Party people left this mound of trash at Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park.

I want to start off my blog with a bit of a rant today. During our last walk along Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park we discovered that some inconsiderate party people had left the picnic area strewn with cans, bottles, half eaten plates of food, etc. So inconsiderate.

We cleaned up after them but it was disgusting, it would have taken only a few minutes for the people who made the mess to clean up after themselves. The garbage cans nearest the site were full, but there was plenty of space in the cans just 50 foot away. Shameful.

Enough with the rant, onto other observations.

The water level was so low at the Fraser River that boats were up high and dry on the mudbanks. The heat has been intense the past few days, in the high 20s. Not sure if it really did hit the 30s as expected, but the humidity sure makes it unpleasant.

Bird sightings at the river

• Bushtits are tiny, one of the smallest passerines in North America at 11 cm in length and 5.3 g in weight.
• Red-breasted nuthatches were found because of their distinctive calls, they were running up and down the sides of a large tree in a nuthatch fashion.

I uploaded some new photos to flickr of river sunsets and the low river conditions.

Have noticed berries on the trees at Burnaby Lake, and some maples along the roadsides are turning red. The weather may be hot, but fall is coming soon.

Originally uploaded by l867873

Jericho Beach has the most fabulous sunsets. An abandoned parking lot provides romantic views across English Bay to the Coast Mountains.

This photo was taken 19 July 2008, just outside the grounds of the Folk Festival.

Jericho Beach must be one of the world’s most spectacular concert locations.

I heard there were 10,000 people at the festival, and a small city of vendors and food outlets sprung up in the area. The crowd was wonderful, there was a nice atmosphere, and random people dressed as fairies, etc., and much hula hooping. (Note: beware of flying hoops!)

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Yesterday we did a trip to check out the beach and dykes of Boundary Bay, just past Reifel in Delta. Unfortunately, baby was grumpy, so we only checked out the beach, though we did see a pair of bald eagles up close, they seem to have found a good perch in the beach’s parking lot. According to The Birder’s Guide to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, the old cottonwood stand adjacent to the beach is the winter resting place and roost for 25 bald eagles.

I upload a few photos to flickr, not so many as usual as we only visited the Centennial Bay area this trip.

There were some great views of Mount Baker to be had from the beach, that’s an extinct volcano (and ski area) across the border in Washington.

Mount Baker as seen from Centennial Beach.

A trail map and birding checklist are available at the park entrance, and as with Reifel, birding is dependent on tidal conditions.

The trail map lists four routes ranging from 15 minutes long to 3.5 hours long, and the 12th Avenue dyke trail has two wildlife viewing platforms. The book suggests high tide for dyke walking, as this permits close observation of the ducks, shorebirds and pelagic species, and more than 70,000 ducks wintering in the bay, so it will be an impressive sight. The area is also famous for it’s raptor population, more than 20 species hunt the bay over winter. Obviously, summer isn’t the only great time to visit the beach.

Dogs are not allowed in the beach area, but many people were ignoring the rule, not good. Dog pooh and children are not a good mix.

Sandhill crane, Reifel Park.

Thursday we had a wonderful afternoon exploring along the extensive dykes at the 850-acre George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, located just past quaint and beautiful Ladner, B.C. on Delta’s Westham Island. The island is famous as being home to 250 bird species, and for the 25,000 snow geese that arrive early November.

The area has one of the largest concentrations of shore birds in the world and is located at the mouth of the Fraser River. It is at the centre of the estuary with ponds, tidal marshes and sloughs, which all provide feeding areas for the migrants.

This is a less than an hours drive from Burnaby and eventually I will collect content to I can add a Day Trips link to burnabyparks.com … but first I have to gather more information about Burnaby.

July is not considered a great time to visit a migratory sanctuary as the migrants have passes through and the birds are off nesting now. But it was beautiful out there, and still plenty of bird life to be spotted.

Most impressive were the numerous Great Blue Heron, they are unbelievably large in flight (72″ tall, the largest heron of all). And the sandhill cranes, whose red heads shone whenever they were in the sun. After we spotted them hanging nearby on a bank, we saw a warning: nesting cranes sign, advising visitors to keep away from the nesting cranes. They seemed mellow, but don’t mess with a nesting bird!

There are so many great features to the park, which charges a nominal entrance fee of $4 for adult. A warming hut for winter viewing, many bird hides and benches, and an observation tower, all make it easy to watch the birds from.

The mallard ducks and Canada geese are bold, and will approach upcoming visitors in a flock seeking handouts. Seed is available for purchase, but there is no need to feed the birds as there is a natural abundance of food in the Delta area. (Even for humans – we packed the car with berries from area farms on the drive back.)

The sanctuary issues a trail map, which lists the best general times for certain types of birds:

Spring (March-May)

• swallows
• hummingbirds
• shorebirds
• warblers
• departure north of snow geese and other waterfowl

(April-May)

• nesting songbirds
• nesting ducks and geese

Summer (June-August)

• Early June best for ducklings and goslings
• Shorebirds headed south stop over starting July

Fall (Sept.-Nov.)

• Ducks
• Shorebirds
• Warblers
• Hawks
• Snow geese peak early November
• Swans follow snow geese

Winter (Dec.-Feb.)

• Hawks
• Eagles
• Owls
• Sparrows
• Woodpeckers
• Waterfowl

Workers put up the stage at Deer Lake Park Friday in preparation for Sunday's Symphony in the Park.

Listing from Burnaby Breeze newsletter:

Symphony in the Park, July 13th – Enjoy the classical sounds of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) at scenic Deer Lake Park on Sunday, July 13th. From 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., the sound of music will fill the air as the VSO performs its annual free summer outdoor concert of light classics and popular favourites by a full orchestra. Come early, bring a picnic and settle in for a wonderful evening of symphonic music. Admission is free.

True Colors came to Deer Lake Park 2 July, 2008, and what a wonderful venue it was on a mild slope overlooking the lake. And no mosquitoes! I uploaded photos of the show to Flickr.

True Colors finale, Deer Lake Park, Burnaby, B.C.

Nona Hendryx kicked off the show, followed by Joan Armatrading. Both performances were great, though Armatrading became annoyed by the lethargic-with-heat crowd and made comments, such as, you’ll know I’m gone when you don’t see me on the stage anymore. Chastened, the crowd picked it up a notch, and Armatrading was forgiving.

Carson Kressley was hilarious as MC. He described the day as so hot and humid that he was “sweating like Whitney Houston going through customs.”

The B52s were fantastic live, high energy, they got the crowd grooving. They are promoting a new album, Funplex, which we downloaded from iTunes the day after the show.

Of course, everyone was up dancing for Cindi Lauper, who was promoting her new dance album Bring You to the Brink. She even got off the stage for a while to mingle with the crowd, who were thrilled.

I look forward to future events at Deer Lake, it is a lovely spot and close to home.

Uploaded more photos of Burnaby Lake to Flickr … beaver, wood duck, Canada geese, the usual suspects.

Had a walk through Central Park, an amazing spot because of the huge trees along busy roads.

The park is famous for its immense douglas fir, western hemlock, poplar and maple groves.

It is a good spot for biking, jogging and has sports and rec facilities, such as tennis courts, outdoor swimming pool, horseshoe pitch, a soccer stadium and a pitch-and-putt golf course.

But for wildlife and bird viewing, Burnaby Lake is tops.

A lovely sunset (7 p.m. ish) on Burnaby Lake, spotted from the spit:

• Osprey;
• Beaver (and babies, much activity by dam, which is at the end of the spit);
• Cooper’s hawk (?);
• Canada geese with cute goslings in tow;
• Tree swallows swooping low to catch flies;
• Red-winged blackbird;
• As always, wood duck and mallard.

Sadly no ducklings in tow for the wood ducks, I will just have to keep coming back. Didn’t see the eagle near the nest again … wonder why.

Two beaver damns can be seen from the spit, one is located at the end of it, close to the observation deck.

One of the birders on the spit recommended going to Iona beach near the airport, where he recently saw a rare yellow-headed blackbird, and watched ospreys fishing.

Warning: bad joke ahead.

What did the mother beaver say when baby beaver got home?

Shut the dam door.

Online finds

Found the website of the Vancouver Natural History Society, it’s well worth a browse. The society publishes A Birders Guide to Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, which I just ordered from Amazon. It got some great reviews, I think it will help me plan trips

I also discovered a photo group pool on Flickr: Field Guide, Birds of British Columbia. I started to watch the slideshow, but there are more than 9,000 photos, some are amazing.

Website ideas

I will need to add information to my in-the-works park wesbite, listing migratory birds, what can you see in spring, what can you see in fall. Summer is not the best time for birding as the birds are on the nest and not as visible as when they are passing through in great numbers.

Also, I would like to have a link for day trips, as I will be visiting Iona, and George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary.