Text and Photos by Doug Cooper Now that spring is beginning to drop hints of its arrival, I thought I would send out this update on my nature observations at the sanctuary over the fall and winter months. Winter is the time to see Varied Thrushes at the sanctuary, although they often see me first and fly off out of camera range. I never tire of watching them fling leaves about in their search for tasty morsels on the forest…
Feedback by Nigel Peck on Ron Long’s Experience in Port Moody. (Please see Ron’s article on page 63 of Vol. 48 of DISCOVERY) Here in East Vancouver, we do not have all the critters that Ron Long had to contend with in Port Moody, however I am sure that the contingent of rats on our block (right next to Commercial Drive restaurant garbage bins) would take your breath away. Therefore, our bird feeding system includes a tin roof covering the…
Over the past 100+ years, the Vancouver Natural History Society (now known as Nature Vancouver) has used various publications to communicate program and natural history information to its members. VNHS News – Bulletin of Vancouver Natural History Society (or just The Bulletin), was published from 1943 to 1971. In 2005, Bill Merilees compiled important articles from The Bulletin. Click HERE for a PDF copy. A hard copy is available at Vancouver Public Library. The Bulletin itself evolved over time as you can see from…
UPDATE: Feb 2021 The Camp Committee met via Zoom in January 2021 to review whether the 2021 Big Bar camp would be held this summer after being postponed in 2020. In the interest of everybody’s well-being, it is with regret that we have decided to cancel the 2021 summer camp as well. Instead, the Big Bar summer camp will be held next year from July 3-10 and July 10-17, 2022. Campers who are registered and would like to keep their spot for 2022 may leave their deposits…
Deadline for members to submit their photos is 28 February 2021. Please e-mail all entries to Ron Long at rlphoto@shaw.ca. For more information, please go to https://naturevancouver.ca/photography/ A critique of all entries and winners will be presented on 25 March 2021.
By Nigel Peck Nature Vancouver (Vancouver Natural History Society) has always been involved in projects to protect and enhance natural areas in Vancouver and surrounding municipalities. Specific endeavours arising from our members’ efforts include the protection of Jericho Park, Pacific Spirit Regional Park including Camosun Bog and its restoration, protection of the UBC Farm, support for the establishment of the Stanley Park Nature House, the Sanctuary at Hastings Park, Burns Bog Ecological Conservancy Area, Everett Crowley Park, Surrey Bend, Wildlife Management Areas at Boundary Bay and Roberts Bank, Cypress Provincial…
by Ron Long I’m an old dog, and I have been a photographer for over 60 years – but I’m still learning new tricks. I have lots of birds coming to my feeders and to the special photography perches that I have set up outside my kitchen. During warm weather I sit at the open patio door and happily snap away. But what to do when it’s too cold to sit at an open door? Conventional wisdom tells us not…
Since 2005, members of Nature Vancouver have participated in a New Year’s Day birding walk along Sturgeon Banks in SW Richmond, followed by lunch at a restaurant in quaint old fishing village of Steveston. We missed one year due to heavy snowfall. This year due to Covid, we did not organize this walk but a few members decided to keep the tradition going and met at Garry Point Park at 10 am. The forecast was for heavy rain but it…
by Bev Ramey These dark days of November and December have been a productive time to spend at my computer, posting plant photos onto the iNaturalist – BC Parks website. The photos are from our summer weeks spent in Kakwa Provincial Park over the past eight years. My husband, Bill, has posted butterfly and other insect photos, as well as bird photos, with more yet to come. The iNaturalist website encourages all to post your nature photos. Two “Project” areas that may interest you are: BC Provincial Parks and Metro Vancouver Regional Parks. View more photos for Kakwa that Bill and I have posted, from…
By Bill Merilees “Whales are disporting themselves in Saanich Inlet. Mr. Warren is preparing whale boats and apparatus for waging war on the monsters of the deep”, so read the British Colonist Newspaper in Victoria, September 10th, 1866. This was the beginning of whaling in British Columbia. A century later (1967), the whale stocks were so diminished that the last provincial shore based commercial whaling station, at Quatsino Sound, on northwest coast of Vancouver Island, shut down for good. The Humpback…