My First Book of Canadian Birds by Andrea Miller (text) and Angela Doak (art) Hardcover Children’s Picture Book 7 x 9 inches/32 pages Nimbus Publishing ISBN: 978-1-77108-635-0 /$22.95 Publication date: October 1 2018 My First Book of Canadian Birds makes me wish I had a three- or four-year-old grandchild. This lovely …
In 2010 we were overjoyed to receive a wonderful new book covering only Canadian birds. You can read my review of Birds of Canada here. Now the publishers have released a revised and expanded version, which is just as spectacular as the first version. The full page profile pages remain …
I don’t know how long he’d been in the garden room. Maybe hours. Busy in the house, I’d decided to take a break and work on the 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle my grandkids had left for me to finish, just that morning. (It’s a bit of an addiction.) As soon …
Last month 28 Gabriolans participated in the 115th Audobon Christmas Bird Count. Here’s a sampling of the bird species that were counted on the island. Many thanks to the Gabriola Island photographers – Doug Green, Garry Davey, Eileen Kaarsmaker, and Iain Lawrence – who so generously shared their photos with …
Recently a young Turkey Vulture (cathartes aura) has become a frequent visitor in the yard of a Gabriola Island couple. Not knowing the sex, they call it Vic the Vulture – for either Victor or Victoria. Vic usually comes around every other day and spends up to an hour in …
I was on vacation in Mexico years many ago when I noticed the tall black seabirds standing on the rocks, their wings held out from their sleek bodies like ballerinas. At the time, I wondered if the pose was unique to some crazy Mexican birds. Years later, waiting in Nanaimo …
I remember the first time I saw a Dark-eyed Junco. We’d just moved to Gabriola Island, seven years ago, and were still busy unpacking boxes when I stopped for a break, looked out the window, and noticed several black-hooded feathered creatures rummaging in the winter garden. I thought they must …
One of the most abundant and studied bird species in North America, blackbirds have captured the imagination of poets and musicians, from Shakespeare to Paul McCartney, for centuries. Maybe that’s because they maintain such an air of mystery – in spite of their bravado. Certainly the male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius …
The Pacific coast of British Columbia is home to two species of hummingbird, the Rufous (Selasphorus rufus) and the Anna’s (Calypte anna). Like many winter-weary Gabriolans, Rufous hummers spend the winter in Mexico. Then, in the spring, they begin their migratory journey northward, usually arriving back in BC during the …
More great photos from Rob English who says “I was lucky enough to come across these guys northwest of Cochrane. The male sure put a run on those geese. These two cranes were very co-operative as at one point they walked out of the marsh on to the road while …