by Janet May, 10 May 2014. Ten members met Pierre Geoffray at the Italian Hall in Wildwood and immediately we began listening for birds. We encountered several migrant flocks passing through the area. Warblers of many varieties sang out, and we were delighted to spot orange-crowned, black-throated grey, and Townsend’s as well as a warbling vireo … Continue reading Birding by ear Part IV

by David Bedry, 3 May 2014. On Saturday I led a small group to view the spring wildflowers at Dinner Rock.  We saw quite a few wild flowers, had a good walk and made some new friends.  It was an enjoyable day out as always.

We like to get up, and get out and about!  In the past we’ve explored Mitlenatch Island and the intertidal reef off Hernando Island visited the Horne Lake Caves helicoptered into local high alpine country learned about local wildflowers, birds,forests and  mushrooms experienced the waters ,forests,and  history of Powell River and many, many more! Important … Continue reading Field-trips

by Heidi Rohard, 20 February 2014. Shirley Cole led a group of seven on a nature walk along some Squirrel Crossing trails. She pointed out to us various twigs, such as huckleberry, hardhack, salmonberry and pacific crabapple.  We learned the difference between a yew and a hemlock and can now identify bunchberry, oregon grape and salal. … Continue reading Twigs and more with Shirley Cole

by Heather Harbord, 5 November 2013. Eleven of us boarded John Dafoe’s comfortable power boat at the government dock at Saltery Bay.  As we drew into Hotham Sound,  we saw the hump and dorsal fin of a humpback whale.  As we lingered to watch several of us got good pictures of the fin, the blow and … Continue reading Princess Louisa Inlet

by Michael Stewart, 20 October 2013. Twenty-nine eager participants arrived to learn about Mushrooms from Izi Loveluck.  We met and carpooled from the Town Center Mall or the south end of Duck Lake Road and travelled to Squirrel Crossing. We walked the short distance to the bridge crossing the river and then Izi gave us a … Continue reading Mushrooms

by Heidi Rohard, 5 October 2013.  A group of 15 club members met at the Lang Creek spawning channel on Saturday.  The weather was overcast, but dry and not too cold.  Michael Stewart started off by explaining the work that had been done by volunteers of the Powell River Garden Club, creating a beautiful setting of … Continue reading Lang Creek salmon

by Sharon Godkin, 30 July 2013. Five members jammed into Barbara Sherriff’s car on the noon ferry to Comox to meet our February speaker, Terry Thormin, for a dragonfly field trip. By the time we arrived at Little River Park near the ferry terminal, the dragonflies were in full form skimming over the two ponds in … Continue reading Dragonflies

by Andrew Bryant, 22 July 2013. Twelve of us embarked upon the Misty Isles in Lund and set out for the unknown (at least to me) waters surrounding Hernando Island.  Luckily Mike Moore AKA “Captain Mike” clearly knew his stuff and made us feel comfortable and safe.  The skies were clear and the ocean blue.  We saw a … Continue reading Hernando Reef

by David Bedry, 22 June 2013. With a one foot tide five of us met Heather at the foot of Masset Street.  We walked out onto the beach from there to look for various saltwater flora and fauna.  There were a variety of small crab in the 1-2 inch deep water.  As soon as they detected … Continue reading Westview seashore photography

by Heather Habord, 15 June 2013. Participants not only got to visit the island, they get there on the trusty Misty Isles with Mike Moore.   Mike is an expert captain who shared all kinds of coastal stories.   His wife is the botanist who led the on-shore trip.   The spring flowers were out in … Continue reading Mitlenatch visit

by David Bedry, 11 May 2013. Eleven people met in Lund to take the water taxi over to Savary Island.  We were met by the Treen’s who had scouted out and marked various wild flowers for us to see.  We started with a nice walk along the beach then John directed us up off the beach and into … Continue reading Savary beaches and spring flowers

by Heather Harbord, 20 April 2013. Four of us met Pierre at the Italian Hall and walked north along a muddy trail where we saw or heard 29 species. We mostly focused on the Orange-crowned Warbler’s song.  The long, thin trill that drops at the end.  Luckily there were lots of them today.  Also the “wetchidi-witchidi” of … Continue reading Birding by ear Part III

by Heather Harbord, 7 April 2013.  White avalanche lilies, or fawn lilies (Erythronium montanum)  are at the northern edge of their range in coastal British Columbia.  How they might have reached Sliammon is a bit of a mystery.  Our trip was ably led by Andrew Bryant and Rod Innis. Although the mystery of disjunct geographic distribution remains … Continue reading Fawn Lily Extravaganza

By Heather Harbord, 23 March 2013. Several carloads of us drove up to Goat Lake where we viewed about 4 goats from the viewpoint.  A short hike through the woods took us past the climbers’ camp and out onto the river bank where we ate lunch and enjoyed the rushing water.  Geologist Barbara Sherriff expounded on the local … Continue reading Goats and Eldred River geology

By Heather Harbord, 16 February 2013. Twelve of us, including Barbara Sherriff (Leader) and myself (Coordinator), walked on the 9:50 AM ferry to Texada.  On board, Barbara explained how limestone is formed from marine sediments and how igneous intrusions into it produced small deposits of gold, silver and copper. At Blubber Bay, retired quarry manager, Harold Diggon, … Continue reading Texada Quarry

By Heather Harbord, 25 November 2012. A small delegation of Malaspina Naturalists (all 3 of us) boarded the 8:10 ferry and piled into Clyde Burton’s truck on the other side.  We drove straight to where the Citrine Warbler had first been seen by Comox Valley Naturalists on Nov. 14th. In company with birders from Nanaimo, Vancouver and Iowa … Continue reading A Citrine Wagtail!

By Heather Harbord, 15 October 2012.  Dave Taylor from Texada had been asked to lead this but at the last minute declined saying there were no mushrooms.  Eight of us went to Squirrel Crossing anyway and found about 20 species. Despite a recent injury, Izi Loveluck led the trip as she knew far more than the rest … Continue reading The Great Mushroom Cook-out

by Andrew Bryant, 19 July 2012. Sixteen of us made the first Queen of Burnaby sailing at 8:10 AM.  The day began with clear skies, calm water and great promise… From Little River we car-pooled up the winding road to Mount Washington Alpine Resort, where we ascended to the summit via the ski chair-lift.  Not only was this method much … Continue reading Marmots on Mount Washington

By Heidi Rohard, 5 June 2012.  The rain started in the afternoon, but it was light and there was no wind, making it pleasant enough for 10 birders to meet at Lindsay Park.  We walked around the park for a bit, but birds and other wildlife were pretty elusive except for some violet green swallows flitting … Continue reading Birding by canoe

By Heather Harbord, 2 June 2012. Ten members boarded the Misty Isles at Lund at 10 am and motored to Mitlenatch over calm seas as the wind did not warrant raising the sails.  Half the group went ashore while the other half circumnavigated the island by zodiac.  Although we saw both California and Steller’s sea lions … Continue reading Mitlenatch Island

By Janet Alred, 20 May 2012.  Following the talk the evening before by Sari Saunders and Heather Klassen, Ministry of Forest Research Ecologists for the south coast, based out of Nanaimo along with Andy McKinnon, about 9 people large and small drove to Stillwater to examine the transition between Douglas Fir ecosystem and the Western Hemlock … Continue reading Douglas fir ecosystems

by Janet Aldred, 25 March 2012.  Clyde Burton led nineteen of us to the lookout on Goat Lake where we saw the horns, eyes and splendid white coats of two Mountain Goats very clearly through Sharon Godkin’s excellent telescope.  Other dots may have been goats. Then we progressed down the hill and on to Mile 34 where a … Continue reading Goats and the Eldred River

By Janet Alred, 22 November 2011. On Tuesday Christine Woolcott met with six would-be star gazers for an indoor get acquainted session.  Using simplified diagrams, Christine showed us how to use Orion to find Taurus, the Pleiades, Auricula (?), Capella and her three goats, Castor and Pollux, Procyon and Sirius. A few nights later we went … Continue reading Naked Eye Star-gazing

by Andrew Bryant, 16 November 2011.  Our resident naturalist, Clyde Burton, took seven members to Gibson’s Beach and Sliammon waterfront on Wednesday.  Gibson’s Beach produced three herons in the trees and Glaucous-winged gulls almost at our feet.  We stayed only long enough to separate the different age groups. At Sliammon we saw several hundreds of gulls, the majority … Continue reading Rambling with Clyde Part II (seabirds)

by Heather Harbord, 15 July 2011.

by Heather Harbord, 2 June 2011.

by Janet Alred, 20 May 2011 On Friday 22 people showed up at 8am to meet the previous night’s speaker, Andy McKinnon.  Although the campsite was in shadow at first, gradually it warmed up as the sun reached it.  Nodding onion, Chocolate lilies, Sea blush, Monkey flower, Shooting stars, Blue-eyed Mary, Death camus, Saxifrage, Saskatoon, Salal, … Continue reading Spring wildflowers with Andy McKinnon

  By Janet Alred, 13 May 2011.  Following the most interesting lecture on these endangered turtles by Vanessa Kilburn, our field trip took us to Lindsay Park at the north end of Cranberry Lake.  Here we were met by Vanessa and her colleague Aimee Mitchell, as well as photographer of amphibians, Terry Brown and partner Jude … Continue reading Turtles at Cranberry Lake

By Janet Alred, 25 March 2011.   Following his talk the previous evening, on Friday John Dove led a field trip for eleven members to Stromberg Falls and Marshall Point. At the Falls, we saw a creek exiting a cave and running into a swallet concealed under our feet. Then we went up to where a … Continue reading Texada karst and caves