Common Seabirds of Vancouver Island

 

As you cruise around Vancouver Island and the neighbouring Gulf Islands of Canada’s west coast, you won’t be able to ignore the diverse population of birds soaring above you or swimming beside your vessel. Vancouver Island is a birdwatcher’s paradise, with so many different types flocking to and from the island throughout the year, both on land and in the sea.

Here is a quick look at some of the birds you’re likely to spot while boating in the Pacific Northwest around Vancouver Island. Have your binoculars and camera ready!

Types of Birds Around Vancouver Island

Ducks

There are many ducks to be found close to the shoreline surrounding Vancouver Island, including sawbill ducks known for their saw-toothed bills which are ideal for catching fish underwater. Mergansers, which are commonly found in winter, are the most common sawbill duck found around the island. There are also Harlequins (spring and summer breeders), Eiders, Scoters, and Goldeneyes, which migrate in late fall and early spring.

Loons

There are four main types of loons living around Vancouver Island: the Common Loon (as found on Canada’s $1 coins called “Loonies”), Pacific Loon, Yellow-billed Loon, and Red-Throated Loon. Loons are aquatic birds that are larger than ducks but smaller than geese. They are hardy birds seen year-round in our waters, but especially in the winter.

Albatrosses

Known for soaring great distances despite their incredible size, the albatross is hard to miss. Albatrosses are large seabirds that originated in the Atlantic but are now common around the Pacific Ocean. Albatrosses found in our region are the Black-footed (most common), Laysan, and Short-tailed Albatrosses. Back in the day, sailors regarded the Albatross as a symbol of good luck.

Shearwaters

If you’re out far enough from the shore in your boat, you might spot a shearwater or two, which are known to follow whales and fishermen around in search of an easy catch. The Pacific Ocean is home to several species of shearwaters, including the Short-Tailed, Sooty, Flesh-Footed, Pink-Footed and Buller’s shearwaters.

Storm Petrels

Storm Petrels are known for their tube-shaped beaks. They are similar to shearwaters, but don’t fly so close to the waves. There are two main types of Storm Petrels in our region: the Fork-tailed Storm Petrel and the Leach’s Storm Petrel.

Cormorants

Cormorants are large birds with distinctive hooked bills used to catch fish as they dive beneath the sea’s surface. Cormorants found around Vancouver Island include the Double-Crested, Pelagic, and Brandt’s Cormorant.

Plovers

You’ll find plovers wading along the shoreline feeding on insects, crustaceans, and worms. The main plover species living around Vancouver Island include the Pacific Golden, American Golden, Black-Bellied, and Killdeer plovers.

Sandpipers

Sandpipers also wade along the shorelines hunting for food. They have long bills, which set them apart from plovers. Vancouver Island is home to sandpipers like Godwits, Turnstones, Shanks, Tattlers, Dowitchers, and Calidrids.

Skuas & Jaegers

Skuas and jaegers are strong, “scrappy” birds that like to take their food from gulls and other seabirds. Species in the region include the Pomarine Jaeger, Long-Tailed Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, and South Polar Skua.

Murres, Auks & Puffins

These closely related seabirds are all known to be clumsy on land, but fast underwater. With their black and white feathers and upright posture, these birds may remind you of penguins, but there is no relation. Notable species to look out for while boating are the Tufted Puffin, Cassin’s Auklet Common Murre, Ancient Murrelet, and endangered Marbled Murrelet.

Gulls

Considered very much to be coastal birds, gulls are practically synonymous with the sea, and there is certainly no shortage of gulls living around Vancouver Island. The Western Gull is the most common gull in the region, but there are many others, like the Ring-Billed Gull, Herring Gull, Heermann’s Gull, Glaucous-Winged Gull, Slaty-Backed Gull, and Common (Mew) Gull.

Skimmers

Skimmers are black and white long-winged birds with bright reddish bills. They closely resemble terns, who forage for food from dusk until dawn. Skimmers are easily recognizable and have several other names, including scissor-bill, shearwater, seadog, cutwater, razorbill, flood gull, and stormgull.

Terns

Terns are long-distance migrants closely related to gulls and skimmers – the biggest difference being they are slimmer birds and have longer tails and shorter legs. Around Vancouver Island there are three main species of terns to spot: the Arctic Tern, Common Tern, and Caspian Tern.

Raptors

There are several raptors (birds of prey) circling Vancouver Island at any given time, including the mighty Bald Eagle – builders of the largest tree nests in the world. The bald eagle hunts near large bodies of water and nests in old-growth forests. They especially enjoy flying near rivers during the fall salmon spawning season. No matter how many times you see an eagle, it’s hard not to stop what you’re doing and stare.

Other raptors to admire around the Island include the Peregrine Falcon, the Osprey (found near any body of water), the Turkey Vulture (found inland around garbage heaps), and the Red-Tailed Hawk – a bird that prefers open fields to the open sea.

Kingfishers

Belted Kingfishers are commonly found year-round along the streams and shorelines around the island. Known as much for their loud, rattling calls as they are for their large heads, shaggy crests, and big bills, the American Belted Kingfisher was prominently featured on the Canadian $5 bill in 1986, which is why he might look a little familiar.

Black Oystercatchers

The black oystercatcher is a distinctive bird with its bright red beak, pink legs, and pure black feathers. Find oystercatchers hanging out in pairs during low tide or near protected shorelines and jetties. Contrary to their name, oystercatchers don’t eat Vancouver Island oysters – they prefer other shellfish like clams and mussels.

Herons

There is a unique subspecies of the Great Blue Heron living year-round on Vancouver Island. Unlike other herons, the ones here do not migrate; instead they breed in colonies in marshes and wetlands. From Quadra Island all the way down to Victoria, you can find Herons patiently waiting on floating beds of kelp, waiting in anticipation for their next meal.

This list is just a partial list of the bird species you’re likely to spot on Canada’s west coast. You can find a few of them, such as Harlequin Ducks and Great Blue Herons at Robert’s Bay Bird Sanctuary, which is just steps away from us here at Van Isle Marina. Or, if you’re heading in-land, try any of these South Vancouver Island hikes to catch a glimpse of even more bird species.

At Van Isle Marina, we have decades of experience out on the water and have spotted plenty of the birds listed above, particularly from the decks of our motor boats and yachts.

Come and see us – we are your Pacific Northwest boating experts and will be happy to show you around our docks!

For more pics and information about all the seabirds of Vancouver Island, visit Discover Vancouver Island.

 

It’s never the best part of the fishing experience, and it’s often a thankless task, but someone on board the boat has got to do it. We’re talking about cleaning your catch. Knowing how to clean a fish properly is something every fisherman should know how to do. It’s the first step in getting your fish to taste delicious, after all.

When do you need to clean your fish?

Try and clean your fish within an hour or two of catching it, or at the very least, on the day you catch it – this is true even if you are planning on freezing the fish eventually. If you’ll be out fishing for several days on your yacht, it will be important you have everything you need on board to easily clean your catch right there on the boat. Fortunately, you don’t need much to clean a fish.

Here’s our quick guide to cleaning a fish on board your boat:

To clean a fish, you’ll need a:

 

• Sanitary work station
• Dull butter knife, spoon or fork for removing scales
• Sharp knife for gutting your fish
• Bucket to collect your fish guts
• Clean ice bucket to collect your clean fish
• Newspaper or plastic lining (optional)
• Clean running water
• A fish or two worthy of getting your hands dirty

Cleaning a fish in 7 easy steps

Step 1: Bleed the Fish

A fish should be bled when you first catch it to preserve the flavour of the meat and to make for a cleaner gutting experience. To do so, make a shallow incision under the fish’s gills. Snap its head back, breaking the spinal cord, then thread a rope through its mouth and out the gills. Allow the fish to bleed out into the water. Put the fresh catch on ice. Keep it there until you’re ready for the next steps.

Step 2: Prepare Your Materials

Lay out some newspaper on your sanitized workspace to help absorb liquids spilling from the fish and onto the floor. Do your fish cleaning outdoors if possible as it’s going to get messy! Use gloves if you prefer and have them handy.

Have your bag or bucket nearby to collect the bones, fins, head, and guts of the fish.

Inspect your fish for signs of diseases, including spots, sores, wounds, and discolouration before proceeding.

Step 3: Remove Scales

Remove the scales from your cold fish using a dull knife, fork, or spoon. From the tail towards the head, use a raking motion working against the direction of the scales. Do both sides of the fish, as well as the top and bottom.

Don’t worry if you can’t remove all the scales (they are not harmful to consume) – just aim for most of them because they don’t taste very good.

If you’re dealing with a thick-skinned fish, consider skinning it instead of descaling. To do this, cut a 1-inch notch where the top of the fish’s head connects to its body. Grip the fish at the head and simply peel the skin down to the tail. Pliers might be needed if the skin is tough.

Step 4: Remove Guts

It’s time to gut your fish. To do so, cut a long, shallow incision along the belly of the fish from the anus to the base of the gills. The incision must be shallow, or you’ll nick the intestines, making them harder and much messier to remove.

Remove the fish guts from the abdominal cavity with your fingers or scoop them out with a spoon. We told you it wasn’t going to be fun! The guts should be easy to remove, albeit unpleasant. Don’t miss anything! There might be darker membranes remaining in certain types of fish. Be sure to scrape these out as well to prevent a strong flavour and aroma from making its way into your meal.

Step 5: Remove Fins and Head

Remove the head of the fish if you plan on doing so. Cut it off from directly behind the gills. Some people choose to leave the head on the fish, and in some cooking methods – for trout especially – the head adds flavour and depth to your dish.

Next, remove the dorsal fin at the bottom of the fish (also optional) by quickly pulling it firmly towards the head. Removing the dorsal fin, if done in a swift motion, removes many small bones from your fish. You can also just cut it off.

Dispose of your fish guts responsibly. The cleaning station at the marina should have disposal bins. If you’re out on the open ocean, toss the guts back in, but if you’re in a residential area/smaller lake, it’s best to wrap these up in the newspaper and dispose of them when you’re back on shore.

Step 6: Rinse or Wipe Down the Fish

Quickly rinse the fish in cold water – inside and out – specifically rinsing off any blood, sticky scales, and other random fish bits. There are no cleaning chemicals required here – just water ought to do it. However, don’t overdo it with the water, or else you end up washing away the flavour of the fish. If you prefer, you can gently wipe the fish with a paper towel rather than rinsing it.

Step 7: Cook Your Fish

Depending on your preferred cooking method, you might have more prep work to do before you can cook your fish, like filleting or cutting it into steaks, and removing its backbone prior to cooking (if you’re not BBQing or baking it whole).

Either way, you’re done cleaning and are well on your way to enjoying your catch of the day!

For tips on how to hook the fish in the first place, check out our Lures or Bait debate.

And if you think it might be a while until you catch something, why not prepare a few meals ahead of time before setting sail? Board your boat with these 5 Make-Ahead Boating Meals to tide you over until your big catch.

At Van Isle Marina in Victoria, BC, we are a big boating community who know their fish. Looking for the best fishing boat to help you catch fish in more style and comfort? Check out some of the yachts we have available for sale. We specialize in new Back Cove, Riviera, and Belize motor yachts, in addition to the many pre-owned boats for sale at our marina.