in the free event will join tens of thousands of volunteers …
A Special Bird at the Iona Sewage Ponds
Marshes at Iona Beach Regional Park. 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 …
A Long Walk at Iona Beach
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 reported out at the end of the outfall. Here’s what I wrote at …
Bye Bye Blackbird
The Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is considered a “vulnerable” species by the whole world, but in Canada it is treated as a pest. 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 …
Birding at Reifel
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. I have to admit that it was a bit of a love/hate experience. Maybe that’s putting it a little too …