Trip report by Donna McKenzie This trip was a Nature Vancouver field trip lead by Donna McKenzie with the assistance of 4 other experienced birders. It was a sunny 12 C morning as the participants and leaders met at Musqueam Park. It was a full trip with 17 people including the leaders. Most participants were new to birding and keen to learn more. While we were getting ready we could hear Pine Siskins, Chickadees and Song Sparrows. After introductions, we…
Trip report by Jan Lowcock Cloudy skies and cool temperatures greeted 10 Nature Vancouver members plus 8 guests at ƛ̓éxətəm Regional Park in Coquitlam on Saturday April 19. A flock of close to 200 Cackling Geese flew over as we prepared to leave the parking lot. Near the community garden we were amused by peek-a-boo glimpses of a Ring-necked Pheasant as it moved around a deer resting in the field. After the garden, we crossed the Millennium Bridge and made…
Trip Report by Kelvin Yip Eleven beginner birders joined leaders Kelvin Yip and Neill Vanhinsberg for a frosty morning of birding at Queen Elizabeth Park on January 19th. Beginner tips and tricks were shared, and we were greeted with a visit from a female Anna’s Hummingbird in the parking lot. In the rose garden we saw some Song Sparrows and Dark Eyed Juncos. Over behind the Lawn Bowling Club there were Ruby Crowned Kinglets picking around on the ground and…
Report by Nigel Peck. With the arrival of 2025 and the approach of our fourth year of the New Brighton project, it seems a good time to reflect back on what we’ve achieved in the last year and look forward to the possibilities of this year. Reflecting back: Invasives: What stood out last year was massive invasive plant pulling efforts involving armload after armload of purple vetch, white-sweet clover and finally, scotch broom. The purple vetch was first and almost…
Trip Report by Thomas Plath; Photos by Selina Wong Thirteen participants participated on this half-day excursion despite the less than ideal conditions. Heavy mist hampered viewing at White Rock Pier nonetheless almost all of the regular seabirds were observed including great views of Greater Scaup, Surf and White-winged Scoters, Long-tailed Duck, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Horned Grebe and Common Loon. A feeding Red-throated Loon, constantly diving was not very co-operative and unfortunately an Eared Grebe was too far out for…
Trip Report by Thomas Plath Ten participants braved the poor weather of light rain and enjoyed a productive morning birding at the sanctuary. At the parking lot the resident pair of Sandhill Cranes and their two grown chicks greeted us. The wintering adult Black-crowned Night-Heron was buried deep in its usual hideout near the entrance. Great looks of common, wintering seed-eating birds were had at the numerous feeding stations and a careful search of the Douglas-fir and Holly bordering the…
Post by Nina Shoroplova It was fortunate that Caroline Penn and I moved the date of Nature Vancouver’s “Fall Colours in Stanley Park” tree-identification walk away from Saturday, October 19, the heaviest rainfall day of the latest atmospheric river. But perhaps not so good that we moved it to the morning of Tuesday, October 22, because it rained cats and dogs once again. Originally there were twenty of us registered for the Saturday, but weather and work intervened and just…
This year’s volunteer awards were announced on 23rd May, 2024 at the AGM. Kaye and Charles Ney Award The premier award of the Society for “lifetime” exemplary service and dedication to the Society. Active Directors of the Society are not eligible for this award until they have served more than 10 years as a Director. This award was established in 1975 in memory of Kaye Ney by her husband and renamed after his death. Sheila Byers It is with deep…
Trip Report by Thomas Plath Six participants and a couple of stragglers showed up for the shorebird identification field trip at Reifel Refuge. We began at the House Pond where approximately 30 juvenile and a couple of adult Long-billed Dowitchers gave us close views. Close by were a few feeding Greater Yellowlegs. A non-breeding plumaged Wood Duck perched on the railing at Fuller’s Slough looking for handouts and a female Hooded Merganser was resting on a log along with a…
Trip Report by Thomas Plath The dozen participants viewed a variety of shorebirds along the Boundary Bay foreshore on a very pleasant and productive evening. We arrived at the foot of 104th Street to a low but rising tide with shorebirds far out along the water’s edge towards 96th Street. We headed west stopping at the pilings for a scan. The large group of Black-bellied Plovers and peep far out along the water’s edge took flight and headed east towards…