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Author: Kelly Sekhon

Pressed Plants: Making a Herbarium

Pressed Plants: Making a Herbarium

Book Review by Nina Shoroplova Linda P. J. Lipsen and Derek Tan’s Pressed Plants: Making a Herbarium, published in February 2023 by Royal BC Museum, Victoria, British Columbia One of the hobbies I enjoyed as a girl was pressing wildflowers. My friend Rosemary lived in a house that backed on to some wild land near Cyncoed Village. We would walk the lanes and trails collecting wildflowers: lesser celandine and meadow buttercup (we could tell the difference), willowherb, red campion, and red clover….

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Canada Jay – Should it be Canada’s National Bird

Canada Jay – Should it be Canada’s National Bird

Dr. David Bird is a Professor Emeritus of Wildlife Biology at McGill University, including teaching university-level courses in ornithology. He has been the strongest promoter for the Canada Jay to be designated as Canada’s national bird. He gave a wonderful Zoom presentation about this for the Nature Vancouver Birders’ Night in January 2022. For 8 years Dr. Bird has been petitioning the federal government to make this happen, but so far it has shown no initiative in doing so. Therefore,…

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2022 Christmas Bird Count

2022 Christmas Bird Count

Report by Peter Candido The 2022 Vancouver Christmas Bird Count took place on Saturday December 17th. The morning saw intermittent rain, the temperature was 2-3 C and winds were light at about 7 kph from the east. Light fog offshore in the morning limited visibility for observing waterbirds, though the sea was fairly calm. The rain ended around noon and skies cleared somewhat. Though some shoreline was exposed early in the morning, the tide was high for most of the…

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New Year’s Day Walk – 2023

New Year’s Day Walk – 2023

Trip Report by Kelly Sekhon Twenty three members of Nature Vancouver enjoyed a fairy mild and at times sunny day in the quaint old fishing village of Steveston. We met in the parking lot of Garry Point Kite Park. After introductions we started the walk around the Kite Park and then continuing north along the Richmond West Dyke. A number of immature and adult Bald Eagles were spotted on various pilings. Northern Harriers, Great Blue Herons, and Snow Geese were…

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2023 Summer Camp – Big Bar Ranch

2023 Summer Camp – Big Bar Ranch

28 January, 2023 Update Both weeks of the drive-in camp at Big Bar have filled. However, we are taking a few names for the waitlist on week one and two. If you wish to be on the waitlist Email Elena.K.NVcamp@outlook.com. Once we have enough names on each waitlist we will stop collecting names. Waitlisted applicants need not send any money until they have been notified that they have been placed into camp.  2023 CAMP FEES Adults $ 780 / person      Child < 18 yrs $ 390/  person Refund Policy          Upon confirmation,…

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Interpretive EcoWalk in Pacific Spirit Park

Interpretive EcoWalk in Pacific Spirit Park

Submitted by Laura Cottle On 27 November, 2022, Nature Vancouver (NV) and Pacific Spirit Park Society (PSPS) jointly organized this walk. Leaders, Ian Clague (NV & PSPS) and Sam Bundenthal (PSPS), met the group at the Pacific Spirit Regional Park Centre on 16th Ave (parking lot and washroom area) at 10am. on this beautiful sunny Sunday morning. After a brief introduction to by Laura Cottle (Volunteer and Program Coordinator for PSPS), the group of 2 leaders, 18 participants, 2 PSPS volunteers…

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Hike Along Capilano Pacific Trail

Hike Along Capilano Pacific Trail

Report by Naomi Ross On Sunday, 27 November, 2022, five members of Nature Vancouver and a guest met at the Rabbit Lane trailhead for a 9:00am start. It was a crisp and clear day. The trail was unusually quiet in the beginning, and there was nobody at the first viewpoint. The clumps of mist gave a mysterious effect to the dramatic views from the platform, which looks almost vertically down the walls of the canyon. We continued on the winding…

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New Brighton Park Restoration – Nov 29, 2022 Update

New Brighton Park Restoration – Nov 29, 2022 Update

Submitted by Nigel Peck It’s always interesting to see how things turn out. The fall plant order was submitted to the Park Board back on May 8th. With assistance from Ian Clague and Krista from the Park Board, the order was refined over summer and, with several revisions the plant list, was finalized November 3rd. We were quite happy with a good selection of roses and shrubs but, more importantly, pollinator perennials that tend to stand 60+ centimeters that would…

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New Brighton Park Restoration – Nov 27, 2022 Update

New Brighton Park Restoration – Nov 27, 2022 Update

Submitted by Nigel Peck We had a great day at New Brighton Park. Perfect weather, a wonderful group of 13 volunteers, 5 of whom were helping for the first time. Newcomers Ross and Roz worked together up on the hillock, planting native roses digging out mega-holes for the two-gallon pot sized shrubs. On the eastern slope newcomers Jacqueline, Riis and Mark did a fabulous job planting Canadian and European Golden Rod, Douglas Aster and Large Leaved Lupines which, hopefully next spring…

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Birding Walk at Point Roberts

Birding Walk at Point Roberts

Trip Report by Janet Snell and Jan Lowcock On Sunday, November 13, a group of nine enthusiastic birders visited Lighthouse Park in Point Roberts, Washington. For quite a few participants, this was their first visit to Point Roberts and we couldn’t have picked a better day. A sunny sky and calm seas provided good visibility and excellent conditions for birding. Point Roberts is a squarish peninsula that juts into the Salish Sea as the coastline turns the corner from south…

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