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…
The Pigeons and Doves of Mayne Island Birds provide a rich contribution to our island soundscape through their songs, calls and other sounds. We have three representatives of the pigeon and dove family which contribute the wonderful cooing sounds we can hear through out the forests, shorelines and gardens of Mayne Read more…
Article by Michael Dunn. Photos by Don Enright. Meet the Anna’s Hummingbird The Anna’s hummingbird is a relative newcomer to Mayne Island. In fact, it has only been a year-round resident for the last decade or so, although we don’t know for sure that the birds that breed here are Read more…
Do you have bats on your property? Have you seen them entering or exiting their daytime roosts? The Mayne Island Community Bat Conservation Program is looking for roosting colony sites for our Annual Bat Count. Currently we know of only one roost colony, and we are looking for more on Read more…
What’s up with all the Steller’s jays? Article by Michael Dunn. Photos by Don Enright When I was young and growing up in Victoria, I recall late summer and early fall months when Steller’s jays were everywhere around my neighbourhood. I lived very close to Beacon Hill Park and knew then Read more…
by Michael Dunn The conservation covenant is one of the most useful and flexible land stewardship tools we have available to us. A conservation covenant is a legal tool created by Section 219 of the BC Land Title Act. It was designed for conservation purposes and provides the legal basis Read more…
Project Outline Mayne Island Conservancy is joint caretaker of the Active Pass Important Bird Area, an international designation for areas that support internationally and nationally significant populations or species of birds at some part of their life cycle. Active Pass is habitat for three bird species that fall under the Read more…
Introduction by Michael Dunn and Mike Hoebel For 2013, six stewards provided their observations of bird and marine mammal activities within the Important Bird Area (IBA.) Compared to the first year of steward observations, the number of reports were down and coming on a less regular basis. Michael Dunn and Read more…
by Michael Dunn and Mike Hoebel Introduction For 2012, 5 stewards continued to provide their observations of bird and marine mammal activities within the IBA. Compared to the first year of steward observations the number of reports were down and coming on a less regular basis. This year is the Read more…