Frontiers in Ornithology in and around Clayoquot and Barkley Sounds

Photo Credits: Liam Ragan

We are hosting this event in partnership with Raincoast Education Society and B.C. Nature. Come learn about ornithology in the region with two experts in the field! 

February 5th, 2024

7:00 - 8:30 PM

Free Admission 

Ucluelet Community Centre 

Mark Maftei of Raincoast Education Society and Liam Ragan of B.C. Nature will present an overview of historical and current bird monitoring work in and around Clayoquot and Barkley Sounds. They’ll talk about everything from Brandt's Cormorants on the outer reefs, Marbled Murrelets on the open ocean, and rafts of tens of thousands of Surf Scoters in Loudon Channel. In addition, they'll outline the work that has been done on Key Biodiversity Areas in more remote areas such as Hesquiat Harbour, which includes conducting radar surveys of old-growth breeding Marbled Murrelets and a comprehensive bird survey in conjunction with the herring spawn.

Speakers:

Liam Ragan works for B.C. Nature as the Provincial Coordinator for Important Bird Areas as well as the First Nations Liaison for Key Biodiversity Areas. He lives in Victoria on the territory of the Songhees First Nation where he spends much of his time watching, photographing, recording, and (rarely) banding birds.

Mark Maftei is the Executive Director of the Raincoast Education Society. He has been studying birds for 18 years with an emphasis on surveying poorly known areas, tracking species to learn more about migratory connectivity, and general breeding biology. He has been actively working along the BC coast since 2006.