Date: April 7, 2025
Time: 9:30-11:30
Tide at the beginning of count: 10 feet
Tide at the close of count: 10.9 feet
rising tide
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
Photo courtesy of Jim Thorne.