The herons are back

Hi Naturalists It has been a while since I put fingers to keys and thought that as surveys are about to start that I would enlighten you on what this birding duffer has seen this late summer. The shorebirds have been the best for many years, but numbers are still low for what was once…

When we arrive at the dog park on Wednesday mornings we really have no idea what the valley will show us, we know that there will be a Trumpeter Swan or two, may be a handful of Canada Geese, a few Bald Eagles and if we are lucky a small number of Red-tailed Hawks, other…

On a very rainy overcast November 13th day at high tide, 2016, Kurlene Wenberg and Daryl Johnson spotted 17 species of waterbirds on Khenipsen Road, Cowichan Bay north side for the BC Coastal Bird Survey. A total of 1000 birds were observed. 6 Double-crested Cormorant; 7 Pelagic Cormorant; 28 Mallard; 58 White-winged Scoter; 126 Surf…

South Side of the Bay: On this beautiful, calm morning, Gail Mitchell, Barry Hetchco, John Scull, and LInda Hill walked through Hecate Park and saw these birds plus 27 Purple Martins. 1 Common Loon, 6 Surf Scoter, 3 Great Blue Heron, 13 Double-crested Cormorant, 2 Mute Swan, 1 Bald Eagle, 7 gull sp., 2 Northwestern…

Hi Our numbers are growing, both in counters and swans. 6 people in two cars headed out through roadworks and dikes hoping that the good weather would hold and yes it did with ideal if not a little bright conditions for the whole count. This week I teamed up with Eric & Dorothy and the…

Yes it was another sunny Wednesday, a little nippy to start but then that sun packed a lot of heat. 7 people left the dog park in two vehicles, we did manage to get rid of 3 along the way as they had more pressing things to do than count birds, how could they? Our…