Dear neighbours and friends,
While we enjoy a safe, temperate summer here in our beautiful home,
our hearts go out to thousands of people, animals, and places
experiencing extreme heat, fires and other calamities. Many of us are
finding ways to help. This newsletter contains information about:
1. Results of European Green Crab trapping July 29-30
2. Shorebirds Migration – How to Help
3. Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition (SPEC) and municipal
elections
4. Mermaid Creek Development Concerns
1. European Green Crab Trapping July 29-30
It was a beautiful morning when volunteers from our neighbourhood
joined Peninsula Streams staff and volunteers to retrieve the 6 traps
they had set the day before.
There was an air of excitement as one by one, the traps’ contents were
transferred to a bin of sea water to be identified, counted, measured
and released back into the bay. If we had found any European Green
Crabs, they would have been removed and destroyed.
For more information about the crab and DFO’s Early Detection and
Monitoring Network, check out Peninsula Streams’ BEACH Program
webpage (scroll down past the Forage Fish article). The Pacific Salmon
Foundation and Coastal Restoration Society webpage is another good
source. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans page describes the
issue across Canada.
Trapping events like ours not only provide early detection and
monitoring but also collect baseline data to improve understanding of
what native species are at risk if an invasion occurs. On July 30, there
were no European Green Crabs in our traps. So what are the Great Blue
Herons and Glaucous Winged Gulls eating out there at the low tide line?
We found:
Crabs – Dungeness 3, Red Rock 18, Graceful 2, Hairy Shore 4, Hairy
Hermit 1.
Fish – Staghorn Sculpin 82, TidePool Sculpin (tentative id) 2, Saddleback
Gunnel 3
Other – Bubble Snail 2
As mentioned in our June 21 newsletter, this 2026 trapping is sponsored
by Friends of Shoal Harbour and will include another session August 26
and 27.
2. Shorebird Migration – How to Help
The image on the left is a Western Sandpiper in breeding plumage. On
the right is a Least Sandpiper in non-breeding plumage. This time of
year, plumage varies.
At 9 am on August 17th, at the Fifth Street Beach access, a couple of
forage fish egg volunteers noticed shorebirds nearby. A
few Killdeers were hunting at the mouth of Mermaid Creek. A group of
smaller birds walked with their heads down, pecking in the sand. As
more of the smaller birds gathered, the group sometimes took short
flights in beautiful, graceful formation. We thought they were Western
Sandpipers, but the latest ebird observations for Roberts Bay mention
Least Sandpipers instead. Both are “peeps” (tiny shorebirds that walk
while picking and probing at the ground.) One site says they weigh
“scarcely more than a slice of bread”. Amazingly given their size, both
species are long distance migrants, breeding in the Canadian arctic and
Alaska, then flying to Central and South America for the
winter. The small birds on Roberts Bay beach are almost certainly here
on a rest stop in the course of their fall migration, with thousands of
kilometers still to go!
On the beach, please watch carefully for these well camoflaged, tiny
birds and avoid disturbing them. Keeping dogs on leash is more
important than ever during migration!
3. Saanich Peninsula Environmental Coalition (SPEC) prepares for Municipal Election
Check-Up! An Analysis of Bioregional Planning on the Saanich
Peninsula – final report emphasizes how important the values of
community and the natural environment are to the people who live
here. The report stresses that while the municipalities of Central
Saanich, North Saanich and Sidney are making progress on various
environmental policies, more collaboration is necessary to provide the
certainty the public expects, especially around such matters as tree
canopy, watershed and shoreline management, agriculture and food
systems, and landscape connectivity.
Three recommendations are worth noting:
1. Reinstate the Tri-Municipal Council Meetings.
2. Establish a Saanich Peninsula Environmental Advisory Committee
3. Develop a shared environmental data and monitoring platform.
These recommendations would deliver a more unified approach to
natural assets, data/map sharing and project implementation.
SPEC is developing its approach for the municipal elections in
October. If you have suggestions about how best to approach this
challenge, please contact:
Bob Peart, Coordinator, bobpeart@shaw.ca 250-655-0295
See the July 6, 2026 Topic Update on PlaceSpeak and share your
thoughts about the ratings and recommendations.
4. Mermaid Creek Development Concerns
Some neighbours have expressed concerns about the development at
10231 Resthaven Drive which backs onto Mermaid Creek. Their
correspondence and discussions with the Town, Peninsula Streams,
West Coast Environmental Law, MP Elizabeth May and other experts
have clarified how the current law regarding development in the
Mermaid Creek Environmentally Sensitive Area, concerning setbacks
and other key topics, is interpreted by the Town. This has not reassured
those who are concerned about the welfare of the ducks and ducklings
they observe from their windows or the overall impact of development
on this “protected” area which is full of life.
Roberts Bay Residents
Jocelyn Gifford, Communications
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Our mission: We are a small group of friends who live on Roberts Bay or
nearby and work together to preserve the ecology of the bay for future
generations by promoting ecological understanding among neighbours
through newsletters, relationships, and volunteer projects.
“Our vision is to build a future in which our community lives in harmony
with the living wonders of Roberts Bay and where the natural beauty and
functionality of the ecosystems of the bay are preserved and enhanced
to ensure that this very special place remains a safe refuge for wildlife
and a source of inspiration for its present and future residents and
visitors.”
