Port Angeles

The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe catches coho salmon on the free-flowing Elwha River for the first time in over a century since the removal of dams, marking a historic moment for the tribe and the river's recovery.

New fish have been spotted in a recently revitalized section of Craigflower Creek in View Royal, B.C., thanks to a development site with an environmental focus.

Volunteers from the Friends of Bowker Creek Society say uncovering caddisfly larvae in the gravel beds of the stream show the water quality has improved to a level sufficient to sustain salmon and cutthroat trout.

In Malahat Drive in BC, an extraordinary heat wave, combined with low tides during the middle of the day resulted in the die off of possibly billions of intertidal invertebrates along the coast of British Columbia and Washington State.

To a greater degree than in many other animals, including humans, the southern resident orcas put family first. Their society is matriarchal, with the pods led by grandmothers and mothers.

Over the last few years, there has been an increase in the occurrence of hail during the winter and early spring months. This type of weather is very unusual for this area. While our current experiences with hail have been mild, an increase in frequency and severity is cause for concern.

A rare deep-sea fish was discovered on Vancouver Island this month. A pair of friends, Natalie Mueller and Andie Lafrentz, were walking along Whiffin Spit in Sooke on Sept. 19 when they spotted what they first thought was a “large piece of scrap metal.”

It was a king-of-the-salmon (Trachipterus altivelis), a deep-sea-dwelling species of ribbonfish. Its common name comes from the legends of the Makah people west of Strait of Juan de Fuca, which believe this “king” leads the salmon to their spawning grounds each year.

Residents near the University of Victoria are cautioned to be vigilant as authorities are responding to sightings of a bear in the area.

“In the last 36 hours, we’ve received four bear sightings in Saanich,” said Sgt. Damian Kowalewich with Saanich Police. "A lot of our residents are obviously alarmed by this and it’s a higher number of sightings than usual.”

Himalayan blackberries (Rubus armeniacus) are out competing native shrub species and taking over open grasslands.

A small tornado that touched down on Vancouver Island Thursday afternoon was recorded on one resident’s front door camera.

I have lived along Epsom Drive, between Cedar Hill Golf course and Cedar Hill Road for 22 years. I have seen a common wall lizard once, in late spring of 2020 at our address.

Pollen may be hanging in the air longer than usual due to lack of rain

Adult deer are often seen walking down residential roads in Victoria, but are rarely seen playing.

November is typically the wettest and stormiest month of the year here on Vancouver Island, but not this year. If it seemed drier than usual, you would be right.

Lesser Goldfinch birds were seen munching on local greenery

This is one of just a small number of Blue Jay sightings recorded on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

A yellow-browed warbler spotted in Panama Flats on Friday drew dozens of birding enthusiasts to Vancouver Island on Saturday