Let's go birding: Southern Vancouver Island (with Darren Irwin)

Birding in July on the southern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This video was made especially for students in UBC's Biology 427 course (Ornithology and Herpetology), and is being shared more generally in case others enjoy a virtual field trip. All photos and video are by Darren Irwin except in a few places where a credit to someone else is shown. I thank Jessica Irwin for advice, assistance with editing, and moral support.
Please note that all Covid19-related regulations and recommendations were followed during travel to and from this site.

[@stamatiszogaris6027]

Really fantastic video! Brings back so much memories - so educational. Many thanks!

[@christypruett4280]

Great video and great idea for taking students on a virtual field trip.

[@susanbanks2495]

I so enjoyed a virtual walk alongside you today, thank you, Susan

[@darrenirwin5411]

Susan: Thanks for saying so! Happy birding!

[@briansturdy592]

My wife and I are just starting in birding and general nature observing. Thanks for you're videos...hope you keep putting out more .

[@darrenirwin5411]

Thanks Brian. Happy birding!

[@gerardroest6020]

Well done! Next year I hope to visit Vancouver Island and do some birdwatching. Your video therefore is a good introduction to me.

[@birdingbetter7600]

Very well done. I'm working on virtual experiences for my students as well.

[@lornetannas4052]

This was an excellent presentation. Most informative. I recommend that you do a lot more. Try to keep them about 15 minutes long. If you have longer ones make them into parts, #1, #2, and #3. If I ever get to Vancouver Island I would love to go birding with you. I am from Manitoba but work in China where I do a lot of birding.

[@TracyBirds]

What a beautiful spot! Shore birds / peeps are so hard for me to ID, so thanks for the tips.

[@MeasureMyLullaby]

Thank you for this virtual birding trip! It was so relaxing and interesting to see all of the different species. We are so fortunate to share our planet with such a big and beautiful family. :) It was very helpful to hear the birdcalls identified and to see accompanying images. Now I can recognize the local kingfisher and the red-breasted nuthatch. I wonder, what are some birds you can hear at night in this area?

[@binsandbirds]

Wow, that area is such a productive place for wildlife. What an awesome spot!

[@shiwairen]

This is a fantastic video for someone trying to get into birding by telling apart related species. Thanks so much for putting it online.

[@darrenirwin5411]

Thanks so much. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jennyauxier7481]

Just fantastic Darren, my husband and I have moved to the Netherlands temporary to study and watching this video helps me feel like I was really back home, and helps me brush up on our birds while I'm away.

[@darrenirwin5411]

Thanks Jenny. So glad to hear this reminds you of home. Hope you have some very good birding in the Netherlands too.

[@thomaskooiman9812]

@@darrenirwin5411 Hi! I'm a birder from the Netherlands (Lovely video btw Darren, it's so nice to see what variety of birds there are on the other side of the atlantic.). the Netherlands is in fact an amazing place to go birding. I'm not sure how temporary your visit exactly is JEnny, but if you're still in the country feel free to reach our for some good tips for good locations.

[@shaunferguson8782]

Lovely video. Believe it or not I have Belted Kingfisher on my British list. Lovely to see your birding patch. Shaun, London.

[@darrenirwin5411]

Thank you Shaun. Wow--a Belted Kingfisher in the UK must be quite the rarity!

[@shaunferguson8782]

@@darrenirwin5411 It was huge yes, several thousand people visited the long staying bird. Turned the field where you viewed from into a muddy quagmire.

[@ashleydesjardins6203]

I loved this video and photography and would love more videos to learn

[@nicolasvo]

like your vid and quiz, cheers from Belgium!

[@darrenirwin5411]

Thanks! Cheers from Canada!

[@learnbirdgenetics4024]

This is so amazing ❤️ thanks for this video ❤️

[@darrenirwin5411]

Thanks!

[@learnbirdgenetics4024]

@@darrenirwin5411 sir where can I contact you ? I am working in field of ornithology and avian Ethology past 8 years. Would like to get in touch with you. Please

[@anonymuz_guy9820]

I believe the quiz bird is a Pectoral Sandpiper because of the long primary projections?

[@darrenirwin5411]

Could you clarify which quiz bird you mean? At what time point in the video? (I don't think there are any Pectoral Sandpipers in this video, but am keeping an open mind . . .)

[@MaidenBklyn]

I’m planning a trip to Vancouver island with my elderly mother in the summer. I plan to bird while I’m there. What town or general area would you suggest as a place to stay?

[@darrenirwin5411]

Sooke is a nice area to stay, for birding in southern Vancouver Island. I also recommend the Ucluelet / Tofino area to experience the west coast.

[@andreasabbagh3052]

There is a bird song I hear every spring in Qualicum Beach but haven't been able to identify the bird. I have a short video of its song, can the video be sent to you and maybe have the bird ID'd?

[@darrenirwin5411]

Sure, that's fine. You can find my email on the UBC website.

[@hamidrez79]

Thanks for the video. I am a hobbyist bird photographer living in POCO and have been looking for locations like this for birding and taking photos .,mag I ask you where exactly is this location?

[@darrenirwin5411]

Most of the video was done in a place called Muir Creek, Muir Beach, or Gordon Beach, which is a publicly accessible area a bit west of Sooke, BC., along highway 14.

[@AdamTheCoop1]

This is kind of weird, but are you related to a man named Steven Irwin? He would have been living in Ontario back when we met around 2013.

[@darrenirwin5411]

Well, I'm sure I'm distantly related to him (we all are ;), but not particularly closely I think.