Report by Joanna Chin

Seventeen participants gathered at the Iona Beach Regional Park banding station for this joint WildResearch and Nature Vancouver event co-led by Neill Vanhinsberg and Joanna Chin as part of the Vancouver Bird Celebration.

Weather started partly cloudy at approximately 12°C and warmed to around 16°C by the end of the session. Participants met in the parking lot, where Neill passed around the sign-up sheet and loaner binoculars before the group walked together toward the banding station. This incidental eBird checklist was started during the walk from the parking lot to the station, with some species also heard throughout the workshop itself.

After participants settled into their chairs, Ly Hoang delivered a beautiful land acknowlegement that touched on Musqueam territory, the onomatopoeic qualities of bird sounds and names in the Musqueam language, and the ecological history of Iona Island. Joanna and Neill introduced themselves and shared a little about their own journeys into nature journaling. We emphasized that the workshop was designed to be welcoming to beginners and that nature journaling is rooted in curiosity and attention rather than artistic perfection.

We introduced nature journaling as a practice of slowing down, paying attention, and learning to notice. Discussion focused on how journaling can strengthen memory, observation, and learning, especially in the context of birds. Participants were encouraged to record not only what birds look like, but also behaviors, movements, sounds, and questions that arise through observation.

We also discussed the “words, pictures, and numbers” framework commonly used in nature journaling and shared examples from our own field journals. Participants practiced learning the basic “map” of a bird — including body shapes and feather groups — and we discussed how understanding structure can support both sketching and identification. Different types of lines and mark-making techniques were demonstrated to help create texture and value in sketches.

The workshop concluded with an introduction to gesture sketching: using quick, loose drawings to capture posture, movement, and energy rather than detail. Participants were encouraged to begin practicing with species that sit still more often, such as ducks, and to take advantage of the fact that birds frequently return to similar postures and positions over time.

Throughout the workshop, WildResearch banders periodically brought passerines over for participants to observe up close. One particularly memorable bird was a beautiful Wilson’s Warbler, which the bander explained could be identified as a juvenile based on the quality and appearance of its feathers.

During the final portion of the workshop, participants rotated through the banding hut in small groups while WildResearch staff and volunteers processed birds. This gave everyone the opportunity to observe songbirds up close and practice quick sketches from life — a memorable experience that connected field observation, bird study, and nature journaling in an immediate and tangible way.

You can see the Checklist of observed species at eBird Checklist – 17 May 2026 – Iona Island (General) – 22 species.