Forty-six people collectively logged over 100 hours and 188 km to survey the forests, neighbourhoods, marine waters and the feeders of Mayne Island on December 20, 2020. Because of the weather predictions we needed to set a date around a better weather window, which proved to be a great decision. Read more…
This article is reproduced with permission from Wildlife Rescue. For more information and learn how you can help, join, or donate, please see wildliferescue.ca It is an irruptive year for Pine Siskins! Each Winter, these nomadic finches range widely and erratically across North America, their migrations heavily food driven. These past Read more…
This year many of us have lived quieter lives, keeping each other safe by distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. With restrictions in travel across the globe, a phenomenon occurred during the pandemic lockdowns that is unlikely to happen again anytime soon; a quieter ocean. Over the last few decades, it Read more…
Here are all the amazing submissions we received for the 2020 Nature Photo Contest in the Native Creatures category. This was a very popular and competitive category this year, and our judges had some tough choices to make with so many great photos. We’re pleased to be able to share Read more…
Mayne Island Field Notes, December 2020 Blustery winds and pelting November rain meant the outdoors didn’t beckon as usual, but too much time curled up with books and staring at screens was starting to make us bug-eyed, so we bundled up and headed up Mt. Parke for a bracing hike. Read more…
by Michael Dunn and Nancy Gibson Despite its relatively small land area, Mayne Island is a mosaic of forests, clearings, and agricultural fields that offer diverse habitats and ecosystems for many bird species. Wetlands are not common on the island, but we do have a range of forests from the Read more…
We had an excellent diversity of photos submitted this year. In total, 35 amateur photographers submitted 87 photographs. Thank you to everyone who submitted entries, as well as our judges for making some tough decisions. Below is a slideshow of the winning selection, in no particular order. All of the Read more…
Our executive director Michael Dunn reports that he attended a virtual conference on all things bat for BC Community Bat folks. Here is one that may be of interest to our many community members who are interested in co-existing with bats.
Sea Discovery: Chitons, the algae vacuums of the intertidal Chitons are a group of molluscs that are defined by the eight plates that act as armour on their backs. These plates are mobile and allow the oval-shaped mollusc to curl itself into a ball when hiding from predators (just like Read more…
Hornets in the news In September 2019, a nest of Asian giant hornets was destroyed near Nanaimo. This spring, with pandemic-induced anxieties running high, the New York Times published an article dubbing this invader the “Murder Hornet” after a honeybee hive was decimated in Washington. Unfortunately, this sensationalistic media reporting Read more…