Christine Scott

OUT AND ABOUT: Election campaign winding down, local businesses ramping up

Final all-candidates meetings set for West Shore, new businesses opening up

BUSINESS COLUMN: Out and about

From the Best of the Westshore to the 11th annual Chili Cook Off

OUT AND ABOUT: Entertainment, recreation options round out the month

It’s a musical July on the West Shore, with Rock the Shores etc.

OUT AND ABOUT: July starts summer off with a bang

Christine Scott and Shelley Westwood bring word from the street on the West Shore

Summer diving camps put on by Wilson Diving are among the holiday offerings for kids.

OUT AND ABOUT: Summer camps and patio spots abound

The Gazette presents some ideas for early summer activities

Summer diving camps put on by Wilson Diving are among the holiday offerings for kids.

Out and About: Get ready for a busy weekend on the West Shore

No shortage of activities coming to the West Shore in coming weeks

OUT AND ABOUT: Plus-size fashion is cool at Curvalicious Boutique

Christine Scott and Shelley Westwood bring word from the streets of the West Shore

OUT AND ABOUT: Outdoor activities abound during spring break

Christine Scott and Shelley Westwood bring news from the street

OUT AND ABOUT: Community events focus on giving back

Christine Scott and Shelley Westwood report from the street

Mountain ash is that rare tree with fruit throughout winter.

Mountain ash berries are a useful festival fruit

Getting outdoors and picking wild fruit takes us back to an age when gathering, jam-making and crafting were fun-filled family times

Mountain ash is that rare tree with fruit throughout winter.
Harlequin ducks sunbathe on exposed ocean rocks.

Celebrate the treasure of shorebirds

ISLAND WILD: Their numbers are declining, largely due to habitat loss and human disturbance

Harlequin ducks sunbathe on exposed ocean rocks.
Miranda Roeke and Brianna Aldea learn about dragonflies.

Jewelled dragons dance in the sky

ISLAND WILD: Dragonfly populations peak in mid-August, and make an ideal study subject

Miranda Roeke and Brianna Aldea learn about dragonflies.
The reclusive green heron is two-thirds smaller than the great blue.

Green heron is B.C.’s smallest

A riot of colours, this wading bird features short yellow legs, chestnut-brown neck and dark green back

The reclusive green heron is two-thirds smaller than the great blue.
Juvenile bald eagles take four years to reach maturity.

Eagle youngsters rule the treetops

ISLAND WILD: Eagle parents, mated for life, are now feeding and caring for this year’s young

Juvenile bald eagles take four years to reach maturity.
A female Rufous hummingbird on sprouting Red Elderberry.

Pink wildflowers signal magical hummer’s return

We welcome the most common hummer species on the West Coast in the soft and tiny Rufous

A female Rufous hummingbird on sprouting Red Elderberry.

Ice blossom winners

Before launching into full April mode, let’s look back on the icy wonders of March

Finding fanciful frost freaks

Science calls them ‘crystallo-folia’ – created on winter mornings

Merlins (year-round island residents) are members of the falcon family.

Free nature show by Mother Nature

ISLAND WILD: Perhaps it’s time to learn what to call those streaky brown birds with red caps, and which woodpecker species is which

Merlins (year-round island residents) are members of the falcon family.
The beautiful Varied Thrush migrates from high elevations to lower ground in winter.

Thrushes brighten backyards with their flashes of winter orange

ISLAND WILD: Every thrush species is musically gifted, their melodic mating songs bestowing joy in damp, dark woodlands

The beautiful Varied Thrush migrates from high elevations to lower ground in winter.
Bleeding hydnellum mushrooms grow along Three Pond Loop trail in Strathcona Provincial Park.

Do something wild in the new year

So many wild wonders lie within our forests, unknown and unappreciated

Bleeding hydnellum mushrooms grow along Three Pond Loop trail in Strathcona Provincial Park.