With David Manning A writing expert I admire says I should, as a writer, place myself in the background. Pardon me in this introduction to a new series on birding if I dispense with this cardinal rule and indulge a bit in ego. I promise in future articles to place birds in the foreground. Remind me if I’m unsuccessful. Like most naturalists I appreciate the many aspects of our wildlife world, from whales to woodpeckers. But if I had to pick one area of particular interest, it is birds, avian...

By Dr. Pamela Wright Forest Wetland Nature Reserve, North Pender Island BC Conservation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems is important to protect wildlife and their habitats, to provide clean water and air, to protect watersheds and soil, to buffer against natural disasters, to fight climate change, to support local communities through sustainable livelihoods and tourism, and for many more reasons. We often hear the question: How much do we need to protect? The answer is complex, but the...

By the light of the Snow Moon, a whispered series of soft whistles echoed through the misty forest, just louder than the sound of water flowing over the falls of Shingle Creek on North Pender Island. This was the call of a Northern Saw-whet owl (Aegolius acadicus) – a tiny owl no bigger than a robin. These tiny forest dwellers are increasingly rare on Pender thanks to the loss of intact, old forests with large standing dead trees, or snags, containing woodpecker holes they need to nest in....