Road Trip 2025 - Nanoose Bay - Part 1

 

My last 3 posts covered our adventurous yet relaxing day in Cowichan Bay on the eastern side of Vancouver Island. For this new adventure we drove a couple hours up the coast to Nanoose Bay which served as base camp for our visits to Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Park, Horne Lake Caves, and Goats on the Roof in Coombs. From here, we'll also revisit Gabriola Island to see how it has changed in the last 40 years and you can read it here on August 1st. 

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

With only 85 kms between Cowichan Bay and Nanoose Bay, we arrived early and decided to explore the nearby Brickyard Community Park. Well, I say we, but because of the rocky terrain, I stayed in the parking lot while Nelson and the kids checked out the park, so they get the credit for all these jaw-dropping photos. 

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

As I checked my camera later that evening, I couldn't stop gushing over the images from Brickyard Community Park. The one of Jessie admiring the view seemed to set the world at her feet. Of course, I didn't know what was actually at her feet, but she looks quite stable from this angle. 

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

But my heart jumped when I saw this photo of JJ relaxing on the same rock that I had just admired Jessie sitting on. Talk about an angle change! I don't want to think of how he got there, or how he got off, but the image of his pose is striking above the brilliant bluey green of the Strait of Georgia. 

As a side note, I used Jigidi to turn the above photo into a jigsaw puzzle and received a very nice comment saying that these are the Winchelsea Islands. Of course I had to research that and discovered that the islands make up the "unique ecology and diverse ecosystems" of the Ballenas-Winchelsea Archipelago. For more information about these islands, which ones are available for camping, hiking, etc, check out this Winchelsea Islands website.

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

And where was Nelson while our kids were hanging out on the rocks? Well, from the above photo, it looks like he was playing mountain goat himself. Honestly, that climbing gene is not from my side of the family. Oh, and there goes JJ skipping down the rocks with agility calling, "Dad! Where ya goin'?"

2025, Brickyard Community Park, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

The above image was taken at Brickyard Community Park and shows the mountains of British Columbia's Sunshine Coast across the Strait of Georgia. With the ebb and flood currents of the tide, and numerous watercraft using the liquid highway, the view is always beautiful and changing. 

2025, Purple Sea Stars, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

We showed images of purple sea stars and explored the sea star wasting disease in our posts on the Botanical Beach while visiting the western side of Vancouver Island. We were glad to find them here on the eastern side as well, where we first discovered them on our 1981 trip to Vancouver Island. 

2025, Purple Sea Star, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

Did you know that sea stars wear pajamas? Actually, in the above photo, the sea stars' fifth arm is clinging to the back side of the rocks, but I can't look at this image without thinking the sea star is wearing a sleeper, or onesie, as some people call it. 

2025, Nanoose Bay, Vancouver Island, BC

After exploring the park, Nelson and the kids made it back to the parking lot and we headed off to our nearby Airbnb. It was so close in fact, that you can see the park through the gap between the trees on the left side of the above photo. On the right side of the photo, you can see the stone steps winding down from the driveway to the patio. 

On July 15th, Nanoose Bay Part 2 will feature the scenic views, wildlife, and personal interest photos of our stay at this calm and beautiful natural retreat

Photos from Nanoose Bay, BC correlate to the July calendar page.

Road Trip 2025 - Cowichan Bay - Part 3

Have you been reading along as we experience harbour life and tidal changes in our Cowibbean Cottage Airbnb? It's been a good day so far, with plenty more to see here in Cowichan Bay on the east side of Vancouver Island. As in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I'm including the timings as things happened on that day.

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:22 pm - The tide isn't completely out yet, but we knew it could turn at any minute. Nelson couldn't sit still for long as there was always something below the water to catch his eye. Meanwhile, Crystal has a penchant for close up photos and was often found in various poses in order to snap the perfect perspective. 

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:35 pm - Blue mussel shells and green algae were finally spotted as the tide was nearing its lowest point, as can be seen in the above photo, along with the persistent acorn barnacles. 

Rock Pigeons, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

1:02 pm - A couple of Rock pigeons pulled my gaze downward to where the tide had gone out hours before. They waddled across the shell-littered ocean floor, stopping every now and then to peck at things I couldn't see. Pigeons are seed and fruit eaters and ignored the occasional bug that skedaddled out of their way.

 

Low Tide, 2 pm, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

2:07 pm - Low tide had unofficially arrived as the white tire on the left side of our dock was exposed. I kept watching for the water to go lower, but I soon realized the water had started to rise as the tide slowly returned. My first notice of the tide going out had been at 7 am and now it was just after 2 pm. That's 7 plus hours to go out and return with the moon's help. So amazing.

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

2:10 pm - Look what I found! It's the last photo I took of the ocean floor before the tide returned and it shows a bit of everything we've covered in the Cowichan Bay series. Do you recognize anything?  I see clam shells, oyster shells, mussel shells, a muddy crab, a crab leg/claw?, algae/seaweed, barnacles, and lots of small breathing holes for creatures hiding in the muck and waiting for the water to return. Did I miss anything?

Harbour Seal, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

3:49 pm - The Harbour Seal in the above photo had just come up for air. I took many photos of him as he swam and dove in the harbour, but this is the most detailed one. He finally disappeared among the boats in the marina.

Glaucous-winged Gull, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

4:42 pm - This Glaucous-winged Gull seemed to be the most common gull in Cowichan Bay. It was our first time seeing one as most of our gulls back home are Ring-billed gulls with a black ring around their beak instead of where the red spot is on the Glaucous-winged Gull. 

Great Blue Heron, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

8:00 pm - This Great Blue Heron flew in low and landed on this little building. The size and shape of this bird was recognizable to me and although it didn't show the long plumes at the back of its nape, the setting sun really lights up its striking belly feathers.

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

8:05 pm - A flash of white across the water had me turning my head to a flock of birds landing on the far side of the bay. I believe they are swans, although their necks seem too short and I don't know what type of swans inhabit Vancouver Island and the Strait of Georgia.

Harbour Seal in water, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

9:15 am - The next morning we packed up for our next adventure. Before I left, I took one last photo from our Cowibbean Cottage deck. It was a peaceful photograph that would be chosen for our calendar, and yet it wasn't until I was drafting the calendar that I noticed the Harbour Seal in the centre bottom. The funny thing was that I'd looked for the seal off and on throughout the morning, and the evening before as we ate supper on the deck, relaxed, and listened to the kids describe their day in Victoria.

I had assumed that the Harbour Seal I'd spotted at 3:49 pm the previous day had grabbed some food and headed back to deeper waters. But no, there was a chance he had stayed the night near the marina, and then by some miracle I managed to photograph him as he swam away the next morning. Probably not the same one, eh, but I'd like to believe it's the same one. A small blessing to end our memorable visit at Cowibbean Cottage.

One last thing...weeks later when we were all back home, I sent out a survey asking Nelson and the kids what was their most memorable stay and where they'd like to go back if they could...the unanimous answer was Cowibbean Cottage. 

Our amazing visit to Cowichan Bay is featured on the June calendar page.

Road Trip 2025 - Cowichan Bay - Part 2

Part 1 of this series introduced you to our relaxing stay at the Cowibbean Cottage in Cowichan Bay on the east coast of Vancouver Island. It was a day to rest and recharge with nothing to do but watch the tide go out, the ocean bottom come alive as the water lowered, and get a sense of harbour life on a summer day. In order to give you the full sense of what and when things happened, I'm presenting this post with the actual timings, just like I did in Part 1.

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:30 am - With our dock close to resting on the ocean floor, Nelson used an available net to carefully scoop up something and then hurried up the ramp with his dripping net to where I was waiting. We weren't sure why there was a small net available for our use, or if someone had left it behind, but we were thankful for the experience of getting a close view of what we saw below the water on the ocean floor.

Hairy Shore Crab, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:30 am - Nelson's net held a tiny Hairy Shore crab. I snatched a few photos before he quickly returned it to where he'd found it.

Hairy Shore Crab, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:30 Our Hairy Shore crab was green and I worried that it was a European green crab, a species that is invading the waters along our Pacific coast. However after researching it, Crystal confirmed we had found a native hairy shore crab that can be found in several colours and that just because it was green didn't mean it was one of the invasive crabs.

Graceful Crab, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:40 am - The second crab Nelson presented for identification and photographing turned out to be a Graceful crab. This is the crab that was walking upright in the screenshot mentioned in Part 1. The four legs on either side are the walking legs. There are two claws that control the food intake, with the right claw being bigger and blunt for crashing shells etc, while the left claw is smaller and sharper for cutting. 

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:42 am - Nelson slipped the eager Graceful crab back into the water where he'd found it. The tide was still going out and the dock seemed to be sitting on the bottom. This last foot or so of water was the murkiest as if the bottom was stirred by all the creatures clamouring to keep up with the tide.

Bald Eagle, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

11:00 - A Bald Eagle flew overhead, searching across the bay for a chance to dive down and snatch a living fish right out of the water. I would have loved to photograph that event, but the eagle just flew on by.

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:10 pm - At the end of our dock, Nelson took a break from looking down in the water and relaxed in the 22 degree celcius weather with a soft breeze cooling his skin. 

2025 Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:13 pm - Above is a photo similar to one in Part 1, however, we now see the water level lower than the base of the post and the tide is still going out. Barnacles covered almost every surface of wood and metal making it hard to distinguish their identity.

2025 Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

This photo shows a close-up of the barnacle-encrusted piece of metal beneath the deck in the photo above it. I suppose it's some type of marine equipment, but it's unrecognizable in this state. Barnacles live on the hulls of boats and ships that stay in the water. The barnacles start small but stubbornly attach themselves to the hull as they grow, much like to the metal in this photo. Ships need to be cleaned periodically to keep the integrity of the hull from corrosion. Barnacles will slow down the vessel, add weight, and reduce fuel efficiency. 

2025 Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:15 pm - In the above photo, I had leaned over the deck railing to take photos of the ocean floor close to our cottage. The blue circle in the top left corner shows what appears to be a rock covered with acorn barnacles. To its right is a blue circle showing a Pacific Littleneck clam. And the blue circle on the bottom middle shows the distinctive waves of an oyster shell. 

2025 Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

12:19 pm -  A bit farther out I aimed my camera at some oyster shells disguised as pineapple tops that caught my eye among the mucky, littered ocean floor in the above image. The litter is caused by birds, mainly gulls, dropping the shells onto rocks so that they break apart exposing the inner meat. As well, I see four complete oyster shells in the top centre with varying stages from almost-closed to open enough to show the inside lustre.  

Part 3 of the Cowichan Bay series will feature the tide at its lowest water level at Cowibbean Cottage. As the day wanes we will see several of the birds and animals that inhabit the area that have come out to search for their evening meal. Part 3 will be posted June 20th.

Our stay at the Cowibbean Cottage in Cowichan Bay relates to the June calendar page.

Road Trip 2025 - Cowichan Bay - Part 1

Last year when I started planning for our 2025 summer vacation to Vancouver Island, I took on the task of finding accommodation for the six of us. It was the first time we'd all shared a family vacation since the kids had become adults. I wanted somewhere unique, breathtaking, and altogether memorable. A place along the coast where we could fully immerse ourself in views that would stay with us for decades.

As mentioned in our recent Victoria post, I found a delightful Airbnb in Cowichan Bay on the eastern side of Vancouver Island that didn't just have a view of the ocean...it was on the ocean!

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

We arrived at our Cowibbean Cottage around supper time and couldn't wait to get out onto the large deck and absorb the beautiful tranquility of this oceanfront property. Nelson took the photo while standing on the end of the long dock which was at our disposal for the duration of our visit.

For this post, we're taking you through one memorable day at Cowibbean Cottage, allowing you to not only see and hear what we saw and heard throughout the day, but to know what time it was as the tide went out and rolled back in.   

Sunrise, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

6:25 am - The morning after our arrival, I was out on the deck at sunrise while the dew was still on the chairs and railings. Nothing much was moving except for the sun. It truly was breathtaking. Every so often a small boat would skim along, slow and smooth with a quiet hum. A guy on a paddle board left a wake as he dipped his paddle into the quiet water and moved forward, unrushed.

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

7:00 am - It was high tide and I took a photo of our neighbour's deck posts to confirm the water level. The tide was about to go out and I was excited to see the ocean floor with all its flora and fauna as the water receded.

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

7:50 am - A lone canoeist made his way across the water, now shimmering in the morning breeze.

Barn Swallows, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

8:03 am - A pair of Barn Swallows landed on a nearby boat railing. They looked eastward, hoping to see yummy insects flying low across the water like dust motes dancing in a ray of sunshine in a dark building. 

Cowibbean Cottage, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

8:45 am - Jessie, Nick, and JJ headed off for their adventurous day in Victoria, leaving Nelson, Crystal, and I to lounge around the cottage and deck. It was lovely. No demands...no stress...no need to rush out and look for anything more exciting than watching the tide go out. 

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

9 am - The murky green water was low enough to show a littered bottom unlike the clear water and beautiful tidal pools at the Botanical Beach on the western side of Vancouver Island that we'd explored only days before. 

Crabs, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

9:15 am - Watching the ocean floor come alive was like watching a movie for the first time. From my deck railing standpoint, I never knew what I was looking at until it moved. Seeing crabs moving upright on their walking legs was an eye-opener to me. The above screenshot is from a video I took as I followed the crab on the right walk around the ocean floor while smaller creatures got out of the way. A smaller crab is camouflaged on the barnacle-covered rock at the top centre of the image, while the medium-sized crab on the left hastily scuttled on its walking legs around the open oyster shell, pausing when the larger crab stopped. Unwilling to play Ring Around The Rosie, the large crab ignored the smaller ones and changed direction across the floor.

Sculpin, 2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

9:20 am - I spied something moving slowly between a camouflage of crushed shells and acorn barnacles. I didn't know what it was until I zoomed in later and did some research. It is a sculpin, generally scaleless with a size range of 5-20 centimetres.

2025, Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

10:17 am - Colourful movement caught my eye and a partially filled dragon boat slid into view, the paddlers pausing as their steerer guided them through a bevy of moorings.

If you are interested in closeup images of crabs and other things as the day progresses, join us for Part 2 on June 10th. 

Our stay at the Cowibbean Cottage in Cowichan Bay relates to the June calendar page.

Migrating Bird Watch March

We were blessed to see so many birds in March that we've created a separate post for migrating and new birds. Although we're experiencing an extremely slow spring thaw, migrating birds are showing up, albeit in much fewer quantities. 

The first migrating bird sighting of the season was on March 16th as I headed toward Francis, SK. My head swiveled from side-to-side to catch any dark spot on the sea of snow. And then I saw it - the long neck of a Canada Goose. All alone, it sat on the snow-covered field a short distance from an equally covered slough. I didn't see its mate anywhere, which left me wondering if it was injured and had fallen behind the flock. 

Canada Goose, RM Montmartre, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

In case you can't see it in the middle of the above photo, here's a close up...

Canada Goose, RM Montmartre, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

A few hours later I was on my way home and heard loud honking through my car window. Slowing, I opened my window and caught this Canada goose flapping and honking in a frenzy. I was a miles west of where I'd spotted the lone goose earlier and this one was headed in that direction. I have no idea if this was the mate, but clearly it was in panic mode. I stopped for photos a few times along my route and by the time I passed the stop I'd seen the first Canada Goose of the season earlier, the field was empty. 

Canada Goose, RM Francis, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

On the same stretch of road, I spotted the first Western Meadowlark of the season! I hadn't expected to find a meadowlark ploughing through a snow-covered ditch and so it caught me by surprise as I drove past. After turning around, I drove slowly back, past the way I'd come, to see if I really had seen one. The ditch was empty. Yet still hoping, I pulled to the side of the road and waited with the window down. And then I saw it on a bare patch of ground, striding back and forth and calling out. I've never heard one call before and was left with the impression that it had crash-landed in the snowbank and was now letting the others know where it was. No melodious singing for this meadowlark on this day. 

Western Meadowlark, RM Francis, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

The next day was St. Patrick's day, which I don't celebrate because I'm Scotch and Finnish, but I was having a party at the end of the day after spotting a new bird to add to my Life List. You see, while doing dishes, I noticed the sparrows hiding in the big poplar tree. When the sparrows aren't sleeping in the barn loft, they're hanging around the mixed bird feeder near the cotoneaster or potentilla bushes. When new birds visit, the sparrows go on guard duty around the yard. The only time they hide together in the big trees is when danger lurks. Since I couldn't see an intruder from the window, I went outside and looked around. Suddenly, the sparrows all flew behind the house. A few seconds later they all flew back in a rush and spread into the shelterbelt. 

Before I could blink, a small hawk sailed in low from behind the house and flew out of the yard past the hedgerow before it perched in the high branches of the trees at the end of the driveway. I raised my camera and got off a few shots without making out the species due to the  extreme low light level of the overcast day. I was quite surprised then, when I uploaded the images to my computer and realized I was looking at a Merlin - my first ever sighting, and one for my Bird Life List. 

Merlin, RM Montmartre, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

A week later while on our way to church, Nelson spotted a large bird of prey sitting in a group of trees alongside the road. Although it looked like a hawk, its beak confirmed it was an eagle. It pointedly ignored us for over a minute before flying past our car. 

Bald Eagle, RM Montmartre, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

Not going far, it landed in a nearby group of trees where I continued by photo shoot. This isn't our first Bald Eagle sighting of the year, but this young one is the closest capture of 2018.

Bald Eagle, RM Montmartre, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

On Mar 29th I was going through the bird pics of the day when this next image caught my attention. I added my signature and was about to file it with the other pics of Redpolls when I spotted the thick beak. Redpolls have fine yellow and black beaks, not thick finch-like ones. 

House Finch, RM Montmartre, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

I took a closer look at the other photos for the day and when I saw this next one I clicked on my bird identification app and pulled up finches. Sure enough, our visitors of the day were House Finches. 

House Finch, RM Montmartre, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

House finches have a greyish-brown cap with red around it, whereas redpolls have a red cap. The following photo clearly shows the red cap of one of the Redpolls which wintered here this year. You can also see the different beak styles, as well as the breast markings. 

Common Redpoll, RM Montmartre, SK, Mar 2018. Credit: Anita Mae Draper

Although Southeastern Saskatchewan is known to have Ring-necked Pheasants year-round, they usually stay close to the USA border where they are North Dakota's state bird. Nelson thought he was seeing things on March 17th when he spotted one, but then it disappeared into the bush. He took pictures of the area anyway. Good thing, too, because once the image was uploaded to the computer we spotted the tail sticking out of the ditch where the pheasant had taken refuge. 

Ring-necked Pheasant Tail, Southeast Saskatchewan, Mar 2018. Credit: Nelson Draper

Closer inspection showed the pheasant hiding behind the brush where he was almost camouflaged into obscurity. Gotcha! 

Ring-necked Pheasant Camouflaged, Southeast Saskatchewan, Mar 2018. Credit: Nelson Draper

Pins on most of the above images can be found on our Pinterest board Photos: Birds