Upcoming Walk: Saturday, March 18th. 2017, Public Walk Comox Ecological Reserve

Saturday 18th March: Public Walk Comox Ecological Reserve

Loys and Allison will be leading a tree and moss public walk at the Comox Lake Bluffs ecological Reserve. This reserve features one of the most northern enclaves of Mediterranean ecosystems, with Arbutus, Manzanita and one of only three areas on Vancouver Island where Rocky Mountain Juniper occurs in land and above sea-level. The area is also noted for its large number of spring flowers. Dress for the weather, and wear hiking boots with good traction, as some of the paths can be slippery. The 47 ha reserve has small inclines with a maximum elevation change of 140 meters. Meet at Old Church on Harmston Rd, Courtenay at 9:30 am to car pool. The links below are to the BC Government page for the Reserve, and our own web site.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/eco_reserve/comoxlk_er.html

Comox Lake Bluffs

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Upcoming Walk: Saturday, March 4th. 2017, Union Bay Coal Hills

Saturday 4th March, 9:30 am;  Union Bay Coal Hills

The annual herring spawn in Baynes Sound has not materialized yet, and so we will not be going on a “sea-cruise” this day. Instead, Loys will be leading us on a walk around the Union Bay’s Coal Hills.  The Union Bay Coal Hills site is a very special post-industrial ecosystem in the Comox Valley, with a rich local history. It is a south-facing heat absorbing area which can present many interesting biological  features.  It is an excellent location to appreciate the return of early spring, and the many restoration and enhancement efforts that have mitigated the sites coal mining impacts. Dress for the weather, and meet at Old Church on Harmston Rd, Courtenay at 9:30 am to car pool.

http://islandnature.ca/2015/06/union-bay-coal-hills/

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Guest Speakers: AGM & Panel Discussion, Sun. Feb. 19,2017

The Annual General Meeting of Comox Valley Nature will be held on February 19 at 7:00 pm sharp in the Florence Filberg Centre. The AGM will feature a panel discussion consisting of four well-known environmentalists from the Comox Valley. The title of the discussion is “Conservation and Sustainability to 2030,” and the Panelists will address the question “Where do we expect environmental concerns to be 13 years from now in the Comox Valley.

The panelists are all residents of the Valley, and have many years of conservation experience behind them. They are Tim Ennis, a Conservation Biologist with Comox Valley Land Trust; Jarrett Krentzel, Program Director of Hand-in-Hand Early Years Nature Education; John Tayless, retired Coral Reef Biologist and Past President of North Island College, and Loys Maingon, retired Biologist and the BC Director and Webinar Host of the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists.

The year 2030 was chosen as it is the target date of the United Nations’ initiative on Sustainable Development Goals, and was meant to provide a time frame to the Panelists. Topics will likely include the expected effects of climate change, our need for reliable drinking water, a vision of sustainable development in the Valley, and protection of our native species and habitats. The Panelists will, however, be free to discuss items they consider important to our Valley in the near Future. If time permits, questions and comments from the audience will be taken. If you care about the Comox Valley, and are concerned about its continued viability and vitality, be sure to attend this meeting.

Meetings and lectures of the Comox Valley Naturalists Society are held on the third Sunday of most months at the Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Avenue, Courtenay. Meetings and guided walks are open to the public, including children and youth. The panel discussion is free, though a $4 contribution from non-members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.

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Bird Outing Report: Lazo Marsh & Woods, Feb. 2,2017

Today, Groundhog Day, 10 birders spent a pleasant but cool morning at Lazo Marsh and Lazo Woods and found 19 species. A highlight was a Virginia Rail calling from the marsh. A bonus bird was a cooperative Cooper’s Hawk that was at the car park when we returned (20 species!).

Mallard
Bald Eagle
Virginia Rail
Anna’s Hummingbird
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Varied Thrush
Fox Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Pine Siskin

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Upcoming Walk: Saturday, February 4th. 2017, Campbell River Museum Tour

Saturday, February 4th, Campbell River Museum Tour 12 pm (car pool at 11 am)

The CVNS members will be taken on a guided tour to the Campbell River Museum by museum staff. We will meet at the Courtenay Country Market on the old Island Highway, across from Golf Course at 11:00 am to car pool to Campbell River. The Museum has asked us to restrict the group to 30 members or less, so preregistration is requested, and the museum will be charging $9 per member.

An optional stop on the way home for a late lunch or coffee may be arranged amongst the attendees, and registrants will be e-mailed a survey message regarding possible choices of eateries.

To register for this tour; please e-mail For more details on the Museum, try this link: http://www.crmuseum.ca/

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Nature Outing Report: Goose Spit, Jan. 28, 2017

On a blustery day, 26 intrepid club members gathered for a birding hike along Goose Spit. Due to the choppy waters on the outside, most of the waterbirds were at the tip of the spit. The group had good looks at Long-tailed Ducks, Greater Scaup, and rafts of scoters. Trip leader Art Martell described various citizen science initiatives in the area including the Coastal Waterbird Survey, Beached Bird Survey, and also described the formation of the Spit by erosion & deposition of sand from Willemar Bluffs.

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Bird Outing Report: Miracle Beach to Oyster River, Jan.26,2017

This morning 11 birders went to Miracle Beach, Saratoga Beach and Oyster River estuary. We had a pleasant morning with a variety of waterbirds. Highlights were Brant, both Goldeneyes, and great looks at shorebirds. The following 33 species were found:

Brant
American Wigeon
Mallard
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Surf Scoter
White-winged Scoter
Long-tailed Duck
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Barrow’s Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Red-breasted Merganser
Pacific Loon
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-necked Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Black Oystercatcher
Black-bellied Plover
Black Turnstone
Dunlin
Mew Gull
Thayer’s Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Belted Kingfisher
Northwestern Crow
Common Raven
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Pacific Wren
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee

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Upcoming Walk: Saturday, January 28th. 2017: Goose Spit Waterfowl Walk

Saturday, January 28th: Goose Spit Waterfowl Walk 9:00 am

Art Martell will lead a waterfowl walk along the Goose Spit at 9 am. The group will meet at the parking nearest to HMCS Quadra gate, at the end of public access. The walk will be about 4 km in total  along the cobblestone and sandy beach. It is level, but wear good footwear as the cobblestones can be slippery at low tide. Bring your binoculars and water. There is a port-a-potty on the Spit.

To get further details on Goose Spit, check out the CVNS web page here: http://comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca/nature-viewing-guide/1-courtenay-rivercomox-bay-area/goose-spit/

More details are available from the CVRD here:  http://www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/EN/main/community/parks-trails/comox-valley-parks/goose-spit-park.html

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Nature Kids Explorer Day: Bird watching at Lazo Marsh, Jan 29th 2017

Happy New Year Nature Kids!

Our next explorer day will be bird watching at Lazo Marsh in Comox on Sunday, January 29th at 1:00pm. Please bring a small snack and water bottle and come prepared for the weather. If you have binoculars bring them along, I also have some pairs that I can lend out.

The birds at Lazo Marsh are very tame (locals feed them) so we will be able to get some close-up looks at some of our common birds. There are also often ducks/swans at the marsh viewing platform.

Please RSVP and let us know if you can come. In the event of extreme weather we will cancel. If we have to cancel I will send an email out the morning of the 29th and post it on our Facebook page also.

Hope to see you on the 29th!

Regards,
Rene Jorgenson & Jocie Brooks, Volunteer leaders

Comox Valley NatureKids
The Nature Exploration Club for Familieswww.naturekidsbc.ca
Facebook: NatureKidsBC
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Bird Outing Report: Courtenay Airpark, Jan.19,2017

Today, January 19th, 11 birders spent a pleasant morning (with only a brief shower) at Courtenay Airpark and found 29 species. Highlights included great views of Ring-billed Gulls and White-crowned Sparrows.

Canada Goose
Trumpeter Swan
American Wigeon
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Greater Scaup
Surf Scoter
Bufflehead
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Northern Harrier
Bald Eagle
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)
Anna’s Hummingbird
Northwestern Crow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bewick’s Wren
European Starling
Dark-eyed Junco
White-crowned Sparrow
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
American Goldfinch

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