Some 250 years ago, Pacific herring existed so abundantly in the Salish Sea that the Lekwungen Peoples would rake them from the ocean. Today, more than a century of settlers overfishing this species continues to have impacts on regional bird life.
About 20 years ago, I travelled to Ottawa to observe a rare Townsend’s Solitaire that was frequenting the Ottawa Experimental Farm area. Even though I have…
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As New Year’s Day is close by and with the passing of 2020, it is time for my annual year end bird report. Despite the onset of COVID-19, the birds continued to come and go in our area. This past year we experienced nine rare birds and at least eight scarce birds.
The months of January and February are usually good for feeder watching, but this past winter there was a lack of northern migrants, especially Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, and both Evening and Pine Grosbeaks. However, the owl population was quite active, especially Snowy and Barred Owls. There was also an unusually high number of over-wintering Robins.