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 we heard repeated calls of a Virginal Rail. Newly arrived swallows were seen flying over the lake but too far to identify. Spring was definitely in the air, with warm sunny periods, calls of Pacific Tree Frogs, and the deciduous vegetation leafing out. We enjoyed the flowers on the Osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis), one of the early flowering shrubs. Kelly pointed out to us the catkins on the Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta), and we marvelled at its tiny, tiny female flowers with protruding red stigmas, never seen before by most in our group.