The Nature Field Trips are returning in 2023. These field trips are great fun for the whole family and an excellent opportunity to discover shoreline and forest ecosystems as well as Hornby’s unique geology.

Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Youth 18 and under attend for free. For inquiries or to register, email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Spring 2023

Plants in the Forest
Sunday, April 16th, 11am – 12:30pm
During this forest walk, participants will learn about plant families through pattern recognition. Jenna will also introduce a variety of edible and medicinal plants. Time together will be a mix of walking, talking and nature games for all ages.
Jenna Rudolph is the founder of Soaring Eagle Nature School. She is a certified wildlife tracker, a herbalist, botanist, birder and maker of hand-crafted tools and fibre.
Cost: $10 for adults. Children attend free.

Birdsong ID Walk
Wednesday, May 31st, Time TBA
Art will lead a slow walk through the forest focusing on birdsong identification
Please note the walk may be cancelled, or rescheduled, if the weather is too poor for birding (e.g., rain, high winds).
Dr. Art Martell is retired in the Comox Valley and is the Volunteer Caretaker for the K’omoks Important Bird Area. Before retirement, Art worked as a wildlife research scientist and manager with Canadian Wildlife Service and Environment Canada.  He has had a cabin on Hornby for over 30 years.
Cost: $10 for adults. Children free.
Maximum: 10 people per walk
Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Summer 2023

Birdsong ID Walk
Sunday, June 25th, 8:00 am – 10:00 am
Art will lead a slow walk through the forest focusing on birdsong identification
Please note the walk may be cancelled, or rescheduled, if the weather is too poor for birding (e.g., rain, high winds).
Dr. Art Martell is retired in the Comox Valley and is the Volunteer Caretaker for the K’omoks Important Bird Area. Before retirement, Art worked as a wildlife research scientist and manager with Canadian Wildlife Service and Environment Canada.  He has had a cabin on Hornby for over 30 years.
Cost: $10 for adults. Children attend free. Ages 7 and older.
Maximum: 10 people per walk
Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Plants in the Forest
Friday, July 14, 11 – 12 pm or 1:30 – 2:30 pm
During this forest walk participants will learn about plant families through pattern recognition. Jenna will also introduce a variety of edible and medicinal plants. Time together will be a mix of walking, talking and nature games for all ages.
Jenna Rudolph is the founder of Soaring Eagle Nature School. She is a certified wildlife tracker, an herbalist, botanist, birder and maker of hand-crafted tools and fibre.
Cost: Sliding scale: $10 – $20 for adults. Children attend free. Ages 7 and older.
Maximum participants: 12 adults and children.
Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Hear, See, and Enjoy our Local Birds FULL
Friday July 21st, 8:00 am – 10:00 am.
Art will lead a slow walk through the forest where participants can find birds, identify them by sight and song, and learn about their habits.
Please note the walk may be cancelled, or rescheduled, if the weather is too poor for birding (e.g., rain, high winds).
Dr. Art Martell is retired in the Comox Valley and is the Volunteer Caretaker for the K’omoks Important Bird Area. Before retirement, Art worked as a wildlife research scientist and manager with Canadian Wildlife Service and Environment Canada.  He has had a cabin on Hornby for over 30 years.
Cost: Sliding scale: $10 – $20 for adults. Children attend free. Ages 7 and older.
Maximum: 10 people per walk
Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Hear, See, and Enjoy our Local Birds – Cancelled
Friday, July 28th, 8:00 – 10:00 am.
Art will lead a slow walk through the forest where participants can find birds, identify them by sight and song, and learn about their habits.
Please note the walk may be cancelled, or rescheduled, if the weather is too poor for birding (e.g., rain, high winds).
Dr. Art Martell is retired in the Comox Valley and is the Volunteer Caretaker for the K’omoks Important Bird Area. Before retirement, Art worked as a wildlife research scientist and manager with Canadian Wildlife Service and Environment Canada.  He has had a cabin on Hornby for over 30 years.
Cost: Sliding scale: $10 – $20 for adults. Children attend free. Ages 7 and older.
Maximum: 10 people per walk
Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Sandpiper Geology Walk and Scavenger Hunt–FULL
Friday, July 28th, 10 – 11:30am
Sandpiper Beach
Join John for a fun and informative walk across the Sandpiper rocks which includes a geology scavenger hunt designed for all ages.
If the day is hot and sunny, please consider bringing a sunhat and drinking water and also a pen or pencil for the scavenger hunt.
Dr. John Cox is an ‘almost fully retired’ geology professor from Mount Royal University in Calgary. He has spent as much time as possible on Hornby over the last ten years and loves wandering over the different rocks found at Sandpiper Beach, most of which formed around 70 million years ago!
Cost: Sliding scale: $10 – $20 for adults. Children attend free. Ages 7 and older.
Maximum: 25 people per walk
Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Hornby’s Intertidal Biology
Friday, August 4th, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm.
We will meet at a beach north of Whaling Station beach to discuss the magic of tides and the marvelous biology exposed as the tide recedes.  Your hosts will encourage you to explore rocky outcrops, dig in muddy hollows and turn over rocks to learn about the unique life forms that frequent the ocean fringes.  The time will be spent talking and exploring this part of our island and encouraging participants to challenge the hosts with questions related to the plants and animals they discover.
Steve Macdonald has been a summer visitor to Hornby Island since 1964 and his family has had a cabin on Hornby since 1970.   He will be joined on this beach walk with two old friends, Melanie Quenneville and Bill Roland who met at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre and  have been walking between Pacific tides for many years. All have graduate degrees in marine biology ranging from fish biology to seaweed physiology and ecology, and have working experience ranging from fisheries to shellfish  aquaculture to phytoplankton ecology and taxonomy.
Cost: Sliding scale: $10 – $20 for adults. Children attend free. Ages 7 and older.
Maximum: 12 people per walk
Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Sandpiper Geology Walk and Scavenger Hunt
Friday, August 11th, 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Sandpiper Beach
Join John for a fun and informative walk across the Sandpiper rocks which includes a geology scavenger hunt designed for all ages.
If the day is hot and sunny, please consider bringing a sunhat and drinking water and also a pen or pencil for the scavenger hunt.
Dr. John Cox is an ‘almost fully retired’ geology professor from Mount Royal University in Calgary. He has spent as much time as possible on Hornby over the last ten years and loves wandering over the different rocks found at Sandpiper Beach, most of which formed around 70 million years ago!
Cost: Sliding scale: $10 – $20 for adults. Children attend free. Ages 7 and older.
Maximum: 25 people per walk
Pre-registration is essential as space is limited. Email hornby.naturalhistory@gmail.com

Below are some images from past field trips.