The Many, Many Deer of Mayne Island When driving down a Mayne Island road in the evenings, it’s common to see deer in the headlights – many, many deer. As with most of the Gulf Islands, Mayne has more deer than are ecologically sustainable. European colonization has reduced human hunting Read more…
What might cause a biologist to spend three hopeful days on a paddleboard in the Saanich Inlet in the middle of winter? I’d heard rumour of a basking shark sighted in the area, and the slim possibility of seeing one sent me paddling out in the limited daylight. Although I Read more…
If you can find a rocky place beside the sea, you might spy one of our fin-footed neighbours soaking up the sun. Known collectively as pinnipeds, seals and sea lions are important players in maintaining a diverse and healthy west coast. Local Pinnipeds Globally, there are 33 species of pinnipeds, Read more…
Do you ever stand on the shore or peer off the side of a boat and wonder what’s beneath the waves? If you’re close to an underwater rocky shelf, you could be looking down on a fish born decades before Elvis Presley’s birth. Rockfish are slow growing and long lived, Read more…
It’s that time again! Spring is humming, the native plants are flowering, the frogs are chorusing, the birds are nesting, the insects are buzzing, and the cameras are clicking! Now is the perfect time to get outside and hunt for that perfect nature photo for this year’s Amateur Nature Photo Read more…