Vancouver Island Nature Tours

Many of the trails on Central Vancouver Island, including the Alberni Valley, are only known by locals. Often people new to the area need to meet people who have been in the area for a while before they find out where these trails are. They are usually not mapped by anyone except perhaps by a [...]

This is a classic example of a stilt-tree. What’s a stilt-tree?
Well this tree germinated where the red dot in this photo is. When this tree germinated from a seed there was a stump here. and it germinated on the stump. As time passed the seedling grew as the stump rotted. The moist rainforest climate allowed [...]

I recently ran across a couple at Victoria Quay in Port Alberni. They had the tell-tale sign of a birder and a visitor - binoculars hanging from their necks and hanging around the signs by the Somass River. I approached them and they started asking about how to get to the bird sanctuary on [...]

One of my favourite places to go is Fossli Provincial Park. Despite it being a provincial park, few people are aware of it. It’s on the other side of Sproat Lake. That is, on the south side. But it’s not that hard to get to. And it is a wonderful place to spend [...]

A herring skiff
Originally uploaded by TheRainbird
Each year herring spawns around Vancouver Island in early March. This year is no exception. Just this morning I heard that the herring were spawning near French Creek between Parksville and Qualicum Beach. this attracts tens of thousands of birds, of all kinds as well as seals, and sea lions. [...]

Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus)
Originally uploaded by TheRainbird
This lobster-like creature is very common in the streams and lakes of the Pacific Northwest. Although its claws are much smaller than it’s saltwater cousin they can still give a nasty pinch!
I took the first picture last summer on one of my nature tours. I had posted it on [...]

ing tide” is a phrase used in Australia and the South Pacific to describe the highest tides of the year. They occur once in the summer and once in the winter. In Australia, they are considered quite dangerous for surfing. They are also becoming recognized as useful indicators of any effect of rising sea levels. [...]

How many birds in the flock?
Originally uploaded by TheRainbird

With Christmas Bird Counts starting all across North America next week it is timely to begin thinking about how good you are at counting birds in a flock. In this case, it is a flock of Starlings congregating in the evening before settling on a roost for [...]

WeinerFalls
Originally uploaded by TheRainbird
Last summer, Weiner Falls and Rainbird Excursions were featured in a local cable television production. This magnificent waterfall is completely unknown to most of the people in the the community. And I’ve been getting calls even now (It’s December) asking how to get to it. The waterfall is only about a 30 [...]

Winer Falls in the Rain
Originally uploaded by TheRainbird
One of the questions I often get asked by guests is, “How much does it rain on Vancouver Island? Good question. After all we live here in a temperate rainforest. And the answer, of course, is “It varies!”
I pulled out some precipitation data from the Environment Canada Weather [...]