Guided Bird and Nature Walk Fraser Foreshore Park. Sunday, 19 November 2017

You are invited to join me for a morning’s exploration of this very interesting part of Burnaby. We’ll walk the Fraser River shoreline, the surrounding forests, and also the nearby active farmland in Burnaby’s Big Bend – a rare landscape in Burnaby today.

Song Sparrow – Burnaby Fraser Foreshore. A common resident, breeding bird of forests and farmland.

We’ll compare the birdlife of farmland and parkland to see the values that each offer for our wintering birds and migrating birds. Which ones have arrived for the winter season and which ones have likely bred here this past spring and summer, and which ones may be just here on their way south.

Hermit Thrush, Burnaby Fraser Foreshore. A winter visitor to our local lowland forests.

The walk is one of a series I offer for the City of Burnaby’s Exploring Burnaby’s Parks and Natural Areas program.

To register for this walk go to: www.burnaby.ca/webreg. Use barcode 461527. There is a nominal fee charged by the City for participation. Registration is required.

The walk will start at 9:00 am and finish at noon, and will cover approx 4 kms on level ground.

Meet at the parking area for Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Pak at the south foot of Byrne Road. 7751 Fraser Park Drive – @ Byrne Road.

Participants should dress for the weather, and bring a drink and a snack. Trips go rain or shine.

 

A full schedule of the walks I will be leading is given below. I will post notices and registration information for these walks on this website nearer the dates they take place.

 

Exploring Burnaby’s Parks and Natural Areas
2017/2018 Fall/Winter program

Leader: George Clulow (BC Field Ornithologists) aka the Burnaby Bird Guy

Max participants per trip: 15 people

Participants should dress for the weather, and bring a drink and a snack. Trips go rain or shine.

Trips are approximately three hours, from 9:00 to 12:00, except where noted below.

Trips will focus on the wildlife and natural history of the City’s parks and wild areas, with a particular emphasis on Burnaby’s bird life.

Bring binoculars, and bird guides if you have them. The leader will have a spotting scope for the group’s use.

Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park – Sunday, 19 November 2017

This walk will take a somewhat different focus from the previous ones George has led here. Of course, we’ll still explore the Fraser River and its surrounding forests, but we’ll extend our walk just a couple of blocks away from the river into the nearby farmland. The change of habitats will allow us to observe which species of birds and animals use Burnaby’s small amount of remaining, active farmland in the Big Bend area. What value does this rare landscape in Burnaby have for our wildlife, and how does it complement what’s available in the nearby designated park. Which birds have arrived for the winter season, which ones are staying put after breeding here, and which ones are lingering before the colder weather moves them on?
(4km walk approx) Meet at the parking area at the south foot of Byrne Road. 7751 Fraser Park Drive (@ Byrne Road).

Winter Wildlife on Burrard Inlet at Barnet Marine Park – Saturday, 13 January 2018

Burnaby has limited accessible salt water shoreline, but Barnet Marine Park offers the best we have in the City. Views over Burrard Inlet and its junction with Indian Arm can turn up many surprises in winter from wintering waterfowl, through loons and grebes to eagles, and maybe if we’re lucky, a Marbled Murrelet. The spectacular stands of black cottonwood trees here also harbour many of our wintering songbirds and other forest species. An important historical site in Burnaby, we’ll see what winter has to offer when all the summer crowds have departed.
Expect to walk around 5km total. Meet at the upper west parking lot. Turn immediately left off Takeda Drive after entering the park from Barnet Highway. Do not drive down to the lower part of the park where parking is restricted.

Early Spring at Deer Lake Park – Saturday, 24 March 2018

One of the jewels in the crown of Burnaby’s Parks, Deer Lake has a wide variety of habitats that harbour an impressive array of birds and animals. This tour will circle the lake and the west meadows to see the signs of spring. Our Great Blue Herons should be actively nest-building in the heronry, and we’ll observe their antics. In the fields and forests we will look and listen for songbirds. Some early migrants may have arrived, and most of our wintering and resident songbirds will be getting active for spring’s arrival. Waterfowl will still be numerous on the lake.

(5 km walk approx). Meet in the parking lot at the west side of Burnaby Art Gallery (Ceperley House), 6344 Deer Lake Avenue, opposite the RCMP station. This is the old mansion west of the Shadbolt Centre.

Dawn Chorus at Deer Lake – Celebrating World Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, 12 May 2018

This tour is for the early risers. While it’s true the early birds catch the worms, and in this case it will be the early birders who catch the chorus. In spring, birds sing most vigorously and loudly early in the day to confirm their territorial claims and attract mates. This tour will focus on listening to our feathered dawn choristers and learn who’s who from their songs.

Note: Early Start 6:00 am, (3 km walk). Meet at the parking lot on Sperling Avenue next to the children’s playground at the east end of the lake. Access is via Sperling Avenue off Canada Way.

Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, Spring Songbirds – Saturday, 26 May 2018

On this tour we’re going to take a bit of a hike. A moderate to good level of fitness is required. We usually explore Burnaby Mountain’s south slope, but this spring were going to take a look at the steeper north side’s forests. A loop that takes in Pandora Trail, Nature Trail, and Ridgeview Trail is our goal. We won’t miss out on the spectacular scenic views that the mountain offers, but our focus will be on spring bird migration in the forests.

Note: Early Start 8:00 am. (6 km walk approx with uphill and downhill sections). Meet at the parking area at the top of Centennial Way, below Horizons Restaurant.