The 2022 Vancouver Island MusicFest needs you!

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Well after a 2 year Covid 19 pandemic break, Vancouver Island MusicFest is back with a packed schedule but they still need volunteers for the event to be successful. MusicFest is happening in just a few days and runs from July 8-10. Volunteers are needed for a variety of positions from stage crew to parking and traffic. They also need help with the beer gardens and at the Volunteer and Performer kitchens as well as other spots around the venue like backstage and camping security. If you can commit to 3 shifts for a total of 16 hours and want to volunteer please contact the volunteer coordinator directly at mfestvolunteercoordinator@gmail.com. Or come down to the festival grounds and sign up on the spot! It is a great way to see the festival and view what happens behind the scenes as well. 

 Although the campground is full for those wanting on site accommodation, there are still weekend and day passes available. So if you have been watching the weather wondering if the festival would be hit by a heat dome or rain all weekend long- it now looks like the weather should be ideal for the event. Not too hot or cold with perhaps the occasional shower.  So come out and support this amazing musical happening. Its a chance to hear music from around the world and if you want to dance - here is your chance. And it is on our doorstep in the Comox Valley. For more information see: https://www.islandmusicfest.com/

 

 

A great Father’s Day- Skiing at Mount Washington

By Keith and Heather Nicol

It was a big surprise when Mount Washington Alpine Resort decided to open for the Father’s Day weekend. We took advantage of the better weather (but much bigger crowds) on Sunday , June 19 to get in a few runs off the Whiskey Jack chair. I was amazed at the good snow coverage and generally good skiing. Of course with the warm temperatures the snow turned slushy fairly quickly but it was still very acceptable skiing given the date. It may be a first for me...Alpine skiing in June!! 

 So hats off to Mt Washington for doing an impromptu opening like this.  Mt Washington has its typical summer offerings like mountain biking, sightseeing, zip lining etc unfolding as the snow melts and the weather warms so have a look at their web site for special events and activities- https://www.mountwashington.ca/   See you up there. 

 

 

Check out the Evergreen Bike Group if you like to cycle in the Comox Valley

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

The Evergreen Bike Group has rides on Mondays and Wednesdays and is a great way to meet cyclists and explore the country roads and trails of the Comox Valley. On Monday June 20 thirteen cyclists headed from the Exhibition Grounds to Seal Bay Park for a ride that featured both roads and trails. The Evergreen group is open to cyclists over 55 years of age and the group uses mix of electric , hybrid and road bikes.  The rides on Mondays tend to be longer and it gives us a chance to explore places like Denman and Quadra Island as well as rides in Campbell River and Parksville. On Wednesday morning the rides tend to be in the Comox Valley and run for 2 to 2.5 hours in length. If you are interested in finding out more about this cycling group contact Ernie at: ejkimball62@gmail.com  The pictures below are of the group cycling the scenic trails of Seal Bay Park. 

 

Exploring Point Holmes tide pools in May

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

    We like to head down to the Point Holmes shoreline of Comox when there is a very  low tide since it is one of the few places we know of in the local area that has small tide pools and exposed bedrock which can hide sea stars and other organisms. We hadn`t been done this year so we were interested in what we might find. We brought my brother and his wife who were visiting from Victoria with us since they hadn`t seen these tide pools before and the low tide on Friday May 20 was about 0.5 meters.  Plus we had the added bonus of great sunny and warm weather which has been missing this spring.

For those people not familiar with this area it is to the right of the boat launch and there is parking for a number of cars just off of Lazo Road. Because of the large tides in this area the tide pools are 200-300 meters from the parking area and footing can be tricky especially near the rocky outcrops. We wore hiking shoes but some people we saw were wearing rubber boots. Flip flops or similar sandals are not recommended given the slippery, seed weed covered rocks.

We saw many ochre sea stars clinging to the underside of clefts in the rock, in the tidal pools and some just out on the seaweed like the one in the top photo.  We also managed to see 3 leather sea stars whose skin does feel like wet leather. (See photo above) . So check this place out if you like exploring nature in the Comox Valley. Bring your camera and binoculars since you don’t know what you might see.  Also a kneeling pad helps protect your knees if you want to see what is under clefts in rocks.  We look forward to seeing what the low tides in June bring.  

 

The Vaux's Swifts are back this year at the Courtenay Museum

by Keith and Heather Nicol

On Wednesday, May 18 we headed down to a parking lot behind the Courtenay Museum to see if the Vaux’s Swifts that are in the area might fly down the chimney to roost for the evening. Evidently they have been seen coming to this chimney for the last few years in late April and early May and one person we spoke to said they had been here for while this year. The Vaux’s Swifts spend the winter in Mexico and breed in large hollow trees found in old growth forests in BC, Washington and Oregon. Because of this their numbers are in decline as logging removes their breeding habitat. 

 The birds feed on insects and their shape has been described as cigars with wings.  On Wednesday we were joined by my brother Bruce and his wife Mary Ellen who had just arrived from Victoria and were keen to check this birding event out. We arrived just before 8:00 pm armed with binoculars and a camera with a telephoto lens.  The birds arrival to the chimney seems to depend on the weather and so you don’t know when they might arrive but it usually anywhere from 7:30 pm
to sunset. No sooner did we get there and we saw began to see a swarm of Vaux’s Swifts swoop over head and fly over the chimney. They then disappeared for a few minutes only to return again for another fly over. Then they began to spiral around and just like Santa they headed down the chimney. Presumably they like the rough interior of the chimney and spend the night huddled together along the edges of the chimney. 

 

No sooner had this group headed down that another swarm of 40-50 birds did their fly by and after disappearing they reappeared and like the first group dropped down into the chimney.  Over the evening we saw hundreds of birds fly down the chimney but they came spread out in groups of 30 to 50. We were told by one person that 2 nights ago 2000 birds flew into the chimney in basically one large continuous pack!!.  Here is a video taken in 2021which shows the large number of birds which can descend into the chimney in short order.  So if you haven’t seen this bird phenomenon check it since who knows how long it will last this year.