Three species of snake are known to Mayne Island, and all of them are garter snakes. All three species are similar in appearance yet with practice may be distinguished from each other based on a few subtle features, including details in the way they look and how they behave. None 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…
There is a long history of “BioBlitzing” in Canada, which you are cordially invited to participate in this May! By joining our BioBlitz you’ll contribute to the legacy of natural history research on Mayne Island that goes back to the turn of the 20th century, with the collection efforts of Read more…
Rediscovering Mayne Island’s Biodiversity This year the Mayne Island Conservancy and Galiano Conservancy Association are coordinating an unprecedented inter-island BioBlitz enlisting more than thirty specialists in a survey of the biological diversity that surrounds us. Our surveys will target both land-based and marine ecosystems, adding to an existing baseline inventory 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…
The perfect stocking-stuffer for the nature lover in your family. We’re proud to present a new and updated version of our popular checklist of Mayne Island birds, featuring not only the birds of our island, but details on where and when to look for them. The updated checklist includes 15 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…