Weather: Initially wet and windy, choppy seas, drier as morning progressed, wind dropped, seas calmed to mild chop
Participants: Tom Whitfield, Helen Davidson, Susan Knoerr, Linda Horspool, Sandy Gray, Dan Gray, Meghan MacIsaac, Dave Erickson, Bonnie Mullin, Jim Thorne, Liz Bredberg
Total brant counted: 794
Zone 1: North area:
Qualicum Beach—Tourist Info (Beach Creek), and the gazebo viewing stand. Foot of Kincaid Rd. beach access
East end of Surfside Drive, Offshore view
Little Qualicum Estuary, west end of Surfside Dr. and mouth of Little Qualicum River
Total brant counted in area: 101 brant
Other birds observed: common mergansers, 80+ American wigeon mixed with mallard. 210 bufflehead. At Little Qualicum River mouth & estuary, extensive spread of mixed dabblers (wigeon, mallard, pintails). Small flocks spooked by eagles and gulls. Gull numbers down from previous week, about 500 seen in area, 7 black oystercatchers, eagles at their nests, hunting.
Zone 2: Central area:
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.
Foot of Butterball, off Pintail & Yambury Rd.
West end of Seacrest Place (Apenes), off Eaglecrest Dr. at Pintail Dr
Total brant counted in area: 128
Other birds observed: 4 bald eagles (spooked ducks & gulls), mallards, 24 + wigeons, 4 common mergansers, 1 Bonaparte’s gull, 50 scoters, 4 Canada geese, 3 cormorant sp., 2 loons, 16 surf scoters, robin, 1 killdeer, siskins, very large mixed raft of divers, including surf scoters and brant, 8 black-bellied plovers (in breeding plumage), 5 turnstones
Zone 3: South area:
Rathtrevor Beach, Brant Point, Craig Bay, may need to walk to the right along the bay
West end of Mariner Way—view offshore and to river mouth, may need to walk to river
Parksville Bay, Parksville Community Park—from the Labyrinth view offshore, sandbars, and west shore of PVBay
Total brant counted: 565
Other birds observed: Canada Goose, American Wigeon, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Green Winged Teal, Horned Grebe in breeding plumage, Common Loon, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers, Surf scoters, White-winged scoters, Greater Scaup, Pelagic cormorant, Red-necked grebe, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Black Oystercatcher, Bald Eagle, White-crowned sparrow, bald eagle, raven, crow
Date: 31 March Time: 10:30-12:00
Tide at the beginning of count: 6.79 feet
Tide at the close of count: 3.35 feet
turning tide
Weather: Sunny, mild, calm sea
Participants: Helen Davidson, Bonnie Mullin, Liz Thorne, Jim Thorne, Toni Wyckoff, Linda Horspool, Sandy Gray, Dan Gray, Meghan MacIsaac, Dave Erickson, Jane Osborne, Catherine Watson, Liz Bredberg
Total brant counted: 1868
1. North Area
– Qualicum Beach, Tourist Info Bureau, and the gazebo viewing stand – foot of Kinkaid Rd., beach access – east end of Surfside Drive – Little Qualicum Estuary, west end of Surfside Dr. & mouth of Little Q River.
Total brant counted in area: 250+
Other birds observed: 11 Bufflehead, 2 wigeon, 4 common loon, horned grebe, 20 +harlequin ducks, vast raft of mixed divers including scaup, surf scoters, huge flock of gulls (~10,000), including 150 short-billed gulls, 8 bald eagles, brewers blackbirds, 5 oystercatchers, 2 common loons in breeding plumage, bonaparte’s gulls, 15 black-bellied plovers, 12 wigeons, 50 mallards, 20 goldeneyes.
3 women with dogs on leash (photos on file)
2. Central Area
– French Creek Marina, east side looking out towards Parksville, and 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. – foot of Butterball, off Pintail & Yambury Rd. – west end of Seacrest Place (Apenes), off Eaglecrest Dr. at Pintail Dr.
1 dog on leash, 2 dogs off leash (photo available), 1 swimmer in wetsuit
3. South Area
– Rathtrevor Beach – west end of Mariner Way, view to river mouth. – Parksville Bay, Parksville Community Park, from the Labyrinth, view off shore, sandbars, and back into the bay.
Total brant counted: 1541
Other birds observed: gulls, dabblers, 2 rafts of divers (scaup & scoters)
Participants: Linda Horspool, Susan Knoerr, Bonnie Mullin, Jane Osborne, Sandy and Dan Gray, Dave Erickson, Liz & Jim Thorne, Meghan MacIsaac, Helen Davidson, Tom Whitfield, Toni Wyckoff, Liz Bredberg
Total brant counted: 1314
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: 4 harlequin ducks, pacific loons, common loons, 1000 gulls, (short-billed, Icelandic, California, sps), 11 oystercatchers, bald eagle, 50 bufflehead, common mergansers, red-breasted mergansers, wigeons
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.
Seacrest Road
Total brant counted in area: 1149
Other birds observed: “overwhelming number of gulls—easily 10,000”, rafts of scoters, 25 harlequin ducks, bufflehead, goldeneye, mixed flock of divers 3000, American wigeon, mallard, 4 greater yellowlegs, raft of 1000 pacific loons, red crossbills, California quail, flicker, 25+ eagles
Zone 3: South area:
Rathtrevor Beach
Mariner Way
Parksville Community Park
Total brant counted in area: 165 (74 flying south)
Date: 10 March 2025 Time 11:00—13:00 PDT
Tide at the beginning of count: 8.6 feet
Tide at the close of count: 8.8 feet
Turning tide
Weather: overcast, breezy, calm to rippled sea
Herring spawn underway. Gillnetters off Rathtrevor, the mouth of the Englishman River, Parksville Bay, and French Creek Marina. Rafts of sea lions throughout observation area.
Participants: Bonnie Mullin, Dennis & Brenda Horwood, Marion Lea Jamieson, Marilyn Bilsbarrow, Liz Bredberg, Sandy & Dan Gray, Liz & Jim Thorne, Marianne Goffman, Dave Erickson
Total brant counted: 81
Zone 1: North area:
Qualicum Beach—Judges Row
gazebo viewing stand.
Foot of Kincaid Rd. beach access
East end of Surfside Drive, Offshore view
Little Qualicum Estuary, west end of Surfside Dr. and mouth of Little Qualicum River
Total brant counted in area: 0
Other birds observed: Common Loon 3, Northern Pintail 35, Bald Eagle 3*, Bufflehead 37, American Crow 3, Oystercatchers 6, Horned Grebe 10, Common Goldeneye 78, American Wigeon 300, Common Merganser 3, White winged scoter 44, Mallard 6, Scaup sp 2, gulls 500+ (a whole bunch +++)
*1 with fish
Zone 2: Central area: French Creek Marina to Whitree overlook 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.
Seacrest Road
Whitree overlook
Total brant counted in area: 72
12 on beach at bottom of Johnstone Rd mixed in with gulls
60 in flight, northbound Lots of roe and milt on beach and in shore Other birds observed: gulls on shore 1000, kingfisher (nearshore), mallards 37, flock of crows, American wigeons 140, white-winged scoters 50, , gull sps 1000, bufflehead 39, wige yellowlegs 4, kildeer 1, dunlin 12, bald eagle 3 1 carrying branch in flight
Zone 3: South area:
Rathtrevor Beach
Mariner Way
Parksville Community Park
Doehle Road stairs
Many pedestrians watching and photographing herring fishery. One man with 2 dogs on the beach at community park.
Total brant counted in area: 9 flying over PV Community Park
Other birds observed: Rathtrevor: over 4000 gulls in shallows, along the waterline and offshore. 2 rafts of 550+scoters into NW Bay, mostly surf scoters
Mariner Way: 2500+ gulls, crowded wigeon at the mouth of the Englishman River
PV Community Park: over 6000 gulls, 980 dunlin, black bellied plover, scattered American wigeon
Doehle Road stairs: 2 rafts of divers, about 600 surf scoters, scaup, goldeneye, bufflehead, many gulls.
Also seen: bufflehead, goldeneyes, horned grebe, western grebe, common mergansers, at least 32 bald eagles
Time: 10:30-12:30
Tide at the beginning of count: 11.6 feet
Tide at the close of count: 6 feet
Falling tide
Weather: overcast
Participants:
Helen Davidson
Jane Osborne
Liz Bredberg
Marilyn Bilsbarrow
Sandy and Dan Gray
Dave Erickson
Liz and Jim Thorne,
Bonnie Mullin
Dennis and Brenda Horwood
Total brant counted: 842
Zone 1: North area:
• Qualicum Beach—Tourist Info (Beach Creek), and the gazebo viewing stand.
• Foot of Kincaid Rd. beach access
• East end of Surfside Drive, Offshore view
• Little Qualicum Estuary, west end of Surfside Dr. and mouth of Little Qualicum River
Total brant counted in area: 0
Other birds observed: 3 Common mergansers, 4 red-breasted merganser, Icelandic gull, American wigeons, 4 oystercatchers, 200 gull sps., black turnstones, common goldeneye, +/-40 buffleheads, 2 harlequin ducks, 4 northern pintails, 4 horned grebes, cormorant sp., 8 pacific loons, mixed raft of 300 scoters, 300 surf scoters, great blue heron
Zone 2: Central area:
• 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.
• Foot of Butterball, off Pintail & Yambury Rd.
• Rathtrevor Beach, Brant Point, Craig Bay, may need to walk to the right along the bay
• West end of Mariner Way—view offshore and to river mouth, may need to walk to river
• Parksville Bay, Parksville Community Park—from the Labyrinth view offshore, sandbars, and west shore of PVBay
