Vancouver Island Nature Tours

I don’t normally flagrantly self-promote on this site. But an incident a couple of weeks ago has prompted me to post something about what tour guides such as myself bring to the table for visitors. This article is aimed at some of the local people who may not appreciate this. And sadly, there seem to [...]

There are taller trees. There are trees with larger circumferences. And there are trees whose crowns spread further. But there are no other trees in Canada that combine all three to be the most massive tree than the Cheewhat Giant. It is a Western Redcedar, Thuja plicata, near the shore of Cheewhat Lake on the [...]

I know, the first thing you’ll probably be thinking is what the heck is this? Really, it’s a mapping exercise, because that is the major finished product; a book of maps. When it’s complete, British Columbia will have a very good geographic understanding of where each bird species nests in British Columbia complete with a [...]

The status Oregon Ash in British Columbia is a matter of some debate among botanists. It is the rarest tree on Vancouver Island. But the debate is whether it is introduced or natural to BC. Some botanists think it’s presence on Vancouver Island is from seeds disseminated from planted ornamentals. However one recent authority says [...]

Click on the title to see the post without the Welcome box in the middle. A spring trip to Sandy Island Marine Provincial Park is a magnificent way to spend the day. This, rather convoluted name, was given to the park when it was established in 1966. But locals refer to it as Tree Island. [...]

Recently a person sent me a picture of a strange looking American Robin that had been hanging around her home. It is displaying a condition known as leucism. Some people refer to it as albinism. But that is not quite the correct term. For albinism is a condition where there is no colour in any [...]

Click on the title to see the page properly. Lots of people these days travel with bicycles on Vancouver Island. And why not? It’s a great way to get a little exercise and have a relaxing time peddling through the neighbourhoods and parks of the places you visit. You can even do it if you aren’t [...]

With the recent huge earthquake in Japan, I immediately thought of my personal exposure to a similar event here. I live in the Tsunami Hazard Zone in Port Alberni. Of course, almost everyone in Port Alberni and most people on Vancouver Island are aware of the tsunami that hit the west coast of the island [...]

Classic adult Herring Gull Originally uploaded by TheRainbird Contrary to many Vancouver Islander’s opinion Herring Gulls are not the common gull species on Vancouver Island. The Glaucous-winged Gull is. I was guilty of this for the first two years I was on the island. Adult Herring Gulls are relativley easy to distinguish from the Glaugous-winged. [...]

Many people think that winter still has its icy grip on us. But there are a few signs of spring already in the fields and forests of Vancouver Island. One of them is that the Beaked Hazelnut bushes are in bloom. Hazelnuts are large shrubs found in the wild lowland areas of Vancouver Island. They [...]