Russell Cannings has recently spent a year exploring every corner of the province to find almost every kind of bird that resides in British Columbia.
In so doing, he set a record of 373 species in a year.
This experience has resulted in a useful guide compiled and written with his father, Richard Cannings, to where to find birds in B.C., Birdfinding in British Columbia.
Russell Cannings will present a one-hour slide lecture at the monthly meeting of Comox Valley Nature at the Filberg Seniors Centre on March 16 from 7 to 9 p.m. He will be on hand to sign copies of his book after the lecture.
The province has recognized the many contributions made by Richard Cannings, and his brothers Sydney and Robert, to our understanding of our natural history.
Russell is a young graduate of UBC whose first publication promises to further his family’s legacy to our understanding of this province’s exceptional flora and fauna.
He is an avid young birder from the Okanagan and has worked as a field biologist throughout British Columbia for the past 10 years. He is attending Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, where he hopes to acquire a high-school-teaching degree (in History of all things!).
He is also a regular birding guide for Avocet Tours, and runs the BC Bird Alert — a provincewide blog on the latest rare bird sightings.
Comox Valley Nature is a non-profit society affiliated to BC Nature consisting only of unpaid volunteers. CVN fulfills its educational mandate by hosting monthly lectures, organizing free weekly guided hikes for members, and a free monthly walk open to the public. The society also undertakes a variety of environmental projects.
Cannings' lecture is free, though a $4 contribution from non-members is appreciated. New memberships are always welcomed.
Anyone interested in this lecture or participating in CVNS activities can also contact CVN at http://comoxvalleynaturalist.bc.ca or Loys Maingon at 250-331-0143.
— Comox Valley Nature