Meetings and Outings Schedule

Monthly meetings are normally held at the Nanoose Library on the second Thursday of the month starting at 7:00 p.m.

There will be two kinds of outings: (a) bird walks in Nanoose and (b) outings of a more general nature. The observations gathered during the bird walks will be recorded in the Club's Checklist of Birds of Nanoose Bay.

(a) The meeting points and times for the Nanoose bird walks vary. The meeting points generally are at the start of the walk, and the meeting times are adjusted to the season. See the announcements below. The walks are generally two hours in duration. Please meet a few minutes early for sign-in.

(b) These outings usually start at the Nanoose Place parking lot. For many events, but not all, the start time is 9:30 am. The start times for all events are noted with each event in the program list below. Please meet 15 minutes early for sign-in and car pool arrangements.

For questions on Meetings or Outings, call the Leader, or, if unavailable, call Hans Laue (468-1786)

Date	Type	Topic	Description
Wednesday, Jan. 11	Outing	Nanoose Bird Walk to the Dolphin Lake observation point and adjacent areas and to Schooner Ridge.	Leader: Hans Laue (468-1786). Meet in the parking lot at the end of Schooner Cove Drive. The walk will start at 9:00 a.m. and will end around 11:00 a.m. Wear sturdy shoes because the access to the Dolphin Lake observation point may be wet and slippery.
Thursday, Jan. 12	Meeting	Member's Night	A sharing and fun night (details to follow). The new executive slate for 2006 will be presented.
Tuesday, Jan. 24	Outing	Red Gap Trails	Leaders: John and Linda Hodson (468-5234). Easy. Enjoy a pleasant walk in our own area. Leave at Nanoose Place at 9:30 a.m. and return by 11:30 am. Wear sturdy shoes because the trail may be wet in parts.
Wednesday, Feb. 8	Outing	Birdwalk at the Englishman River Estuary	Leader: Rhys Harrison (468 5466). Easy. Leave from Nanoose Place at 8:30 am and return to Nanoose Place by 11:30 am.
Thursday, Feb. 9	Meeting	Birds on the Edge	Bruce Whittington will be speaking on birds on the western edge of the continent as well as the challenges birds face in their lives.
Friday, Feb. 17	Outing	Buttertubs Marsh in Nanaimo	Leaders: Lee and David Finn (468 5262). Easy. Enjoy the plants and birds and a pleasant walk around the marsh. Leave from Nanoose Place at 9:30 am, and return to Nanoose Place by 12:30 pm.
Wednesday, March 1	Outing	Birdwalk at Nanoose Bay Estuary	Leader: Al Kirkley (468 1621). Easy to moderate. Meet at the parking lot at the water next to the Pentecostal Church Camp. (Going towards Nanaimo on the No. 19, take the first left turn after the intersection at the Petro Station; drive all the way to the end of the road.) Start of the walk at 8:30 am and finish by 10:30 am.
Thursday, March 9	Meeting	The Purple Martin Recovery Program	Charlene Lee
Thursday, March 16	Outing	Rathtrevor Park	Leaders: Merv and Marlene Pasula (468 9339). Easy. Enjoy the plants, birds (Brant Geese and more), ocean scenery, and inland trails in this beautiful park. Leave from Nanoose Place at 9:30 am, and return to Nanoose Place by 12:30 pm.
Thursday, April 13	Meeting	Sea Otters and Natural History	Jane Watson
Saturday, April 22	Outing	Birdwalk at Legacy Marsh in Lantzville	Leader: John MacKenzie (468 7329). Easy to moderate. Leave from Nanoose Place at 8:30 am and return to Nanoose Place by 11:30 am.
Saturday, April 29	Outing	Mt. Tzouhalem near Duncan	Leader: Lois MacKenzie (468 7329). Easy to moderate. Enjoy wildflowers in bloom, nice scenery, and a picnic. Leave from Nanoose Place at 8:30 am, and return to Nanoose Place by 2 pm.
May 4 - 7	Conference	FBCN (Federation of British Columbia Naturalists) Spring Conference in Comox.	Details on the agenda and on the schedule of outings in the Comox area to be provided later.
Thursday, May 11	Meeting	Birds & Animals of Costa Rica	Joe Crichton
Wednesday, May 17	Outing	Birdwalk at Notch Hill and the Beaver Ponds	Leader: Hans Laue (468 1786). Moderate. Meet at the parking lot for the Notch Hill trail at 6:00 am. We will listen to the morning chorus and observe the singers in the lower elevations up to the meadows behind the water tanks and, time permitting, will include the Beaver Ponds on the other side of the road. End of the walk at 8:00 am.
Sunday, May 28	Outing	Trees in Qualicum Beach and at McClure House	Leader: John MacKenzie (468 7329). Easy. Learn to identify some of the trees and enjoy the forest along the Heritage Trail in Qualicum Beach and around MacClure House in Parksville, finishing up with lunch at McClure House. Leave from Nanoose Place at 9:30 am and return to Nanoose Place by 2:00 pm, if you participate in the lunch, or by 12:45 pm otherwise.
Tuesday, June 6	Outing	Hamilton Marsh near Qualicum Beach	Leader: Ross Peterson (468 2730). Walk in the forest surrounding the marsh, view the marsh from a boardwalk, and observe some of the plants and birds in the area. Leave from Nanoose Place at 9:30 am, and return to Nanoose Place at 12:30 pm.
Thursday, June 8	Meeting	Friends of Hamilton Marsh	Carey Peacey
Wednesday, June 14	Outing	Birdwalk to the Lookout between Dolphin and Enos Lakes	Leader: Joe Crichton (468 1728). Moderate to difficult. Meet at the parking lot at the end of Schooner Cove Drive at 6:30 pm. Look for Common Nighthawks at the top and for other birds along the way on the evening of the summer solstice. Return to the parking lot by 9:00 pm.
Thursday, July 13	Outing	Paradise Meadows on Mt. Washington	Leader: Jim Sinclair (468 9374). Wildflowers in bloom at 1,500 m elevation, tips on wildflower photography from Tony Markle, and a picnic in fresh air. Leave from Nanoose Place at 8:30 am, and return to Nanoose Place by 2:30 pm.