Happily, the Covid scare that caused the cancellation/postponement of the All Buffleheads Celebration scheduled for October 17 was traced back to two sniffly grandchildren. The first flight of Buffleheads arrived right on time (October 15) and more arrive each day.

It is a comfort to many of us human onlookers that the birds hold steadfast to the old
ways and will do so as long as we make a place for them. October 17, November 7
and any other day, for that matter are good days to welcome the presence of wild birds.

The event starts at 10:00 am, rain or shine. We wish we could say “everyone welcome” but with COVID-19 rules in place we can say that the first 50 people who show up can hang out with us as long as they keep the 2m/6ft rule. Masks are a good idea, too. If you arrive after the 50^th person you can always go for a stroll on the beach, a good thing to do any day.

See you there!  Bring your binoculars.

The Friends of Shoal Harbour (FOSH) is looking for a volunteer Treasurer who is interested in giving back to the community and helping to conserve a key natural element of the Saanich Peninsula. The purpose of FOSH is to educate people about and to conserve the integrity of the federally legislated Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Sidney and North Saanich.

No biology or environmental degree required but by hanging out with the FOSH crowd a person could learn some interesting stuff about the critters in our naturehood and the people who advocate for them. 

Being Treasurer takes, on average, 1/2 day per month. 

We have only 40-50 transactions a year with Coast Capital, so we don’t move around a lot of money.

The key duties are to:

i) maintain a record of our accounts;

ii) prepare the May 31 Year End Report for our members (we don’t undertake an audit process) and

iii) help submit the proper annual forms to BC and Canada re our Society and Registered Charity status.

Interested persons should contact FOSH Chair Bob Peart bobpeart@shaw.ca

Her Honour Janet Austin, the patron of the Friends of Shoal Harbour and the Greater Victoria Naturehood, has generously given of her time to contribute to promoting greater awareness of ABD and the Greater Victoria Naturehood initiative through this short video. https://vimeo.com/466687408

We’ll be celebrating the arrival of the Bufflehead Ducks (and all the other wild creatures in out bioregion) at 10:00 am on Saturday. October 17 at the Ardwell Beach Access (corner of Ardwell and Resthaven) in Sidney. All welcome but Covid rules apply. More details on the October 4 post on this site.