Date: 5 May 2025
Time: 12:05-2:35
Tide at the beginning of count: 8.2 ft
Tide at the close of count: 11.7 ft
Rising tide
Weather: calm wind, calm seas, overcast
Participants: Sandy Gray, Dan Gray, Dave Erickson, Liz Thorne, Jim Thorne, Toni Wyckoff, Bonnie Mullin, Liz Bredberg
Total brant counted: 0
Zone 1: North area:
- Qualicum Beach—Judges Row, Tourist Infor (Beach Creek), and the gazebo viewing stand.
- 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: 1 Bonaparte’s gull, 2 red-necked grebes, 4 crows, 3 common loons, 8 common mergansers, 30 gull sp., 2 bald eagles, 2 pacific loons, 2 harlequin ducks, 1 whimbrel, 4 great blue herons
No dogs
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 Butterball, off Pintail & Yambury Rd.
- West end of Seacrest Place (Apenes), off Eaglecrest Dr. at Pintail Dr
Total brant counted in area: 0
Other birds observed: Bonaparte’s gulls, merlin, pacific & common loons, herons on nests, eagles on nests, kingfisher, black oystercatcher, purple martins, violet-green swallows, killdeer, mallard, American wigeon, raft of ~70 common mergansers, loose raft of surf scoters, loons
Zone 3: South area:
- Rathtrevor Beach, Brant Point, Craig Bay,
- West end of Mariner Way—view offshore and to river mouth,
- Parksville Bay, Parksville Community Park—from the Labyrinth view offshore, sandbars, and west shore of PVBay
Total brant counted in area: 0
Other birds observed: white-crowned sparrow, 8 duck sp (very distant), 4 common loons, bald eagle, 3 gull species, 1 pacific loon, swallow species
Group of people near shoreline with dog on leash.