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Category: Field Trip Report

Walk in Ornamental Gardens and Forest Trails in Stanley Park – May 25, 2024

Walk in Ornamental Gardens and Forest Trails in Stanley Park – May 25, 2024

Submitted by Nina Shoroplova Twenty or so of us Nature Vancouver members gathered on the plaza above Lost Lagoon and the Nature House for this tree-identification walk through one ornamental garden and several forest trails in Stanley Park.  With people picking out which plant they wanted to see from my list of trees, shrubs, and native herbaceous plants growing along the route, we soon had the morning planned. We stopped at the black locust, Robinia pseudoacacia ‘Tortuosa’, and admired its…

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June bird walk at Jericho

June bird walk at Jericho

Cloudy but dry skies welcomed us to the park as the group met up at the wooden bridge over the pond. Our small group of 6 consisted of a couple of new birders who joined us for their first Nature Vancouver outing. Right away we enjoyed some pleasant views of a male Wood Duck transitioning into eclipse plumage, a singing Western Tanager, and a flock of 8 Cedar Waxwings before we even finished sigining waivers and introductions. Proceeding around the…

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Galiano Island Hike – May 4, 2024

Galiano Island Hike – May 4, 2024

Submitted by Bettina Matzkuhn. Trip leader Bettina Matzkuhn met her group of seven at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal. The weather was overcast and windy, but quite warm and pleasant for walking. We tried the “Bluffs Peak” trail, which meant a quick hike up to the bluffs and backtrack down to continue on to Mt. Galiano. The Warbler Road route is better as one gets to enjoy the length of the bluffs. Return trip was approximately 15km. We saw the bright…

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Birding Iona Beach Regional Park – April 27, 2024

Birding Iona Beach Regional Park – April 27, 2024

Submitted by Jan Lowcock. Grey, rainy, windy weather set the stage for the Iona Beach Regional Park bird walk led by John Chandler and Jan Lowcock. Our group of 10 included several new birders who had attended the beginning birder Welcome Walks. They have earned their stripes by birding in wet weather. We identified 49 species in total, a few of which were seen and heard after we had completed the larger group walk. The trip began with a survey…

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Stanley Park Seaweeds with Dr. Bridgette Clarkston

Stanley Park Seaweeds with Dr. Bridgette Clarkston

Saturday, April 13, 2024 was a perfect day to explore the seaweeds in the sandy and rocky intertidal area off the Empress of Japan Figurehead in Stanley Park. The unpredictable rainy weather dissipated providing us with a bright day for our intertidal exploration. The spring tides are in their extreme ranges now, meaning that the lower low spring tide level (LLW) at 16:11 PDT had an elevation of a mere 0.7 m. The meet-up time at the Spray Park was…

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Merritt Birding Trip April 20 -21, 2024

Merritt Birding Trip April 20 -21, 2024

Submitted By Thomas Plath April 20th Fifteen keen participants met at the McDonald’s in Merritt for an afternoon and morning of birding. After the customary sign in and organization of people and overnight gear we were able to accommodate everyone in five vehicles. We headed up to our first birding area – the Interior Douglas-fir/Lodgepole Pine forest of the Interior Plateau south of Kamloops. The numerous small meadows inundating the montane forest make this prime habitat for Great Grey Owl….

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Queen Elizabeth Park Welcome Walk – April 20 + April 21, 2024

Queen Elizabeth Park Welcome Walk – April 20 + April 21, 2024

Submitted by Jan Lowcock. Saturday April 20 and Sunday April 21, 2024 Neill Vanhinsberg and Jan Lowcock led 2 birding Welcome Walks in Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Park. Advertised through Nature Vancouver and Meetup, the two walks attracted 22 birders, 11 of whom were not members of Nature Vancouver. Many were brand new to birding and appreciative of the loaner binoculars now available for NV field trips. The sunny and slightly warmer temperatures on Saturday were enjoyed as we scoured the…

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Queen Elizabeth Park Welcome Walk – March 23, 2024

Queen Elizabeth Park Welcome Walk – March 23, 2024

Submitted by Neill Vanhinsberg. Fifteen folks came out on a cool, showery morning to Queen Elizabeth Park and for a change no one was playing pickleball in the adjacent courts. Most of the participants were quite new to birding and we handed out 6 pairs of loaner binoculars which were much appreciated. We headed off first to a Jack pine that has been recently frequented by a Red-breasted Sapsucker. No bird but there was plenty of evidence of sapsuckers enjoying…

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Birding at Maplewood Conservation Area – March 24, 2024

Birding at Maplewood Conservation Area – March 24, 2024

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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Jericho Beach Birding – March 17, 2024

Jericho Beach Birding – March 17, 2024

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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