12:00 PM Tide at the beginning of count: 7.1 feet Tide at the close of count: 6 feet Falling tide Weather: sunny, mild, +10C, light breeze, glare on sea Participants: 14
Total brant counted: 2092
At least 5000 gulls
Divers..scattered goldeney, bufflehead, horned and red-necked grebes, scotersDabblers, 90% American wigeon, 10% mallards, pintails in mix
All birds spooked by eagles & gull movement several times over 90 minutes observation
Zone 1: North area: from Qualicum Beach Viewing Stand north to the mouth of the Little Qualicum River.
Total brant observed in zone: 92
Kincaid: 2 scoters, flying south 2 rafts of approx. 3000 scoters, scaups, bufflehead,
Mergansers sighted, 1 loon sp, 2 Great blue herons
Surfside west: 90 brant, 2 Great blue herons, 2 red-breasted mergansers, 2 hooded
mergansers
Surfside east: 0 brant
Zone 2: Central area: from French Creek Marina to south end of Seacrest
Total brant observed in zone: 1890
French Creek Marina east side: 10 brant, 3 pelagic cormorants, eagles, 1 harbour seal,
California sea lions, 2000 gull sps, common loon, western grebes, white winged scoters
in flight
French Creek Marina west side: gulls, 300+ American wigeons (spooked by eagle, flew
off to the north)
Columbia Beach, : 800-1000 brant, 400 American wigeons (likely includes the birds from
FC Marina west), 6 Pacific, common loons, 4 red-breasted mergansers, 18 double-
crested cormorants in flight, scaup, oyster catcher, 40 buffleheads, 1000 gulls
Admiral Tryon Pond: 1800 brant, 800+ gull sp., scoters buffleheads, wigeons, mallards
Butterball Beach: 80 brant, Great Blue Heron, Bonaparte gulls, surf scoters, yellowleg,
eagle, 1000
Zone 3: South area: Rathtrevor Beach, Brant point, West end of Mariner Way, Parksville Bay
Total brant observed in zone: 110
Rathtrevor: very low tide, 60 brant 3 great blue herons, gulls, many people on beach,
21 at waterline. No dogs.
Mariner way: gadwall, wigeons, 1 oystercatcher, 2 killdeer, gulls in estuary
Parksville beach: 50 brant landed at east end of beach, several mergansers, 1 eagle,
bufflehead, goldeneyes, few cormorants flew past.
Admiral Tryon East: ~350 brant; very large flock of gulls
Johnstone Rd: ~150 brant; 6 Greater yellowlegs, very large flock of gulls
Butterball: 0 brant; very large flock of gulls
Seacrest: 14 brant flying south; very large flock of gulls
Zone 3: South area: Rathtrevor Beach, Brant point, West end of Mariner Way, Parksville Bay
Total brant in zone: 443
Rathtrevor beach, Brant Point: 80 brant observed, scattered by eagle. 35 people on beach, several dogs on leash along path, 600 + gulls, 30 + goldeneyes, buffleheads, grebes.
Mariner Way: 19 brant; 30+ goldeneyes, 1 common merganser, 10 surf scoters flying, ~20 wigeon, 3 white-winged scoters flying, few gulls, 1 seal
Community park, Parksville Bay: 335 brant. 3 Canada geese, American wigeons, 1 Eurasian wigeon, 2 gadwall, 30+mallards, raft of scoter sp., 1 kingfisher
Hours: 1:30-3:30 PDT Tide at beginning of count: 5.3 feet Tide at end of count: 7.8 feet Rising tide.
Weather: mostly clear, light wind, light chop on sea Participants: 13
Total brant counted: 668
Count covered the entire length of the PQBWMA, divided into three zones:
Zone 1: North Area; From Qualicum Beach Viewing Stand north to the mouth of the Little Qualicum River 137 Brant counted Herring spawn between SNP & Kincade Rd. Seaside Nature Park: 108 brant, 3 rafts of scoters, 3-400 pacific loons diving and active in spawn, twelve bald eagles. Off Kincade: 21 brant, 2 rafts of sea lions. Surfside East 8 Brant
Zone 2: Central Area: From French Creek Marina to south end of Seacrest 87 brant at Admiral Tryon Pond, 50 flying northward 8 people on beach, 3 dogs off leash at Butterball/Seacrest, spooked scoters Scoters, 1 common loon, goldeneyes, bufflehead, harlequin ducks, 2 juvenile eagles
Zone 3: South Area: Rathtrevor Beach, Brant Point, west end of Mariner Way, Parksville Beach 4 walkers near tideline at Rathtrevor, no dogs. 404 brant observed Rathtrevor: 200 brant, 200 dunlin, scoters, gulls, mixed raft of scaups and scoters. Mariner way: 4 brant in flight Parksville Bay: 200 brant, 2 rafts of approx. 400 scoters in the bay, 15 snow geese in the park, 2 oystercatchers, pintails
