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Category: Nature Walk

TRIP REPORT – MEET THE MOSSES WITH CONNOR WARDROP, MARCH 28, 2026

TRIP REPORT – MEET THE MOSSES WITH CONNOR WARDROP, MARCH 28, 2026

Trip report by Nina Shoroplova Connor Wardrop, a bryologist and Ph.D. candidate at UBC, led twelve of us on a “Meet the Mosses” walk in Stanley Park on March 28, 2026. We met at North Lagoon Drive and set off on Cathedral Trail, where there are plenty of bryophytes (that is, mosses, liverworts, and hornworts). Bryophytes are nonvascular land plants (though for some groups, nonvascular is a bit of a misnomer!); they are very different from other land plants! Bryophytes,…

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TRIP REPORT – BOUNDARY BAY BIRDING – FEBRUARY 15, 2026

TRIP REPORT – BOUNDARY BAY BIRDING – FEBRUARY 15, 2026

 Trip Report by Christine Balkwill 13 enthusiastic birders joined trip leader Christine Balkwill on a calm and sunny day on Boundary Bay in celebration of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count.  We were pleased to see that every birder who registered attended.  There were a number of familiar faces and a handful of new ones.  At least 3 of our attendees were on their first birding outing with us. After some brief introductions we made our way onto the dyke,…

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TRIP REPORT YEW LAKE WALK, SEPTEMBER 7

TRIP REPORT YEW LAKE WALK, SEPTEMBER 7

A cloudy, cool morning with a bit of a breeze greeted us at the parking lot. As we set off, right at the trailhead we were treated to two adult Cooper’s Hawks in a snag. They then flew about for a few minutes before disappearing into the forest. We set out and were accompanied by Chestnut-backed Chickadees as we headed towards Yew Lake. Stopping to check out plants along the way, we noted Bunchberry berries, Copperbush berries, Pearly Everlasting in…

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A TREE-IDENTIFICATION WALK IN QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK – AUGUST 30, 2025

A TREE-IDENTIFICATION WALK IN QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK – AUGUST 30, 2025

Trip Report by Nina Shoroplova. Photos by Nina Shoroplova and Caroline Penn. Twenty-five of us went on a tree-identification walk in Queen Elizabeth Park on August 30, 2025. We started at the southeast corner—actually an off-leash dog park—and went first toward the Vancouver Lawn Bowling Club and then around the tennis, pickleball and basketball courts and sports field. It’s an area that’s full of both native and ornamental trees. We gathered around an English oak, Quercus robur, and learned to…

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A SUMMER HIKE IN CYPRESS PROVINCIAL PARK

A SUMMER HIKE IN CYPRESS PROVINCIAL PARK

Trip Report by Helen Baker “Find something different,” our hike leader Gail Ross challenged us. Our group of nine were strolling on a cool green path that winds through a grove of old-growth Hemlock and Yellow-Cedar in Cypress Provincial Park. We all stopped and peered through the tree trunks and underground. “I see something!” someone said, pointing to a clump of spindly purple stems growing straight up from the forest floor. Gail nodded and explained the unusual coral-like growth was…

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TRIP REPORT – JERICHO BEACH PARK BIRD WALK – MAY 31, 2025

TRIP REPORT – JERICHO BEACH PARK BIRD WALK – MAY 31, 2025

Trip Report By Christine Balkwill, Photos by C Balkwill 13 intrepid birders joined Christine and Neill on what turned out to be a very rainy outing. Attendees included a few seasoned birders who were very helpful at spotting and hearing and also some eager beginners who were excited to meet some of their first birds. Neill spotted a Western Wood Pewee from the parking lot, setting a hopeful tone for the outing. Starting out from the East we found a…

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TRIP REPORT – DAWN CHORUS AT BURNABY LAKE – MAY 18, 2025

TRIP REPORT – DAWN CHORUS AT BURNABY LAKE – MAY 18, 2025

Trip report by Kelvin Yip; Photos by Richard L & Kelvin Y Thirteen early birders joined trip leaders Neill and Kelvin at Burnaby Lake to audience the daily “dawn chorus” when the birds all wake up right before sunrise and start singing their songs. The birds didn’t sing for very long and within half an hour started their day of searching around for food and going about their day. We heard mostly Song Sparrows, American Robins, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and Spotted…

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NATURE WALK ALONG BURNABY LAKE AND BRUNETTE RIVER

NATURE WALK ALONG BURNABY LAKE AND BRUNETTE RIVER

Trip Report by Bev Ramey On 16 March 2025, Kelly Sekhon led a group of nine on a lovely spring walk from Still Creek, along the North side trails of Burnaby Lake and down the Brunette River. We followed about ten kilometres of trails including the Brunette-Fraser Regional Greenway to Hume Park. We enjoyed sightings of several birds along the way and especially the close-up views of the rich assortment of birds at Piper Spit and the viewing tower where…

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BEGINNER BIRD WALK AT QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK – JAN 19TH, 2025

BEGINNER BIRD WALK AT QUEEN ELIZABETH PARK – JAN 19TH, 2025

Trip Report by Kelvin Yip Eleven beginner birders joined leaders Kelvin Yip and Neill Vanhinsberg for a frosty morning of birding at Queen Elizabeth Park on January 19th. Beginner tips and tricks were shared, and we were greeted with a visit from a female Anna’s Hummingbird in the parking lot.  In the rose garden we saw some Song Sparrows and Dark Eyed Juncos. Over behind the Lawn Bowling Club there were Ruby Crowned Kinglets picking around on the ground and…

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FALL COLOURS IN STANLEY PARK – 2024-10-22

FALL COLOURS IN STANLEY PARK – 2024-10-22

Post by Nina Shoroplova It was fortunate that Caroline Penn and I moved the date of Nature Vancouver’s “Fall Colours in Stanley Park” tree-identification walk away from Saturday, October 19, the heaviest rainfall day of the latest atmospheric river. But perhaps not so good that we moved it to the morning of Tuesday, October 22, because it rained cats and dogs once again. Originally there were twenty of us registered for the Saturday, but weather and work intervened and just…

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