Parksville, British Columbia - A small, talkative sea goose known as the black brant is the focus of a festival celebrating the return of 20,000 brants to the beaches and estuaries of Vancouver Island's Oceanside region. The Brant Wildlife Festival runs from March 8 through April 12.

Parksville and Qualicum Beach area is an essential feeding ground and rest stop for the brants on their journey from Mexico and California to their northern breeding grounds in Alaska. The geese, though, are not the only show in town. The Pacific herring spawn transforms the ocean colors from deep blue into a milky aqua-green.

"As nature would have it, this circle of life attracts thousands of water birds, eagles, sea lions, and harbor seals to the area," says Luba Plotnikoff of the Oceanside Tourism Association.

The 18th annual Brant Festival begins on March 8 with a community gathering at the Old Train Station. A Herring Spawn Tour attracts attention on March 9, an all-day nature photography class is held March 15, and on March 22, visitors may choose either the Hamilton Marsh Easter Tour or the Buttertubs Marsh Nature Walk. The Big Day Bird Count is April 5, and the Vancouver Island Woodcarvers hold two days of carving competitions April 5 and 6.

On April 10, a Voices of Nature student concert entertains at the Port Theatre. The third annual Seeking a Balance seminar is April 12, along with a Celebration of Flight at 10:30 a.m. when a bald eagle is released from the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre. (866-288-7878; www.brantfestival.bc.ca)

Northwest Travel March/April 2008