NV Trip to Juan de Fuca Marine Park – June 2 to 6, 2023 Report by Denis Laplante We had no rain, and the worst patch of mud was only 2cm deep. Many of the trails required scrambling and good balance; some sections were like a walk in the park. For tides we used Fisheries & Oceans https://tides.gc.ca/en/stations stations Point No Point and Port Renfrew (also Java App jtides.jar). Beware daylight saving time – tide tables at trailheads were in…
Report and Photos by Leader – Bettina Matzkuhn Nine members of Nature Vancouver and one guest participated. The weather was warm and breezy. We saw a Humpback whale spouting in the distance en route to the island. We covered approximately 10km to and from the Sturdies Bay ferry terminal, with a short stop at the historic Japanese Charcoal Pit Kiln. We made a few mistakes with the route but were rescued by Teresa’s GAIA track. The trail that goes up the back…
Submitted by Trip Leader – Jan Lowcock Saturday, April 29, saw a burst of summer-like temperatures and sunshine as a group of 16 Nature Vancouver birders (new and experienced) explored Queen Elizabeth Park. The lower and upper duck ponds were quiet for waterfowl but we had a good look at the colourful breeding plumage of the few Mallards and American Wigeons. The east pond edge was active with Yellow-rumped Warblers, Song Sparrows and Rufous Hummingbirds. As we moved toward the upper duck pond,…
Trip Report by Leona Axbey Sunday, April 23, 2023. The rains held off and 8 of us had a great day – 7 Nature Vancouver members and one last minute tag-along. Among the first to greet us was a Northern Flicker from his high perch at the top of the Pacific Environmental Science Centre. Many tiny Kinglets, both Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned were strewn along our path as we made our way through the forests. In all, 29 species were seen, as…
Trip Report by Kelly Sekhon; Photos by John Martin Nine members of Nature Vancouver and a guest, participated in this trip to North Saanich on 15 April 2023. Forecast was for rain but it held off until after we were back on our return ferry to Tsawwassen. We had very pleasant day walking around the park with White Fawn Lilies, and Shooting Stars at their peak of flowering season. Other flowers in bloom were Blue-eyed Mary, Small Monkey Flower, Red-flowering…
The Vancouver Avian Research Centre (VARC) is presenting its popular Bird Identification Workshop again this year. It will run Via 10 Zoom Sessions Over 5 Weeks – Tuesday May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm PST. This workshop is designed for beginner and intermediate birders who want to take their bird knowledge and identification skills to the next level. It’s very comprehensive and has been well received in previous years. See full course details from this LINK. The cost is $250 and the sign-up sheet is available from…
Trip Report by Harvey Dueck 16 participants joined leaders Michelle Baudais and Harvey Dueck for a birding field trip at Ambleside Park. We had a nice mix of beginners and more experienced birders. Several in the group live quite nearby. The day started cold and wet, but the weather grew more pleasant as the morning progressed. We met by the Boatshed restaurant and spent some time looking at the birds out on the water. A bald eagle perched on…
Submitted by Peter Ward Exactly 41 years have gone by since Peter Ward (Life Member NV) published an article in Discovery, “Tape Recording of Birds Songs”, concerning the physics of making good quality bird sound recordings with a parabolic dish, and the electronic equipment that was used at the time. Discovery Volume 11, March to May 1982, pp. 4-11 and pp 45-50. It is a very long time since cassette tapes and open reel decks were the principal technology for…
11 February 2023 Trip Report by Kelly Sekhon Seven members of Nature Vancouver and a guest participated in this birding field trip for beginners. Istvan Orosi, a long time member of Nature Vancouver, helped us identify several birds from their calls or songs. At the mouth of the Eagle Creek we saw males and females of several species of ducks up close. Visitors to the park bring bird seed to feed the birds. As a result, Song and Fox Sparrows,…
On Sunday, February 5th, thirteen Nature Vancouver members joined this season’s quest to find American Dippers along the Alouette River in Maple Ridge. Larry Cowan led Dipper Quest in December from 2006 until he retired in 2019 and managed to find at least one dipper every year. In 2021, Michelle Baudais and Harvey Dueck continued the quest. We were away in December 2022, so the 2022 quest was delayed until February 2023. We began the quest in Maple Ridge Park….