Nature Vancouver

Submitted by Leona Axbey A small group of us spent several hours here, and were treated to many special moments. We saw more Green-Winged Teals than this birder has ever seen, at least 100. Wonderful courtship displays were put on by a pair of Mallards, while Pine Siskins were billing and cooing (literally!) in nearby bushes.  A lone female Hooded Merganser chose to do her courtship display for everyone.  A Ruby-Crowned Kinglet put on quite the aerial display for us…

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Trip leaders Michelle Baudais and Harvey Dueck had a full house for their St. Patrick’s Day walk at Jericho Beach Park on Sunday.  We also had some of the nicest weather we’ve seen for months!  The air was warm and the sky cloudless as we met at the east edge of the park at 9am. Before the walk officially began, Harvey took advantage of the clear skies to put a solar filter on his spotting scope. 2024 is close to the…

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Submitted by Leona Axbey A stalwart group of 10 braved the elements on Sunday, and we were not disappointed.    Among the first to greet us at our meeting spot were Red-winged blackbirds, topped by a male Anna’s hummingbird surveying his kingdom. It was clearing up nicely as we made our way to the ponds behind the Vancouver Museum. Troops of American wigeons greeted us, including one Eurasian wigeon.  Maureen’s bird guide helped us identify short-billed gulls, as well as other species.  Some…

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Trip Report by Thomas Plath Once again Reifel refuge did not disappoint. A dozen people enjoyed each other’s company and nice birds at the sanctuary. The first stop was to view the Great Horned Owl roosting in a cedar spotted along the entrance road. One turned to two as the male was located roosting near the female. A small group of immature Barn Swallows were foraging over the parking lot and feeders at the side of the entrance building attracted a few Anna’s Hummingbirds, including…

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Trip Report by Thomas Plath The few participants that did show on this sunny Tuesday morning were rewarded with a few sought after open-country bird species. From the foot of 72nd Street we walked westward along the dike towards 64th Street. A few very early immature Barn Swallows foraged overhead and we soon came across a small flock of Western Meadowlarks foraging in the tidal marsh. An immature Northern Shrike perched characteristically on top of a large shrub was viewed through the…

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Harvey and Michelle were met by an eager group of birders on the south beach of Trout Lake Sunday morning.  Today’s attendees were mostly Nature Vancouver members interested in learning what the park has to offer for birders. Once again, we began our tour by examining the birds visible from the beach.  As usual, we had a nice assortment of ducks (Mallards, Green-winged Teal, Wood Ducks, American Wigeon, and Northern Shovellers), American Coots, Canada Geese, and gulls (Glaucous-winged Gulls and Ring-billed…

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Harvey and I originally planned to do a birding walk at Trout Lake on Sunday February 18th.  Unfortunately, when Harvey went to post the walk on Meetup, he accidentally advertised it for the 17th.  Ooops!  Rather than change the date for the five people who had instantly accepted the invite, we decided instead to simply lead walks on two consecutive days.  On Saturday morning we arrived on the south beach of Trout Lake a bit early, and immediately noticed a group…

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Trip Report by Michelle Baudais The mist was thick as we arrived at the Grant Narrows parking lot at 8:30 am Sunday morning.  But we were all pleased to avoid the snow and cold that had cancelled the first attempt at this gathering on January 20th, and the mist added a lovely atmospheric touch to the gorgeous views.   Even better, the mist didn’t deter the many Trumpeter Swans who greeted us with a series of honking fly-bys, or the Great…

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