Celebrating Bat Appreciation Day, April 17, 2020 Yes, bats are definitely cool. Here are three reasons why: 1. They can fly. Bats are mammals that belong to the order Chiroptera (from the Greek cheir – “hand” and pteron -“wing”). The forelimbs of bats form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of Read more…
Forty-nine people representing 15 different teams surveyed the forests, neighbourhoods, marine waters and the feeders of Mayne Island on December 14, 2019. Collectively, they logged just over 100 km and invested just under 67 hours searching for our wintering birds. The weather was wet in the morning and overcast for the Read more…
As I write this, I can hear the distinct and beautiful call of a Purple Martin foraging over the Conservancy office. At that moment I am reminded that just under two decades ago, this was a call not heard on Mayne Island as the total population in BC at that Read more…
Right now, at any time of day—but especially the morning—you can hear the sounds of birds: male birds on their territories; parents attending nests; and the first broods of young birds hungrily trilling to be fed. Out of all these sounds, a few species of birds’ songs stand out. The Read more…
Living on the coast, gulls are part of our viewscape and soundscape but few people know them beyond ‘seagulls’. They are conspicuous and gregarious and seem equally at home in urban, agricultural and marine areas. Most of the gull species are in one family and all are similar in colour Read more…
This is the latest instalment in our series of articles on the remarkable diversity of birds that visit Mayne Island’s shores in winter. Grebes Grebes are similar to loons, superficially, but are smaller, have lobed toes (as opposed to webbed) set far back on their bodies, and have longer, thinner Read more…
Loons are large, bulky waterbirds with a distinct dagger-like bill, short neck, and long wings. Their feet are set well back on their body for maximum propulsion underwater, but make for poor mobility on land. Most people know the ethereal call of the loons, often heard on small lakes and Read more…
Mayne Island’s surrounding waters are a good place to look for diving ducks. This group of ducks are also known as sea ducks and on Mayne Island we have records for nine different species, some quite rare. They are the Bufflehead, the Harlequin Duck, the Barrow’s and Common goldeneye, the Read more…
Cormorants are big birds with long necks and long hooked bills. The three species of cormorants frequenting Mayne Island waters are all uniformly black, but with some breeding variations. This group of species captures fish by diving and pursuing them. They propel themselves underwater by use of their large webbed Read more…
Editor’s note: we are delighted to present a series of articles by our own Michael Dunn, featuring the winter marine birds of Mayne Island. Be sure to attend Michael’s hands-on birding workshop on December 1st. The Salish Sea—our home— is an important place for marine birds and shorebirds. Did you Read more…