Beach walkers at Schooner Cove. We have just returned from a wonderful weekend get-a-way at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Winter is our favourite time to visit the west coast because there aren’t too many tourists. Rain or shine, the area’s natural beauty is always dazzling. Established in 1970, Pacific Rim National Park …
Destinations
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 …
5th Annual Campbell River Bald Eagle Festival
Harrison always pleases the kids when he flies in for Eaglefest Plans are underway for the 5th Campbell River Bald Eagle Festival, sponsored by BC Hydro, to be held by Discovery Pier at the Maritime Heritage Centre in Campbell River on Saturday February 20/2010. Guest speakers include well known author, conservationist and ornithologist Dr. Rob Butler. Butler is President of …
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 …
Birding Boundary Bay
Shorebird Sculpture at 72nd Street I spent the weekend in Vancouver hitting some of the Lower Mainland’s birding hot spots including the 72nd Street access to the Boundary Bay dyke. I arrived there fairly late in the day so there wasn’t too much in the way of birds aside from the ubiquitous Northern Harrier. Any of the dyke access points …
Oyster Bay – BC SkyWatch #7
Oyster Bay Sky #1 I’ve stopped in at Oyster Bay on my way through several times this week for a quick look for birds and to admire the setting sun. Oyster Bay is on the east side of Vancouver Island but the sunset lights up the Coast Mountains across the Strait of Georgia making for some dramatic skies. I captured …
Trumpeter Swans at Woodhus Slough
Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) gliding over the water at Woodhus Slough. 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 …
Exploring Qualicum Beach
One of the things about living on Vancouver Island is that there are so many beautiful natural places to visit. This week we took advantage of a break between storm fronts and packed the kids, backpacks and strollers into the car and drove south to Qualicum Beach, a sleepy little retirement town on the eastern side of Vancouver Island, British …