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Category: Birding

Jericho Beach Birding Field Trip

Jericho Beach Birding Field Trip

On Wednesday April 20th, Michelle Baudais and Harvey Dueck led a birding field trip at Jericho Park. The weather was fine and lots of birds were singing, especially the white-crowned sparrows. We had 20 participants registered for the trip, with 6 on the waiting list, suggesting there is demand for midweek as well as weekend field trips. If you’re considering leading a trip, please contact Bill Kinkaid or Janet Snell. Many people will appreciate your efforts. We started off along…

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Nature Notes from Hastings Park

Nature Notes from Hastings Park

Report & Photos Submitted by Doug Cooper This is a summary of my observations of the happenings in the green spaces of Hastings Park since early last fall.  Access to the infield of the Hastings racecourse was again made possible for a few months during the latter part of 2021, after the pandemic closure of the racetrack grounds was lifted and the horse racing season had ended. The training and racing season has started again, and access to the racecourse infield…

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Birding Field Trip at Iona

Birding Field Trip at Iona

Eleven enthusiastic birders joined trip leaders Michelle Baudais and Harvey Dueck for a birding field trip at Iona early on March 27th. Despite the forecast, the weather was pleasant and rain-free for the entire outing. We started off viewing a mixed flock of dunlin and black-bellied plover on the beach. Some of each species were in their winter and black-bellied breeding plumages, so it was a good teaching/learning flock. We went into the inner ponds next. All four ponds were…

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Birding at Hastings Park

Birding at Hastings Park

Trip Report by Doug Cooper Ten keen naturalists, plus Maureen Collier and I, chose to take a chance that the early morning rain would not persist and met at the sanctuary at Hastings Park the morning of March 26th to see what signs of spring might also show up. We were rewarded with the sweet songs of a number of American Robins and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, yellow-rumped warblers, as well as the ethereal vocalizations of Varied Thrushes. Salmonberry bushes were in…

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Big Trees of Lighthouse Park

Big Trees of Lighthouse Park

Trip Report by Helen Baker On March 16, Sally McDermott led a group of 13 on a four-hour loop hike through Lighthouse Park. Together we gazed up – way up – at the Douglas Fir and Red Cedar giants and made stops to look out at the ocean at Eagle Point and Juniper Point.  Signs of spring were everywhere – bald eagles flying into the treetops with sticks for nest building, salmonberry buds getting ready to burst and skunk cabbage poking up…

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How to Make a Perfect Bluebird Birdhouse?

How to Make a Perfect Bluebird Birdhouse?

Submitted by Donald Hobson Bluebirds are associated with many positive meanings around the globe. People often view bluebirds as symbols of joy and hope; some think it’s like good news on its way.  Some people believe that bluebirds are symbols of harmony between the living and the dead. Or as Native American Tribes associate bluebirds with spring, prosperity, and even fertility. When bluebirds look to nest? There’s nothing better than having bluebirds nest in your yard. It’s a metric to…

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Vanier Park Bird Walk

Vanier Park Bird Walk

Submitted by Leona Axbey On Sunday, March 6, 2022, we had a bright, sunny day for our bird walk at Vanier Park. There were 12 of us, ranging from experienced birders to beginners, a good combination. Together, we spotted a total of 28 species and 192 individuals. These were all posted on eBird. There was some reminiscing about our departed friend Adrian and what a truly great birder he was.   The first bird to greet us at our meet-up spot was an…

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2021 Vancouver Christmas Bird Count

2021 Vancouver Christmas Bird Count

Report by Peter Candido The 2021 Vancouver Christmas Bird Count took place on Saturday December 18th under challenging conditions, at least until mid-day.  In the morning participants were faced with steady rain throughout the area, and wind from the SSE of about 16 kph or higher along the coast.  The rain tapered off around noon and skies began to clear, resulting in relatively pleasant conditions in the afternoon.  Poor conditions on the water in the morning meant that the group who usually survey…

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Hastings Park Sanctuary – Bird Walk

Hastings Park Sanctuary – Bird Walk

Trip Report by Maureen Collier On November 27, 2021, six members participated in this walk in spite of showers that turned into rain. The Hastings Park Sanctuary has many features – ponds, marshland, and mixed forest. Also there are remnants of earlier habitats from before the PNE was built. We enjoyed seeing three pairs of Hooded Mergansers in the big pond, with the males doing a few dramatic interactions. Also seen were a Double-crested Cormorant, a Great Blue Heron as…

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Dipper Quest 2021

Dipper Quest 2021

Trip Report by Harvey Dueck Nature Vancouver’s annual quest to find American Dippers took place on Sunday December 5th. Larry Cowan led the quest from 2006 to 2019 and never failed to find at least one dipper. Michelle Baudais and Harvey Dueck led the trip this year; we were very relieved to find two dippers looking for food in the fast flowing water. They came within about 5m of our group, so we got quite a good view. American Dippers…

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