It’s all in the timing and it’s easy to miss. Last spring I was lucky, and the kids and I witnessed the amazing spectacle that is this country’s largest annual Pacific herring spawn. In other years, I’ve been a day or two late or early. The aquamarine colour of the water is a sure sign that the spawn is on! This …
Qualicum Beach
Waiting for the Cows to Come Home
At this time of year the weather doesn’t always cooperate for nature photography—nothing is really in bloom (although I did find some hairy manzanita on top of Little Mountain near Parksville in flower) and the weather is usually not the best. This weekend I joined a group of photographers from the Comox Valley Camera Club on a field trip down …
Triple Falls in Errington, British Columbia
Sometimes the best falls are the ones that are a little bit off the beaten path. They don’t have to be spectacular drops, but they should be a little harder to get to. The extra effort makes it worthwhile. This weekend I joined a group of Comox Valley Camera Club photographers on a day trip to the Triple Falls on …
Free Spirit Spheres
Guest Post by Rachel Dodds As the wind blows, you gently rock back and forth hearing the whistle of the wind and the rustle of the leaves. Sometimes bears and elk walk underneath – oblivious to you watching. There is something quite surreal to realize you are hanging from a tree! The sensation is like being on a boat but …
Herring are Here!
It was such a gorgeous day on Sunday that I packed the kids in the car and headed down to Parksville. Both A and C love the playground on the waterfront, and it was a pretty easy sell to get them moving. Typically, we try to work a nature walk (or two) into any day trip and I figured that …
Sand Dollar Safari
I love taking the kids to the beach because it’s an adventure for both of them and me as well. I never know what we’ll discover and they’re always finding something interesting in the sand. Jocie and I try to encourage a sense of respect for the living things that we find and at their age (2 and almost 4) …
Herring Roe Feast
I never seem to get the timing right when it comes to the spectacle that is the herring spawn on the east side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I’m usually a little too early or a little too late and I have to settle with looking at the amazing photographs of other birders and naturalists like Guy Monty who have …
Bald Eagle’s Brunch
On the way to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park yesterday morning we spotted a bald eagle enjoying a little black scoter for brunch at Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Bald Eagle with Black Scoter #1 Bald Eagle with Black Scoter #2 Bald Eagle with Black Scoter #3
20th Annual Brant Festival – March 5 to April 28
Brant (Image © Guy Monty) The return of Brant geese to the estuaries and bays of Vancouver Island in late February and early March on their migration from California and Mexico is celebrated annually by the Brant Wildlife Festival in Parksville/Qualicum Beach. This year’s festival runs from March 5th to April 28th and features a wide range of activities and …
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 …