Trip Report by Harvey Dueck Sixteen people joined trip leaders, Harvey Dueck and Michelle Baudais for a morning of birding at Burnaby Lake. It’s interesting that the turnout was the same as for the walk on the previous day: we had expected a few more people would turn out on a Saturday morning. Perhaps the clouds and chance of rain kept a few people from coming. At least three of the participants were attending their first Nature Vancouver event. It…
Trip Report by Harvey Dueck Sixteen people joined trip leaders, Harvey Dueck and Michelle Baudais for a morning of birding at Burnaby Lake. The group was a mix of Nature Vancouver Members and people who found us on Meetup, plus some who we met at Metro Parks’ Wings Over Iona event last weekend. We had a good mix of experienced and beginner birders. We had a lovely morning, with sunshine and moderate temperatures. As we waited for the walk to…
Trip Report by Thomas Plath Another great outing for shorebirds was had at Reifel Bird Sanctuary for the 13 participants. This was an early morning high tide that was dropping and to my dismay the Reifel manager Kathleen, informed us of a Peregrine that had flushed the shorebirds out of West Field. The House pond had the usual fall gathering of dozens of Greater Yellowlegs and Long-billed Dowitchers but also present were two juvenile Pectoral Sandpipers much like a large version of…
Five Nature Vancouver members camped and hiked for 5 days in the Whistler area.We camped at Whistler Olympic Park Campground in Callaghan valley just below the ski jump. It was a pleasant quiet campground, smallish sites with grass for tents, grouse walking through, a building for dishwashing and bear-proof food storage, and a second building (with shop) for hot showers. Not many trees, so the stars were fantastic! Monday August 14:Brandywine Falls to Bungee Bridge – 6.4km, 90m ascent, 1h44mAudain…
Trip Report by Thomas Plath Despite the rain seven people showed up at 104th Street, Boundary Bay at 3PM. We walked up to the dike and in front of us were hundreds of Black-bellied Plover, several Semipalmated Plovers, some peep, and a distant Short-billed Dowitcher. An adult female Peregrine flew in leisurely offering great looks, eventually flushing the shorebirds. It was still raining steady with no end in sight so we decided to change plans and head to the Tsawwassen Ferry…
Trip Report by Thomas Plath Seventeen observers enjoyed a great afternoon of birding at Reifel Refuge. The sanctuary manages the ponds for shore birds during fall migration and they did not disappoint. The sanctuary is a RAMSAR site and one of the best places to view shore birds during fall migration in our region. The house pond gave us close, leisurely views of Long-billed Dowitchers and both species of yellowlegs. Overhead the buzzy calls and chattering of Purple Martins were…
Trip report by Tom Plath Twenty-two participants enjoyed a somewhat hazy and cool evening studying shorebirds along the Boundary Bay dike between 104th and 96th Street. Initially the shorebirds were far out along the tide line however the rising tide pushed the birds in. Amongst the few hundred breeding and non-breeding plumaged Black-bellied Plovers were a few other wader species. A breeding plumaged Red Knot was wandering about the plovers but unfortunately was far and views poor, even with a scope. A couple…
Trip Report by Tom Plath The ten of us walked from the foot of 104th Street, Boundary Bay towards 112th Street and it couldn’t have been much better. A beautiful August evening and a mere 25-30 meters from the dyke were several species of juvenile shorebirds roosting and feeding. We enjoyed excellent leisurely looks, comparing Western, Least and Baird’s Sandpiper from each other, the big size difference between Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs noticeable when together, and identification features of a Stilt Sandpiper…
Trip Report by Vicky Earle On June 17, I joined trip leader Kelly Sekhon for a hike up Teapot Hill near Cultus Lake in search of the rare phantom orchid. This plant is globally secure but is listed as red/endangered in British Columbia. The phantom orchid (Cephalanthera austiniae) is the only Cephalanthera species entirely dependent on symbiotic mycorrhizae for its nutrition. Being an entirely white perennial with only a small yellow gland on the lip of each blossom, this plant has no chlorophyll and is unable…
Trip report by Jan Lowcock and Janet Snell On Sunday June 11, seven members of Nature Vancouver and guest expert Melissa Hafting joined birding trip leader Janet Snell and Jan Lowcock (scope carrier) to check out birds at two locations – Lily Point and Seabright Farm – in Point Roberts, Washington. The walk began in the parking lot of the Lily Point, a 111-hectare Marine Reserve including rocky tidal areas and forested uplands. The forested section, with massive Big-leaf Maples…