High Tide Creative

Archive for March, 2011

Spring on East Vancouver Island – exploring French Creek

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

The oceans around Parksville and Qualicum Beach, British Columbia are alive and thriving right now. I went exploring yesterday along the French Creek Beach (five minutes from Parksville) to view the herring spawn and bird migration, then away from the ocean up along the banks of French Creek, which are currently swollen to bursting with mountain melt water and the rain of recent storms. (more…)

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Parksville herring spawn brings the wildlife to town

Monday, March 7th, 2011

It was a cold and windy day on Vancouver Island today (although still beautiful by Canadian winter standards). I decided to grab my warmest touque, put on an extra sweater and hike along the rocks and tide pools of French Creek (just north of Parksville, BC) this afternoon.

The annual Vancouver Island bird migration has begun, and I’ve caught glimpses of the famous (and endangered) Brant Geese, arriving around the Oceanside area for their yearly festival. But things don’t really get rolling until the herring spawn begins; and the birds, local fisherman and visiting bird watchers have been waiting impatiently through the recent unexpected snow storms and gale force winds for the herring to arrive and get to spawning already. (more…)

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Enjoying the Best of BC Wines at the 2011 Swirl Gala

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

The third annual Parksville Uncorked festival took place on the eastern shores of Vancouver Island this past weekend, and the wine did flow…

Parksville Uncorked began three years ago as a way for local resorts to bring together the best of BC Wines, paired with amazing Vancouver Island food right here in the picturesque oceanside city of Parksville. The weekend-long festival has expanded over the years to include winemakers dinners, bubbly brunches, beer sampling and educational wine seminars. But the jewel in the crown of the festival is still the Swirl gala wine and food tasting, back at the beautiful Beach Club Resort this year to tempt guests with fine wines and fantastic local food. (more…)

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Recent Posts

• Winter photos of the shores of Oceanside, BC
• My winter of 2011 was a mad rush of national and international travel culminating in an eye-opening trip to Europe in the spring. This year has been much quieter and I’ve finally been able to enjoy exploring the piece of Vancouver Island that lies just minutes from my doorstep in the Oceanside Area of Central
• I’m back!
• Lost a computer this month, and all the data. Thankfully back online now and firing on all cyber cylinders. Looking forward to visiting Tofino in the next month for some west coast storm watching. I’ll report back soon!
• Wild Chanterelle hunting on Vancouver Island
• I spent a great Sunday afternoon hiking through the wet green forests of Central Vancouver Island in search of Wild Chanterelle mushrooms. The fall rainy season has begun on the Island, which means mushroom season has also begun. As you can see from the photos below, there’s lots to see on the forest floor right
• Thoughts on the cougar shot near Parksville Beach
• I was on my way down to Parksville Beach on Saturday morning for an annual beach volleyball tournament when I abruptly came across a roadblock on the highway. I didn’t think much of it until I saw that the RCMP Officer blocking the road was holding a huge shotgun and there were sounds of shots
• Dog days of summer at See Ya Later Ranch Winery
•    See Ya Later Ranch Winery Okanagan Wine Sub-Region: Okanagan Falls, known for gewurztraminer, riesling and pinot noir. See Ya Later Ranch is a quirky winery tucked into the stunning hillside of Okanagan Falls, BC, just south of Penticton. There’s a bit of an uphill drive to reach the winery, but it’s worth the small trip once you

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