Vancouver Island Nature Tours

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 [...]

Celebrating the first Matsutake
Originally uploaded by TheRainbird
Masaya is a very persistent fellow! He has been on a mushroom tour with me before, but he didn’t quite get what he was hoping for. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they had a great time. But he was hoping to pick some Matsutake Mushrooms on it. [...]

Salmon at Stamp Falls
Originally uploaded by TheRainbird
I suppose it is time to get on my annual soap box and rave about how great the the spectacle is at Stamp Falls. It is truly the best place on Vancouver Island to see salmon migrating to the spawning grounds.

Any time from early September to late October is [...]

Clutesi Haven Marina

Originally uploaded by TheRainbird

Early fall at the Clutesi Haven Marina. The annual Port Alberni Salmon Festival will be on again this Labour Day weekend. A $10,000 prize for the biggest fish caught. The Alberni Inlet is a frenzy of sport fishing boats vying for position and hoping luck will com their way. Here [...]

Bear on the Somass River
Originally uploaded by TheRainbird

For most of the year bears are not seen on the far bank of the Somass River. But from mid-August to late October this is the best place to see Black Bears on Vancouver Island. They are commonly seen on low tides at the mouth of the river [...]