Category Archives: Vancouver Island

Trip Report – Qualicum Area Birdwatching – 12 Apr 2017

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A small group of us set out with low expectations, under heavy grey skies, to look for migrating geese. We were in quest of Brant, a beautiful small goose that makes a stop-over in this area to re-fuel on the trip north. We started our exploration at Rathtrevor Beach, just south of Parksville and had several other sites located in case we had to search the length of the estuary area to find groups of Brant. But as soon as we walked over to the edge of the sand we were delighted to see large numbers of these elegant black and white geese strung along the waterline. Among them were a number of shorebirds – Black Turnstones and Black-bellied Plovers. We walked out along the sand as far as we dared without disturbing the birds, set up the spotting scope, and enjoyed the show.

As we had a closer look, we realized that there was a lot of activity offshore as well. A bunch of immense sea lions were splashing and interacting just beyond the Brant, and we spotted a group of porpoise swimming by. Beyond all that were large rafts of Scoters and the occasional loon. There was a feeling of excitement in the air as all these critters were energetically feeding and organizing themselves for the next leg on the push northward to breed.

After taking in our fill at this location, we moved to the forested area on the other side of Englishman River to see what we could turn up there. The forest was beautiful, but there was not a lot of bird activity. We did spot large numbers of Swallows (Bank, we presumed) zooming about along the river. It’s always nice to see these birds in good numbers, knowing that their populations are struggling worldwide.

After a warm-up lunch in a pub in Parksville and we made a final stop inland at Hamilton Marsh near Coombs. A short walk took us to a large open wetland area with a dock extending into the water. We spotted many Canada Geese, Buffleheads, Red-winged Blackbirds and lots of Tree Swallows swooping about.

Altogether, our bird list for the day totaled 37 species:
American Robin
Northwest Crow
Bald Eagle
Brant Goose
Black Turnstone
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Black Oystercatcher
White Winged Scoter
Surf Scoter
Common loon
Eared Grebe
Black-bellied Plover
Mew Gull
Thayer’s Gull
California Gull
Pine Siskin
Dark-eyed Junco
Spotted Towhee
Wilsons Warbler
Red-breasted Merganser
Belted Kingfisher
Common Raven
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Mallard
Savannah Sparrow
Bank Swallow
Pacific Wren
Red-winged Blackbird
Bufflehead
Tree Swallow
Brown Creeper
Great Blue Heron
House Finch

Kathryn

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Thanks to Kathryn and Norris for the photos

Bird Watching – Qualicum Shoreline – 29 Mar 2017

Hiking – Campbell River Loop – 26 April 2017

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Activity Hiking
Destination Campbell River Loop
Date 26 April 2017, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Debbie Quigg
Contact Info 285-3710 or debbie.quigg@ualberta.ca.  Please contact the coordinator in advance of the trip in order to arrange carpools.
Description The plan is to hike the full loop beginning at the logging bridge across the Campbell River.  We will hike along the north shore of the River (hopefully there will still be some trillium and fawn lilies in bloom), across the Canyon View Bridge, up to the Elk Falls viewing area, Moose and Deer Falls, before heading back down on the south side of the River.  This will depend on weather and construction.  About 12 km and 5 hours, if we do the full loop.
Meeting Place Q Cove Ferry terminal.  Drivers will need to be early enough to be on the ferry.
Departure Time 9:00 ferry
Difficulty
 A few steep places, but mostly reasonable walking on good trails.
Costs Shared ferry costs
Trip limits None
Dogs?
Notes: Bring lunch and gear for weather.

Snow – Mt Washington – 19 April 2017

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This trip has been cancelled

Activity Snow
Destination Mt. Washington
Date 19 April 2017, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Norris Weimer
Contact Info Please contact the coordinator at norris.weimer@ualberta.ca or 3710 by Sunday night so that car pools can be arranged.
Description This will be a late season snowshoe trip to Mt. Washington.  The snow is likely to be very wet.  The ski resort will be closed, so one possibility is to snowshoe to the top of the mountain.  We can modify this for the weather and the group.
Meeting Place Quadra ferry terminal to Campbell River.  Car pools should be arranged in advance.
Departure Time 9:00 ferry to Campbell River.  Those taking cars need to be early enough to get on the 9:00 ferry.
Difficulty
 Moderate
Costs Ferry and shared fuel.
Trip limits Availability of cars going up to Mt. Washington.
Dogs? No
Notes: Bring equipment, warm clothing and lunch. Maybe sun lotion, if we’re lucky.

 

Bird Watching – Qualicum shoreline – 29 March 2017

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 Change of date from March 29 to April 12!

Activity Bird Watching
Destination Qualicum area shoreline
Date 12 April 29 March 2017, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator Mark Zimmerman
Contact  mz.markzimmerman@gmail.com or 285-2103; please contact the coordinator ten days to one week prior to the trip to ensure car pooling availability.
Description The focus of the trip will be on local area birds and water birds, particularly brants.  The group may visit more than one location depending on the cooperation of the birds.  Actual destinations will be decided closer to the time of the trip and will remain flexible.
Meeting Place Q Cove ferry terminal
Departure Time Early ferry departure TBD
Difficulty
 Easy walking
Costs Shared fuel and ferry costs
Trip limits
Dogs? no
Notes: Bring lunch, gear for the weather and binoculars.

Trip Report – Salmon Pt to Oyster River – 24 Jan 2017

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Six of us met at Salmon Point Resort for lunch at noon. This is something we had not tried before but was a good social outing. If you have not tried this restaurant you should. It has a great view to Mitlenatch Island and the coastal mountains beyond. They have lunch specials. Their seafood chowder in a bread bowl as well as the calamari is delicious.

After lunch we walked from the resort to the Oyster River. This time of year the trail head can be covered with water but the resort lets the public go through the trailer park sites. Dogs must be leashed. The low land at the first of the walk is a great place to bird watch. We saw many birds, ducks and some trumpeter swans. Last summer much of the trail was moved closer to the ocean and covered with bark mulch. At the south end you go into the Oyster River Nature Park. It is only a 12 acre park but has many small trails. Be careful near the river as part of the path was eroded during the heavy rains. If it is a cold day or you want a break you can stop at the Fisherman’s Pub. We returned to the vehicles via the same route. It was about 6.5 km and took 2 hours.

Les

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Hiking – Salmon Pt to Oyster River – 24 Jan 2017

Trip Report – Mt Washington – 4 Jan 2017

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We had a perfect winter day for our trip to the Mt. Washington area. It was cold and clear, but warmer on the hill than on Quadra. The ferry crossing was beautiful and there were Orca for added entertainment. We snowshoed from Rampart Hill and arrived early enough that it was not too busy. The 10 of us started up the logging road, taking the route climbing up to the views of the Strait of Georgia and mainland mountains. The scenery was awesome and we’re pretty sure that we could see Mt. Baker faintly to the southeast. The snow had been beautifully sculpted in places, but was mostly very light and powdery still. We gradually worked our way toward Rampart Creek, stopping for lunch in the open sunshine before climbing up to a distinctive steep bluff. We then downclimbed a steep slope with small trees and returned to the logging road to take us back to the vehicles. We passed only a few others on snowshoes and some of them were from Quadra. Altogether a beautiful day. 6.0 km ; 3½ hours.

Debbie

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Snow – Mt Washington 4 Jan 2017

Snow – Mt Washington – 8 Feb 2017

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Activity Snow
Destination Mt. Washington
Date 8 February 2017, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator QIOC
Contact Info qioutdoorclub@gmail.com;  please e-mail by Sunday night
Description We are planning to snowshoe, but other activities are possible if enough people and vehicles want to go.  We will probably go to the Paradise Meadow area.
Meeting Place Quadra ferry terminal to Campbell River.  Car pools should be arranged in advance.
Departure Time 9:00 ferry to Campbell River.  Those taking cars need to be early enough to get on the 9:00 ferry.
Difficulty
 Up to the group.
Costs Ferry, shared fuel and the activity pass, if we go to the prepared trails.  The snowshoe day pass is $10; Cross-country ski pass is $22 or $18 for seniors.
Trip limits Availability of cars going up to Mt. Washington to a maximum of 12
Dogs? No
Notes: Bring equipment, warm clothing and lunch.

 

Snow – Mt Washington – 4 Jan 2017

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Activity Snow
Destination Mt. Washington
Date 4 Jan 2017, Wednesday
Trip Coordinator QIOC
Contact Info qioutdoorclub@gmail.com;  please e-mail by Sunday night
Description We are planning to snowshoe, but other activities are possible if enough people and vehicles want to go.  Conditions are good at Mt. Washington with most of the Nordic area open
Meeting Place Quadra ferry terminal to Campbell River.  Car pools should be arranged in advance.
Departure Time 9:00 ferry to Campbell River.  Those taking cars need to be early enough to get on the 9:00 ferry.
Difficulty
 Up to the group.
Costs Ferry, shared fuel and the activity pass, if we go to the prepared trails.  The snowshoe day pass is $10; Cross-country ski pass is $22 or $18 for seniors.
Trip limits Availability of cars going up to Mt. Washington to a maximum of 12
Dogs? No
Notes: Bring equipment, warm clothing and lunch.

 

Trip Report – Mt Washington – 6 Dec 2016

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The weather was absolutely fabulous for our first snowshoeing trip of the year. Even the ferry ride was beautiful. The four of us snowshoed from Rampart Hill, following broken trail on the old logging roads and untracked slopes on the open and sunny bluffs. We had light, dry snow on top of very compact snow, so the conditions were good. The views of mainland and Vancouver Island mountains were wonderful.

We worked our way south, stopping for lunch with a Whiskey Jack, dropping down into the steep gully and returning in a loop to the parked car. Although the trail was quiet, it was very busy at Rampart Hill chain-up area, with people snowshoeing, snowmobiling, children sledding, and an enthusiastic husky team pulling a sled. 5.2 km; 2¾ hours.

Debbie

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Snow – Mt Washington 7 Dec 2016

Multi-day Hiking – Salt Spring Island – 30 Jan-2 Feb 2017

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 This trip is FULL.   You may call the coordinator to be put on the wait-list.

Activity Three days of hiking
Destination Salt Spring Island
Date 30 Jan – 2 Feb 2017, Monday to Thursday
Trip Coordinator Margot Wood
Contact Info margotw@gicable.com or phone 250.285.2393; please contact the coordinator as soon as possible; the deadline for committing to this trip is December 29.
Description Staying three nights at a rental property on Salt Spring Island, hiking each day.  We will check into the rental property & get settled. Off to hike. There are a number of hiking trails on Salt Spring Island, the most popular trails are in Maxwell Park. Maxwell Park is the second highest point on SSI. It rises about 595 metres, with a sheer drop on one side. the view can be quite spectacular. There is a network of trails within the park, one can drive into the park or walk up. Mt. Baker can be seen to the east, on a very clear day. There is also a network of hiking trails at Ruckle Park down in the southeast corner of SSI. A spectacular trail that goes to the shore at Yeo Point, lots of bird life on the water. There are some lovely hiking trails in Mouat Park, right in Ganges. Another addition is the Quarry Park Trail in Vesuvius, the trail takes you down to the waters edge. The Dunbabin Trail meanders through the forest in Dunbabin Park, an easy trail, a few stairs along the way. We will probably run out of days, not hiking trails.
We will divide the dinners amongst us and be responsible for our own breakfasts and lunches.
Car-pooling will be organized.
Salt Spring Island Hiking Trails: http://www.saltspringmarket.com Click on Hiking Trails & Map.
Meeting Place Quathiaski Cove, ferry line-up
Departure Time 9:00 am sailing, be early in case of overload.
Difficulty  Easy to Moderate.
Cost Accommodation approx. $65-$70 p. night, depending on number of persons attending. Ferry costs. Gas.
Trip limits Eight people.  Deadline booking is 29 Dec 2016. Full payment will be required on that date.
Dogs? No
Notes: Salt Spring Island Hiking Trails: http://www.saltspringmarket.com   Click on Hiking Trails & Map.