Trip Report by Naomi Ross

Sunday, November 13, was a brisk sunny day, which was a real treat having had rain the preceding few days. The group of seven hikers met at 9am at the base of Burnaby Mountain. A welcome surprise was that two birders and a grade twelve teacher had joined us. The walk quickly became a fascinating medley of facts about birds, fall leaves, mushrooms and lichens.

Some of us were experimenting with “Seek” and “Google Lens” apps to identify what we saw. We got a variety of possibilities, some of which were way off and others which were consistent with what the experts had decided.

The best bird sighting was a Pacific Wren at the top of the mountain. Stayed in close view while happily singing. 

As we were nearing the end, rain came out of the blue sky and stuck with us until we reached the parking lot on schedule shortly after noon. Nonetheless, four of us enjoyed a picnic on the beach, watching a group of buffleheads.