One of the benefits of teaching at a rural school on Vancouver Island is the daily lunch time walks. The country roads are bordered with hedgerows and there is usually good birding. I always keep an eye open for unusual birds birds and every now and then something turns up. …
When we moved to Gabriola seven years ago, the first bird I saw in the overgrown, untended garden we inherited with our ‘new’ house was a junco. Although it seems amazing to me now, I’d never noticed this bird in the city. With its black hood and unusual metallic chipping …
Back in early August, I was invited by Gus Yaki to go on a little excursion around south-eastern Alberta. Our ultimate goal was to join a Nature Calgary trip to the area around Manyberries in search of Alberta’s only lizard species, the Greater Short-horned Lizard. Along the way we planned …
While fall may signal that many birds have migrated south (or soon will be) and general bird activity will locally decline for the next several months, I find it’s not all bad…why? Apart from the excitement of the pending arrival of winter visitors, the vivid and saturated colours of autumn …
In late March of 2013 we set off to find the Williamson’s Sapsucker, in an area where it is known to return to year after year. These cavity nesters use dead or dying large stags (usually Ponderosa Pine) and are most often found in a Western Larch forest. The Williamson’s …
For some reason, I associate autumn with woodpeckers. So, since the season is upon us, I thought I’d share photos of a few of the WPs that visit us on Gabriola Island. Right now, a family of flickers is keeping us entertained. Red-shafted Northern Flicker Red-breasted Sapsucker I love Red-breasted …
Last Sunday, September 15, I took my first pelagic birding trip. The trip left port at Ucluelet, British Columbia, and is an annual trip organized as a fundraiser for Wild Research, based out of Vancouver. Traditionally, the trip heads out from port at 7:00 am and heads southwest for three …
In early October 2011 was the first time that a Eurasian Collared Dove had visited my bird feeder, I quickly grabbed my camera and took some pictures. Previously I have seen this bird and it was added to my “Life List” on December 29, 2007, where he was sitting …
On Sept 4, 2013 Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), along with Shell Canada, celebrated the launch of the Shell Buffalo Hills Conservation Ranch. This is DUC’s largest and most ecologically important acquisition to date, which builds on a strong 75-year legacy of delivering important habitat projects in areas that provide the …
Dennis and I were sitting in the dining room, chatting, when the Steller’s Jays showed up for dinner, as they do every day about 4 pm. (They’re early diners.) The usual scenario is this: one jay squawks, I stop what I’m doing, get up, go outside, and dump a bunch …