If you were to ever invite a turkey vulture to dinner, it’d be a long, drawn out, rather repelling affair: The meal would begin by not beginning, as turkey vultures don’t have very sharp beaks and therefore need to wait for other scavengers such as eagles or ravens to tear Read more…
Organized by Michael Dunn, Executive Director, Mayne Conservancy International Migratory Bird Day 2023 will be celebrated in North America on Saturday, May 13. It is designated as a day to reflect on the amazing travels of many bird species from wintering to breeding sites and also to raise awareness of Read more…
2022 Christmas Bird Count There are many factors (weather, temperature, visibility, number of counters, food supply, suitable habitats, etc.) that influence the outcomes of the annual Christmas Bird Counts (CBC). Either singly or in combination, they can cause great variations within count areas, between adjacent count areas and the whole Read more…
Doors open at 1:00 pm at the Ag Hall. Please register for this event – link below. Admission by donation. Owls are mysterious creatures known far and wide as symbols of wisdom, omens of death, and bringers of prophecy. There are over 200 species of owls, and each seems to Read more…
If you stand underneath a large Douglas fir this time of year, it may not be as quiet and still as you’d expect. Chickadees peck at the cones, chittering juncos scavenge fallen seeds, a nuthatch clings upside down on the trunk and regards you curiously, flickers hunt insects in the Read more…
The Annual Christmas Bird Count is a going concern on Mayne Island. Our community of Birders are a dedicated group who will go out to do their bit regardless of the elements. Michael Dunn is the lead organizer of the annual tradition and is happy to hear from interested newcomers. Read more…
Winter Birding in the Field, will give participants a hands-on opportunity to hone their birding skills in advance of the Christmas Bird Count. The outing will take place in an area that is known to be habitat for many of the species that call Mayne Island home in the winter Read more…
Pine Siskin. Photo by Doug Greenberg
It is autumn and hundreds of gulls are flocking to Active Pass, feeding off the annual flood of plankton. If you stand on the Miners Bay Dock and watch as they twist and turn and plunge into the water, you might notice two bald eagles swooping in amongst them, their Read more…
Do you recall the phrase “If you build it, he will come” from the 1989 film Field of Dreams? Well, in the case of the elusive Wilson’s Snipe, we might rephrase it to “If you build it, s/he will stay.” This past spring, the owners of Hedgerow Farm on Mayne Read more…