~wildlife education~ Nesting season on Vancouver Island begins mid-March and extends through mid-September. Clearing trees or other vegetation or draining or flooding land for development, particularly if undertaken during nesting season, can harm migratory and native birds, their nests or eggs, resulting in long-term negative effects on bird populations. Photo credit: istock.com/Simon002 Before starting any clearing activity that may affect bird nests, buffer zones should be

~wildlife education~ Photo credit: istock.com/FRANKHILDEBRAND Baby deer season is just around the corner, and the more you know about the habits of deer, the better the chances baby deer will remain where they belong - with their mothers. Baby deer (known as fawns) are born from April through July. A female deer (or doe) can have one to three fawns; twins are quite common. Until the babies are strong enough to keep up with their mom as she forages, she will hide them and may

~wildlife education~ Deer have microbes in their stomachs that help them digest coarse food such as lichen.  If rich foods like alfalfa or apples are introduced to these microbes, it can cause bloat and may lead to the death of the animal.  It’s best not to feed wild deer in the winter unless you have small amounts of local hay to offer. istock.com/GarysFRP Anna’s Hummingbirds don’t migrate in the winter; they become dormant daily to conserve energy, entering a state of torpo