Date: 17 March 2025
Time: 12:00-2:00
Tide at the beginning of count: 11.5 feet
Tide at the close of count: 8.3 feet
falling tide
Weather: partly cloudy, wind from NW 15-23 kph, choppy seas
Participants: Sandy & Dan Gray, Liz & Jim Thorne, Bonnie Mullin, Susan Knoerr, Linda Horspool, Toni Wyckoff, Jane Osborne, Dave Erickson, Liz Bredberg
Total brant counted: 2194
Zone 1: North area:
- Beach Creek
- Seaside Nature Park
- East end of Surfside Drive, Offshore view
Total brant counted in area: 0
Other birds observed: Scattered gulls and crows, ~900 scoters—surf, ~600 gulls, 30 bufflehead, 13 black oystercatchers, 455 mixed dabblers—American wigeon, mallard, northern pintail, 200 gulls, 1 heron,
Zone 2: French Creek Marina to Seacrest
- French Creek Marina—east side view offshore and towards Parksville, view the creek mouth from the west side
- Columbia Beach, Admiral Tryon Blvd. east; view offshore, and French Creek River mouth
- Admiral Tryon West, beach access to tidal pools
- Foot of Johnstone Rd.
- Butterball
- Seacrest Road
Total brant counted in area: 2150 This is not a typo! (likely 100 flew from Admiral Tryon to Johnstone Rd.)
2 brant at base of Johnstone Rd. had green bands—lettering not visible at distance.
Other birds observed: gulls, 14 crows, 35 American wigeons, pigeons, 2 yellowlegs, 2 killdeer, 65 bufflehead, 18 common goldeneye,5 mallardw, 5 horned grebes, 4 house finches, 1 spotted towhee, 62 Pacific loons, 10 pine siskin, 1 merlin, 1 northern flicker,
Zone 3: South area:
- Rathtrevor Beach
- Mariner Way
- Parksville Community Park
Total brant counted: 44
Other birds observed: 2 bald eagles, 400 gulls, ~80 wigeons, 20 mallard, 60 dunlin, 120 scaup, off French Creek 1100 gulls
Photo courtesy of Bonnie Mullin