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Our next Explorer Day will be on Saturday, June 25, 2:00-3:30 pm and we will meet at the Nature House of Miracle Beach Provincial Park. We will be exploring the sandy beach at low tide.
Children may like to wade in the tide pools so please wear footwear that can get wet and shorts. If it’s a cooler day pants and gumboots will be fine. Bring a snack and water bottle and don’t forget the sunscreen and hats!
We look forward to seeing you on the 25th,
Regards,
Thursday June 16th, birds were active and singing at Cumberland Marsh. Six birders enjoyed a pleasant, sunny morning and found 36 species. Highlights included great looks at Black-headed Grosbeak (pair), Black-throated Gray Warbler (pair), and Band-tailed Pigeon.
Mallard
Turkey Vulture
Band-tailed Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Rufous Hummingbird
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Willow Flycatcher
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Cassin’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
Marsh Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Cedar Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow Warbler
Black-throated Gray Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Black-headed Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
American Goldfinch
Thursday June 9th, the showers held off and four birders enjoyed a pleasant morning on the One Spot Trail. The birds were quite active and we found 30 species, but no particular highlights.
Ruffed Grouse
Bald Eagle
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Cassin’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Barn Swallow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Western Tanager
Black-headed Grosbeak
Brown-headed Cowbird
Purple Finch
Red Crossbill
Seven birders went to Wildwood Swamp and Wildwood Forest this morning. Highlights were several Wood Ducks, one Pied-billed Grebe, a heard-only MacGillivray’s Warbler and a seen-singing Willow Flycatcher.
28 species were noted:
Wood Duck
Mallard
Hooded Merganser
Pied-billed Grebe
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Killdeer
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Willow Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Cassin’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Steller’s Jay
Common Raven
Violet-green Swallow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
Varied Thrush
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
MacGillivray’s Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Song Sparrow
Red-winged Blackbird
American Bullfrog (heard well out in the swamp)
This Thursday 8 birders were treated to a morning full of bird song at the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds. Other highlights were close looks at 3 Brown Creepers and hearing as well as seeing several Swainson’s Thrush. Our total number of species for the morning was 32.
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Anna’s Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-breasted Sapsucker
Northern Flicker
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Cassin’s Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Brown Creeper
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Spotted Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Western Tanager
Red Crossbill
Pine Siskin
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Greetings all,
There was no monthly gathering in the second week in May because of the BC Nature AGM being held here May 12-15th.
The weather could not have been better for the Field Trips and here are some comments on things botanical from four of the sites : Mitlenatch, Tree Island, Kin Beach & the Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve.
On Mitlenatch the Camassia (camas) had already set seed, the widespread Lomatium nudicaule (Indian Consumption Plant) was in both bloom and seed, the Allium acuminatum (Hookers onion) and Lilium columbianum (tiger lily) were just coming out.
The wardens for the week (Peggy and Dave) pointed out how the Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon) seems to becoming the dominant shrub and the Sedum divergens (spreading stonecrop) has been taking over the rocky crevices where the Opuntia fragilis (prickly pear cactus) grows.
From Tree Island, Jocie has sent photos of two items of special note: the red listed Abronia latifolia (yellow sand-verbena), blooming splendidly (as is also on the DND site on the Spit), and the unusually shaped Amsinckia spectabilis (seaside fiddle-neck) .
On the Kin Beach outing, Helen reported : “the highlight for me was having Terry Taylor (formerly of Vancouver, but now living in Qualicum Beach) along as a guest. (He always writes an interesting article in each BC Nature magazine, and has done so for years). He identified about 7 grasses; and close to the Suksdorf’s mugwort by the beach parking area, spotted a little brown area in the hard-packed gravel, got down with his hand lens, and identified Crassula tillaea, mossy stonecrop, an introduced species, and he said it was in bloom! I went down yesterday, and got a sample to look at under the microscope. The plant is so dried out, and so tiny, but I could make out the features. In that location it would be quite impossible to photograph. He said that he will come up next year and help us identify other grasses in the Comox Valley.”
At the Comox Lake Bluffs Ecological Reserve, where everything is already parched, Helen noted as outstanding all the non- chlorophyll plants visible : gnome-plant, pinesap, candystick, western coralroot, spotted coralroot, Indian-pipe (just emerging), Vancouver groundcone, and California broomrape. Below is a photo of Corallorhiza maculata ssp maculata (spotted coralroot) from the forest area of the Eco-Reserve.
There was certainly an impressive show for our visitors.
Alison
Today the showers held off and 7 birders spent a pleasant morning at Courtenay Airpark and Walkway. We found 31 species. Highlights included distant Whimbrels and good looks at Long-billed Dowitchers.
Canada Goose
Mallard
Green-winged Teal
Common Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Bald Eagle
Whimbrel
Western Sandpiper
Long-billed Dowitcher
Glaucous-winged Gull
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Rufous Hummingbird
Northern Flicker
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Northwestern Crow
Purple Martin
Violet-green Swallow
Barn Swallow
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bushtit
Marsh Wren
Bewick’s Wren
Swainson’s Thrush
American Robin
European Starling
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Song Sparrow
Spotted Towhee
Red-winged Blackbird
Today 11 birders spent a pleasant morning at Bear Creek Park and we found 23 species of birds – but no bears 🙂 Highlights included good looks at a pair of Common Mergansers and a singing Pacific-slope Flycatcher, and hearing a Western Tanager and a Wilson’s Warbler. The breeding birds are gradually showing up and we look forward to more species and numbers the next time we go to Bear Creek Park.
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Bald Eagle
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Common Raven
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Pacific Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Orange-crowned Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Wilson’s Warbler
Song Sparrow
Western Tanager