Vancouver Island Seabirds, 2011
In the spring, the brants come through! The black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) is a small goose which winters in Mexico and breeds in the Arctic, stopping in the Qualicum Beach area to feed during its migration. The village of Qualicum Beach has an annual spring wildlife festival to celebrate the return of the brants and we were there to witness (and photograph) it. Actually, the brants were kind of boring but other seabirds, such as harliquin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus), oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani), turnstones (Arenaria melanocephala), and gulls made up for this.