Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment 2012 by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator Six years ago I had my first “up close and personal” experience with a very unique bird. Gregarious and comical by nature the Brown Pelican is a very endearing bird that is quite at home...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment 2011 by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator Acrobats of the skies, gulls can float on the wind currents without a wing beat; they are very agile and can manoeuvre themselves or hover, with the ability to land like a feather. Although we all tend...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment 2009 by Sandy Fairfield MARS Education Coordinator If we were living in the middle ages we may be more aware of Hawks and Falcons. Falconry flourished during that time and you could tell a person’s rank by the bird they carried: royalty carried...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment 2011 by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator The shorelines along the eastcoast of Vancouver Island, from Parksville to Campbell River, are home to one of the most easily recognized shore birds: the Great Blue Heron. This elegant, graceful...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator On April 22nd, during our “Walk for Wildlife” we had an urgent call from an eye witness to rescue a bird that had just “fallen from the sky”. Two bald eagles were performing their...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment August 2011 by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator It’s easy to miss a solitary, motionless bird perched along a river bank, shoreline or lake as it sits waiting for an unsuspecting fish to pass by, but a raucous rattling call will reveal an...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment 2011 by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator Seals always seem to be surrounded by controversy: naturalists love them but recreational fishermen are not so enamoured. Seals are, however, an important part of the food chain, providing food for the...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment June 2011 by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator In the ten years I have been volunteering at Mountainaire Avian Rescue Society, this year has been the busiest Baby Wildlife Season I have ever experienced. After the late arrival of the first baby...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment May, 2011 by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator Our spring continues to be very slow to warm up and this has meant a late start for many wildlife species. Last week the first baby mammal arrived at MARS: the tiny “masked bandit” was unmistakably...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment May 2011 by Sandy Fairfield, Education Coordinator One of the first songbirds to arrive back in our local area from their winter migration is the American Robin. The largest members of the Thrush family, Robins are the one species that everyone...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment April 2011 by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator Canada’s national animal emblem is an environmental engineer second only to man in its ability to change a landscape to suit its own needs. During the early settlement of North America, the Beaver...
Mar 20, 2013
MARS Moment by Sandy Fairfield, MARS Education Coordinator Love them or hate them Crows are considered to be one of the most intelligent of birds. With few exceptions Crows are found world wide, Vancouver Island is home to the Northwestern Crow, American Crows are...
