My First Book of Canadian Birds

My First Book of Canadian Birds by Andrea Miller (text) and Angela Doak (art) Hardcover Children’s Picture Book 7 x 9 inches/32 pages Nimbus Publishing ISBN: 978-1-77108-635-0 /$22.95 Publication date: October 1 2018 My First Book of Canadian Birds makes me wish I had a three- or four-year-old grandchild. This lovely …

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Celebrating the Birds of Gabriola

Last month 28 Gabriolans participated in the 115th Audobon Christmas Bird Count. Here’s a sampling of the bird species that were counted on the island. Many thanks to the Gabriola Island photographers – Doug Green, Garry Davey, Eileen Kaarsmaker, and Iain Lawrence – who so generously shared their photos with …

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Those Incredible Cormorants

I was on vacation in Mexico years many ago when I noticed the tall black seabirds standing on the rocks, their wings held out from their sleek bodies like ballerinas. At the time, I wondered if the pose was unique to some crazy Mexican birds. Years later, waiting in Nanaimo …

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Sparrows, sparrows, everywhere . . .

I remember the first time I saw a Dark-eyed Junco. We’d just moved to Gabriola Island, seven years ago, and were still busy unpacking boxes when I stopped for a break, looked out the window, and noticed several black-hooded feathered creatures rummaging in the winter garden. I thought they must …

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Those Ravishing Red-winged Blackbirds

One of the most abundant and studied bird species in North America, blackbirds have captured the imagination of poets and musicians, from Shakespeare to Paul McCartney, for centuries. Maybe that’s because they maintain such an air of mystery – in spite of their bravado. Certainly the male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius …

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What Kind of Hummer Is That?

The Pacific coast of British Columbia is home to two species of hummingbird, the Rufous (Selasphorus rufus) and the Anna’s (Calypte anna). Like many winter-weary Gabriolans, Rufous hummers spend the winter in Mexico. Then, in the spring, they begin their migratory journey northward, usually arriving back in BC during the …

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