1 | Vancouver Island Nature Viewing Region | ||
|---|---|---|---|
2 | Comox Valley Area | ||
3 | Kin Beach Provincial Park | ||
4 |  |  |  |
5 | Long-tailed Ducks: Bill Heybroek drawing | Kin Beach Park: Krista Kaptein photo | Gold star: Terry Thormin photo |
6 | Photo Gallery | ||
7 | This small seaside park overlooks the Strait of Georgia providing views across to the BC Coast Mountains. Just slightly over six hectares, the park contains a small stand of mature Douglas-fir, a cobble beach, meadow and sandy dune, which is a rare habitat on the east coast of Vancouver Island. It is also the site of an ancient First Nations midden. Some of the area’s earliest blooming spring flowers, such as gold star and blue-eyed Mary, can be found here. The shoreline location provides a good place to view wintering waterfowl and migrating shore birds, as well as Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons. The lack of surrounding light sources also makes it a great location for stargazing. | ||
8 | Site Map | ||
9 | Geographical Description | 2.7 km Northwest of Kye Bay on the Strait of Georgia. | |
10 | Area/ Trail Length | 6.3 hectares; .3 km shoreline; .8 km circuit around perimeter. | |
11 | Habitat | Moss-covered meadow; sandy sea coast ecosystem, sand & cobble beach, 2nd growth forest, ancient midden. | |
12 | Highlights | Among the earliest spring flowers in the Valley; ethnobotanical plants; midden; Good location for stargazing to the north & east due to lack of lights. | |
13 | Best Season | Spring for flowers, Summer at low tide. | |
14 | Main Access | 1700-1712 Astra Rd Comox. | |
17 | Secondary Accesses | ||
18 | Cautions | Caution at edge of eroding bank. | |
19 | Jurisdiction | BC Class C Provincial Park; managed by a community board. Intertidal zone: Provincial MOE; Fish & fish habitat: Federal DFO. | |
20 | Birds | Harlequin Duck, Long-tailed Duck, Glaucous-winged Gull, Mew Gull, Black-bellied Plover, Dunlin, American Robin, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Brown Creeper, Spotted Towhee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Pine Siskin,Varied Thrush, Bald Eagle. | |
21 | Bird List | ||
22 | Mammals | Black-tailed Deer, seal. | |
23 | Reptiles | ||
24 | Amphibians | ||
25 | Fish | ||
26 | Intertidal Life | Butter clam, varnish clam, Purple seastar. | |
27 | Insects | ||
28 | Other species | Terrestrial snail sp. | |
29 | Trees | Douglas-fir (prominent) , bigleaf maple, grand fir, bitter cherry, shore pine; cascara | |
30 | Shrubs | tall Oregon grape, dull Oregon grape, salal, huckleberry, snowberry, ocean spray, Nootka rose, salmonberry, trailing blackberry, red-flowering currant, Pacific ninebark. | |
31 | Flowering Plants | Gold star, western buttercup, Hooker’s onion, Menzie’s larkspur, Indian consumption plant (roots exposed at eroding bank), sea blush, blue-eyed Mary, common camas, 5 species miner’s lettuce: Claytonia perfoliata, C. rubra, C. sibirica, C. exigua, C. parviflora; common draba, chocolate lily, white fawn lily, shepherd’s cress, western bittercress, filaree, silver burweed, coastal strawberry, northern wormwood, bur chervil, Nuttal’s toothwort, tall fringecup, herb-Robert, hedge nettle, sweet cicely, Lyall’s anemone, Owl clover, woolly sunflower, shore lupine, Gumweed, tansy, Pacific sanicle, sheep sorrel, yarrow. | |
32 | Ferns, Lichens, Mosses | Bracken fern, sword fern. | |
33 | Other Species | ||
34 | Invasive/Non- native species | Invasive: Scotch broom, English ivy, daphne laurel, yellow archangel. Non-native: old orchard apple & plum trees, English daisy, Dalmation toadflax, glory of the snow (Chionodoxa lucilae), grape hyacinth, snowdrops. Rabbits. | |
35 | Plant List | ||
36 | Seaweeds | Turkish towel (Chondracanthus spp), seersucker kelp (Costaria costata) | |
37 | Mushrooms | Puffball. | |
38 | Geology | Sandy, well-drained soils; Former shoreline evident at line of riprap – slow shoreline erosion occurring (from former edge at riprap to present bank = approx. 10 years) exposing edge of midden. | |
39 | Regulations | Dogs on leash, no beach fires. | |
40 | Facilities | Parking lot; Camping ; Picnic areas: Apr 1-Sep 30: 7am-11pm; Oct 1-Mar 31: 9am-6pm; Picnic shelter; Picnic tables; benches; Tennis/basketball court; Playground; Drinking water; Pit toilets. | |
41 | Other Features | Memorial cairn, table, benches; Water tower; Residence of caretaker; rental home. | |
42 | Other Connections | To Little River Nature Park 1.8 km west along Astra, Booth, & Wilkinson Rd. | |
44 | FMI | Kin Beach Provincial Park | |
45 | Class C Park designation | ||
46 | K'omoks Important Bird Area | ||
47 | Comox Valley Regional District Beach Accesses | ||
48 | Tide Tables | ||
49 | Coastal Shore Jurisdiction in BC pdf | ||
50 | WSU Intertidal Life Identification | ||
51 | eBird Hotspot | ||
52 | © 2018 Comox Valley Naturalists Society | ||