Find out more about our Species at Risk
Cortes Island has a wealth of wildlife including a large number of species at risk – these include everything from the great blue heron to the western toad. We want to find out more about them so we can help protect them.
If you see any of these species please contact us at the FOCI office and let us know: the location, date, time, name and number of the species observed as well as your name and contact info. A photo is a bonus! Your record will be added to our Species at Risk database so we can build up a picture of their distribution and monitor changes over time.
Northern Pygmy Owl
This fearless little hunter is certainly unique to the Owl family. About the size of a fist, the Pygmy-Owl is a tiny predator that is also prey to larger predators.The Northern Pygmy-Owl’s preferred … Read more…
Western Toad
The Western Toad is frequently encountered on roads (in wet weather during spring and fall migrations), near water in breeding season (spring), and in meadows or forests … Read more…
Coastal Cutthrout Trout
Coastal cutthroat trout are a subspecies of the cutthroat trout. All cutthroat trout are the same genus as Pacific Salmon. They too are salmonids although … Read more…
Big-eared Bat
The Townsend’s big-eared bat is also commonly known as the Lump-nosed bat. Their ears and their nose are two defining features that can help to identify this species. With ears half … Read more…
Threaded Vertigo
This tiny little snail can be found in moist mixed forest stands, particularly on bigleaf maple trees in the crevices of the bark. The threaded vertigo does hibernate in winter . . .. Read more…
Silver Spotted Skipper
These butterflies have been extirpated from the B.C coast for over 50 years, but one was spotted fluttering by a patch of Giant Vetch on Cortes Island. This observation changed …. Read more…
Western Screech Owl
The Western Screech Owl is nocturnal. It leaves its roost just before sunset to begin a long night of hunting, only returning home just minutes before sunrise. … Read more…
Pacific Sideband Snail
This medium-sized land snail is unique to other snails in size and features. Pacific sideband snails have evolved their mantle cavity into a lung and breathe through … Read more…
Barn Swallow
The Barn Swallow can usually be spotted flying and foraging over bodies of water, meadows, grasslands and farmland. They often build their nests in man-made structures such as barns... Read more…
Great Blue Heron
The species of Great Blue Heron found around Cortes is the Pacific Great Blue Heron subspecies (Ardea herodias fannini). It is one subspecies out of five that are found in North America. .. Read more…
Common Nighthawk
The Common Nighthawk can be spotted at dawn or dusk as it’s quickly flying in the sky, foraging for insects. During the day they’re harder to spot due to their efficient camouflage... Read more…
Northern Goshawk
The Northern Goshawk is a very secretive bird. They’re hard to spot and prefer to be far from human activity. You may hear them though if you stay close to their nest while hiking … Read more…
Northern Red-legged Frog
The Northern Red-legged Frog can be found in well-shaded, cool coastal forests. If you’re searching for one in the late winter or early spring, they’ll most likely be in forested wetlands. . .. Read more…
Sooty Grouse
The Sooty Grouse was thought to be the coastal subspecies of the Blue Grouse until it was discovered through DNA testing that they could be split into two subspecies, …. Read more…
Friends of Cortes Island Society (FOCI) is a charitable organization that has been active for over 25 years. Our organization exists to monitor and preserve the health of local ecosystems, and to provide educational programs that foster a greater understanding of the natural environment. Through all of our projects, we work to promote environmental integrity through community responsibility.
