Submitted by Nina Shoroplova Twenty seven of us gathered in Alexandra Park, Vancouver, on the morning of Saturday, March 22, to learn about the 160-plus trees that have been planted (including a few that are native) along English Bay Beach Park and Sunset Beach Park. We admired the Heritage Red Oak,[i] perhaps planted on the first day of the new century, January 1, 1901.[ii] (Caroline took the photo at the end of the walk, which is why no one is there!)…
Submitted by Jan Lowcock Everyone had an eye on the weather forecast as 21 Nature Vancouver members and guests joined Neill and Jan for a birding field trip to Terra Nova Park in Richmond on March 29. The parking lot was active from the start with a flyover of 4 Sandhill Cranes and observation of one immature and 2 adult bald eagles. Stiff winds over the water made for an interesting flight pattern and view of a Pileated Woodpecker. We…
Submitted by Adam Wang The Nature Vancouver 2025 Annual Photo Show was a spectacular celebration of nature’s beauty and the artistic talent within our community. This year’s event was nothing short of inspiring, with 147 breathtaking photographs submitted by 38 passionate members. The engagement was truly remarkable, as 48 members cast a total of 276 votes, carefully selecting their favorite images from an outstanding collection. Event Timeline and PresentationThe submission window, open from February 1 to February 28, saw an influx…
Trip Report by Bev Ramey On 16 March 2025, Kelly Sekhon led a group of nine on a lovely spring walk from Still Creek, along the North side trails of Burnaby Lake and down the Brunette River. We followed about ten kilometres of trails including the Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway to Hume Park. We enjoyed sightings of several birds along the way and especially the close-up views of the rich assortment of birds at Piper Spit and the viewing tower where…
Submitted by Peter Ward and Ken Hall It is with great sadness we report the loss of our lifelong birding friend John. John passed away on February 27th, 2025 at the age of 91. John joined the Nature Vancouver (Vancouver Natural History Society) in 1959 and was a Lifetime member. He contributed a great deal to the Birding Section of Nature Vancouver in the sixties and seventies. He led field trips to most of the key birding locations in the lower…
Press Release from BC Community Bat Program – February 3, 2025 The BC Community Bat Programs, in collaboration with the Province of BC, are asking the public for help in the effort to detect and prevent the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats. Residents are urged to report any bat activity observed in winter and any sick or dead bats found before May 31st. There have not been any bats with WNS found to date in BC, but PseudogymnoascusDestructans (Pd),…
Book Review by Caroline Penn Author: Sheila Harrington 2024Heritage House Publishing Book Dimensions: 7.5 in. x 10 in.288 Pages: Softcover $34.95 CAD; E-Book $14.99 CAD In times of much sad news, fake news and loss of hope, we need to hear some good news stories about successes that come little by little when communities work together to give the land a voice. This wonderful book is a story about the author’s journey to meet the hundreds of people who worked…
Submitted by Bev Ramey The BC Parks Foundation has successfully protected a large acreage on Saturna Island. The land includes two and a half kilometres of south-facing rocky shoreline, plus small coves with a grove of Seaside Juniper on the point (the threatened/vulnerable Juniperus maritima). The protected land includes the steep hillside extending up from the shoreline, the ridgetop itself and its north-facing slopes. The crowd-sourced funding campaign by the BC Parks Foundation began late December and reached its goal within…
Report by Peter Candido The 2024 Vancouver Christmas Bird Count took place on Saturday December 14th. On count day a powerful windstorm swept over the Vancouver area with gusts up to 100 kph. This severely affected observation conditions, particularly in areas near the water. Heavy wave action made visibility of birds on the water extremely difficult, and coverage of Area Y (English Bay) by boat was not possible. This explains the low numbers of sea ducks, cormorants, grebes and loons on the count. Coverage of forested…
Report by Helen Baker On New Year’s Day, 23 of us met to check out the birds along Richmond West Dyke, on a walk led by Kelly Sekhon. The weather was perfect – bright and no wind or rain. Starting from the parking lot at Garry Point, we walked around the Kite Park and then north along the dyke to Williams Road and back. After the walk, we went for lunch in Steveston. From the second floor of the restaurant…