Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
VOLUME 30, #8 September, 2016 Tom Bearss https://dncb.wordpress.com/
President 604 940-9296
Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 6, 2016, 7:30 PM Benediction Lutheran Church, 5576 6th Avenue at 56th Street, Tsawwassen
Speaker: Graham Sunderland Memoirs of a Cruise Ship Naturalist
Graham Sunderland was born in London, England. Despite the urban environment, he developed an avid interest in Natural History well before his teens, and this fascination has remained an abiding interest throughout his life. Armed with a B.A. in English, Graham came to Vancouver in the late 1970’s. Soon he was leading nature walks for Community Centres and teaching bird courses for the Vancouver
School Board. In the 1980s, he and a partner formed Wings ‘N’ Things Nature Tours, a company specialising in interpreting the nature of the Pacific Northwest. In 1990, Holland America invited Graham to join one of their cruise ships as a Naturalist Lecturer on the Alaska runs. At the time, little did he know that he was embarking on a cruising career that would take him to Alaska over 300 times, as well as to all 7 continents, including Antarctica, over a period of 23 years.
Speaker October 4th : Emma Langson – The Impact of Plastic on Our Environment.
The mission of Plastic Oceans is to change the world’s attitude to plastic in
one generation.
A short video for you: https://youtu.be/6zrn4-FfbXw
Speaker November 1st: David Hoar – Adventures in the Arctic. Notice: The Annual General Meeting of the Delta Naturalists Society will be held on October 4th at the regular October meeting, prior to the speaker. Please bring your membership dues to the Tuesday, Sept 6th meeting or to the AGM.
Individual Membership $35 Family Membership $45
If a member of an associated club - $16.00 discount Cheques are preferred payment. If unable to attend the meetings, please send to: Delta Naturalists Society P.O. Box 18136 1215C 56 Street, Delta B.C., V4L2M4
Starfish Terrance Carr
Poster by Geof Hacker
Delta Nats Display Calendar 2016 Sept 10th: Car Boot Sale, Centennial Beach parking lot, 7:30 to noon. ** Volunteers needed for shifts. ** Please contact Tom Bearss at [email protected] *Sat Sep 10: Day at the Farm, Westham Island, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. *We need volunteers at the DNS display tent for this event. Please contact Terry Carr, [email protected], for more information if you would like to help out.
https://boundarybayparkassociation.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/bbpa-event-calendar-2016.pdf
COMING EVENTS
Wed Sept 14: Birds on the Bay Outing, Boundary Bay Regional Park, 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Sept 22-25: BC Nature FGM & Conference, Prince George. Sat Oct 1: Stars in Focus event, Cammidge House, 8:00 pm. Tues Oct. 4: DNS Meeting & AGM, Benediction Church, 7:30 pm. Thurs Oct. 6: Bird Box Cleaning, BBRP & Earthwise, 9:30 am. Fri Oct 7: Presentation by BCIT on Invasive Species in BBRP, Cammidge House, 7:30 pm. BC Nature's 2017 AGM will be held in Lillooet from May 4 - 7, 2017. Details available in September. The 2017 Awards cut-off for nominations is February 27, 2017. Criteria and a list of awards can be found on the BC Nature website
Neonicotinoids May Harm Wild Bees Exposure to neonicotinoid pesticides is correlated with population declines of a large number of wild bee species, according to a field study conducted in the U.K. http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46812/title/Neonicotinoids-May-Harm-Wild-Bees/
Impacts of neonicotinoid use on long-term population changes in wild bees in England Ben A. Woodcock, Nicholas J. B. Isaac, James M. Bullock, David B. Roy, David G. Garthwaite, Andrew Crowe & Richard F. Pywel http://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms12459.pdf
DELTA NATS CASUAL BIRDING OUTINGS
Schedule is tentative. Check for updates: https://dncb.wordpress.com/delta-naturalists/delta-naturalists-upcoming-events/#dncb
Sept 7 W: Boundary Bay Dike, 104th St. *** Sept 14 W: Birds on the Bay, Cammidge House Sept 21 W: Point Roberts, WA Sept 28 W: Blackie Spit/Elgin Park (orTynehead?) Oct 5 W: Serpentine Fen/White Rock Pier Oct 12 W: Iona Oct 18/19 (switch to Tues, desirable?): Brunswick Pt.
Oct 25 T: Campbell Valley Park Nov 2 W: Pt. Roberts Nov 9 W: Stanley Park Nov 16 W: Terra Nova Park, Richmond Nov 23 W: Harrison Mills/Cascade Falls RP Nov 30 W: Ambleside Park Dec 7 W: Boundary Bay dike at 64th to 104th Dec 14 W: Birds on the Bay – Cammidge H. Dec 21 W: Blaine/Semiahmoo Dec 28 W: Reifel/Alaksen
VANBCBIRDS BIRD NEWS BY DATE – UPDATED DAILY. See http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/BC03#1137351
Reminder: Kate Fremlin <[email protected]> is looking for fresh carcasses of birds commonly preyed upon by Cooper's hawk. She plans to examine contaminants within the prey species of the hawk. If any of you find a fresh carcass near a Cooper's hawk nest locations please wrap it in foil, label it with a date, and place it in your freezer then notify Kate so she can come collect it.
plsmart
Poster on the following page is by Rochelle Farquhar
Nature Vancouver Field Trips and Talks
* Check important details on all trips at http://naturevancouver.ca/events/field_trips
For monthly bird counts and other outdoor events organized by other groups, see
http://naturevancouver.ca/ongoing_nature_walks , including: Burns Bog , Everett Crowley , Hastings Park , Lighthouse Park , Maplewood Flats , Reifel , Squamish Estuary, Stanley Park , Terra Nova , UBC Farm. Birding Port Coquitlam's Pitt River Dyke
Saturday Sep 3, 9am Join Larry Cowan mailto:[email protected] for a half-day birding field trip along Port Coquitlam's Pitt River Dyke north from the east end of Sherling Place back to the parking lot at DeBoville Slough. On last year's fourth September field trip for this route we added another 8 species to this growing list bringing the total to 68. This route covers excellent dyke-side habitats. Come out and help us add to the total. Meet in the main parking area at Cedar & Victoria Drives (DeBoville Slough) in Port Coquitlam at 0900. We will then carpool to our starting point on Sherling Place. 604-370-0931 Flatiron Peak hike (Difficulty level D8) Sunday Sep 4, 7am Exploratory hike to Flatiron Peak via the Needle Peak trail. This is a very strenuous hike on a steep trail which begins high up on the Coquihalla Highway, to an open rocky plateau with tarns. Estimated distance is 11 km return with elevation gain of 700 metres. Good boots are essential and poles are recommended. Pack lunch, rain gear and lots of water. Difficulty level D8. Pre-registration is required - contact Bill Kinkaid mailto:[email protected] Half-day Birding Field Trip Iona Regional Park
Saturday Sep 10 8:30am
Join John Chandler [email protected] for a half-day birding trip to Iona Regional Park in Richmond. We will be looking for migrants including shorebirds and warblers. We'll start by exploring the outer ponds and then work our way through the inner ponds. If you are interested, you can walk the South Jetty after the field trip. Dress for chilly and/or wet weather. Meet John in the parking lot by the washrooms at 0830. Contact John at 604-839-8777.
The Unique and Curious Kelps of British Columbia
Thursday Sep 8 7:30pm (marine)
Unitarian Hewett Centre, 949 49th Ave W, Vancouver, BC
BC has the richest kelp flora in the world. These seaweeds are the powerhouse that drives our
shallow water fauna, holds the potential of a great biofuel (Kelpanol), whose tasty constituents
appear to hold off the diseases associated with aging, and provides bon vivants and the curious with
novel and enjoyable experiences.
Louis Druehl, Professor Emeritus SFU, is the author of Pacific Seaweeds: Updated and Expanded
Edition (Harbour Publishing 2016), the authoritative guide to over 100 common species of seaweeds
in the Pacific Northwest. He has studied, taught and played with seaweeds for over 40 years and
presently he is advancing kelp farming as a means of remediating our damaged ocean environment.
LANGLEY FIELD NATURALISTS
FIELD TRIPS AND EVENING WALKS FOR SEPTEMBER 2016
Please call to let the leader know to expect you. The walks are generally about two to three hours long and are open to all Naturalist Clubs & members of the public (adults & children, but no pets please). Please dress for the weather and bring water, binoculars and a snack (plus bug spray in summer). Note these walks are weather dependent so if the weather is bad and no calls are received then the leader will not show up. 1st September, Thursday - Cheam Lake Wetlands Regional Park - Chilliwack Time: 9:00 am at Cheam Lake Wetlands parking lot Leader: Josh Inman. This 107 hectare sensitive wildlife habitat is comprised of a lake, a marsh and forests. It is a popular bird-watching area where 184 different bird species have been recorded plus it is home to many insects and mammals. Phone Josh at 604-888-1787 for info.
10th September, Saturday – Point Roberts Time: 9:00 am at Lighthouse Park Leader: Gareth Pugh Join us as we visit Point Roberts to walk along the beach and scan the ocean for whales and the various seabirds that can be found there. We will also visit Lily Point Park and Marine Reserve which is in Whatcom County Park. Bring lunch, snacks and refreshments and, of course, your passports. Phone Gareth at 604-576-6831 for info. 14th September, Wednesday – Boundary Bay Regional Park, Tsawwassen Time: 9:00 am at the Cammidge House parking lot in Boundary Bay Regional Park. Leader: Tom Bearss/Gareth Pugh Join Delta Naturalists and the Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society on their quarterly walk around the Park. The trail follows the shore then winds back through sand dunes and freshwater marsh. 30th September, Friday – Golden Ears Provincial Park (Maple Ridge), Fall Fungi, Mushrooms and More Time: 9:30 am in the Park Entrance Parking lot (just past the goat) Leader: Al Grass Bring lunch as we will finish at the Alouette Lake Day use area. We will walk the Spirea Nature Trail
and the Lower Falls trails in search of fungi and more. Phone 604-538-8774 for info.
WHITE ROCK AND SURREY
NATURALISTS PRESENT
Vancouver’s 400 million-year geological journey!
Join us for a free presentation and hear noted Geologist, Biologist, Explorer and Geological Engineer David Cook present a fascinating
perspective on Vancouver’s geological history.
SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 7:30 PM
Elgin Hall 14250 Crescent Road, Surrey, BC
RECONNECTING WITH NATURE – SEPTEMBER EVENTS
Thursday September 8th 2016 Geology of Vancouver area A free public talk for White Rock and Surrey Naturalists Society. Speaker: David Cook, Geologist. Meeting time and location: 7:30 pm. Elgin Hall 14250 Crescent Road, Surrey Description of talk: This illustrated talk will be a 400 million year journey through the geological history of the Vancouver area. Some of the highlights will be sandstones with coal beds laid down in the deltas of 50 to 70 million year old rivers, the roots of 37 million year old volcanoes, giant granitic boulders brought to the area during the Ice Age, clues to former sea levels left in the cliffs around the shores of Burrard Inlet and evidence that even today we live in an area of dynamic geological change. Saturday September 10th 2016 Guided tour in the Old Growth Conservancy, West Vancouver. A free public tour by the Old Growth Conservancy Society, West Vancouver. Leader: Hugh Hamilton. Meeting location & time: Hi-view Lookout, Cypress Bowl Road, Cypress Provincial Park at 9:30 am. Duration and length of walk: 2 to 3 hours; 1.5 kilometres. Description of tour: A walk through old-growth and second-growth forests. Learn about the features that make up these two types of forest which are much more than the age and size of the trees. The Old Growth Conservancy is a 54 hectare (133.6 acre) forested area on West Vancouver municipal land at approximately 760 metres (2,300 feet) elevation south of the Cypress Provincial Park boundary and west of the Cypress Bowl Road. The area is also of interest because it lies at the elevation where two of British Columbia’s biogeoclimatic zones (the Coastal Western Hemlock and Mountain Hemlock zones) interface, so that both species of hemlock and both species of cedar can be seen occurring together. Terrain and elevation gain: Terrain is mostly flat with one steep ~10 metre embankment to negotiate. Because some of the route is off trail, be prepared to climb over coarse woody debris covering the forest floor. Therefore it is essential that long-sleeve shirts and long pants be worn to protect against the scratching of bare skin. Registration is required: Because some walking is off trail, the number of participants will be limited in order to minimise impact on the forest floor as well as to facilitate guidance of people through trackless and heavily forested sections of the forest. To register and determine if there is space, please email [email protected] and include name and phone number. Wednesday September 14th 2016 Indian Arm: Natural history and human history. A free public talk for the Parkgate Library, District of North Vancouver. Speaker: David Cook. Meeting time & location: 7:00 pm at the Parkgate Library 3675 Banff Court, North Vancouver. The Parkgate library is opposite the Parkgate Community Centre and adjacent to the Parkgate Village Shopping Centre at the corner of the Mt Seymour Parkway and Seymour Road which is the access road to Mount Seymour Provincial Park. Registration required: Call 604-929-3727. Description of talk: Join Biologist/Geologist David Cook for an illustrated journey into the natural
history and cultural history of Indian Arm, the Land of the Serpent for First Nations and the
southernmost fjord of the western North American mainland. View First Nations pictographs, waterfalls cascading from hanging valleys, old-growth forests and the productive estuary of the Indian River important to First Nations and the site of several salmon runs each year, which draw Bald Eagles and harbour seals in great numbers. Thursday September 15th 2016 Guided tour in the Old Growth Conservancy, West Vancouver. A free public tour by the Old Growth Conservancy Society, West Vancouver. Leader: David Cook. Meeting location & time: Hi-view Lookout, Cypress Bowl Road, Cypress Provincial Park at 9:30 am. Duration and length of walk: 2 to 3 hours; 1.5 kilometres. Description of tour: A walk through old-growth and second-growth forests. Learn about the features that make up these two types of forest which are much more than the age and size of the trees. The Old Growth Conservancy is a 54 hectare (133.6 acre) forested area on West Vancouver municipal land at approximately 760 metres (2,300 feet) elevation south of the Cypress Provincial Park boundary and west of the Cypress Bowl Road. The area is also of interest because it lies at the elevation where two of British Columbia’s biogeoclimatic zones (the Coastal Western Hemlock and Mountain Hemlock zones) interface, so that both species of hemlock and both species of cedar can be seen occurring together. Terrain and elevation gain: Terrain is mostly flat with one steep ~10 metre embankment to negotiate. Because some of the route is off trail, be prepared to climb over coarse woody debris covering the forest floor. Therefore it is essential that long-sleeve shirts and long pants be worn to protect against the scratching of bare skin. Registration is required: Because some walking is off trail, the number of participants will be limited in order to minimise impact on the forest floor as well as to facilitate guidance of people through trackless sections of the forest. To register and determine if there is space, please email [email protected] and include name and phone number. Thursday September 15th 2016 Boss Mosses of the Pacific Northwest. A free public talk for the Botany Section of Nature Vancouver Speaker: Kem Luther. Meeting time & location: 7:30 pm. Unitarian Centre, 949 West 49th Avenue (at Oak Street), Vancouver. Description of the talk: Contrary to what many botanists believe, it is easy to recognize the most
common mosses without a microscope and, in most cases, without even a hand lens. Learn tricks for
recognizing mosses, discover the unusual habits of these ancient members of the plant kingdom, and
explore what they contribute to local ecosystems. Find out which Vancouver resident mosses would
be if they were a person. Kem Luther's talk is based on a chapter of his new book, Boundary Layer
http://stegnon.com.
About the speaker: Kem Luther, a naturalist and writer, moved from a home on Ontario’s Grand River
to the southern tip of Vancouver Island in 2004. He grew up in the Nebraska Sandhills, studied at
Loyola (Chicago), Cornell, the University of Chicago, York University and the University of Toronto,
and taught at Eastern Mennonite University, Sheridan College, York University, and the University of
Toronto. Kem is the author of several books.
21th Annual Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Fes 19th & 20th, 20
16
Follow the Scenic 7 Highway - 30 minutes east of Mission, BC to the Harrison River/Harrison Mills, BC
The enormously popular Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival occurs the third weekend in November in perhaps the most biologically diverse and important areas in British Columbia. This is the “MAIN” event that attracts visitors to Mission and Harrison Mills during the entire “Season of the Eagles and Salmon”. Harrison Mills is a fast-growing community just 30 minutes east of the District of Mission. Please explore this website to find out all about the events that will occur during the entire season.
Overview
October 14-18 – The annual Harrison Salmon Festival supported by the Sts’ailes (First Nation) Salmon Stronghold @ Weaver Creek Spawning Channel November 21/22 – The 20th Annual Fraser Valley Bald Eagle Festival December 12/13- Christmas at Kilby & More Eagle Viewing Boat Tours The ORIGINAL Eagle Viewing Boat Tours with Fraser River Safari.
Fraser River Safari Eagle Viewing tours will be running all weekends
http://fraservalleybaldeaglefestival.ca/
Bald Eagle Glen Bodie
Dress code: Semi-formal attire
$150 per person
Call 604-946-3171 or email [email protected] to reserve your seats!
You can buy tickets by clicking on the PayPal button below. You can also come in person with cash or cheque
during our office hours (9am – 4pm daily).
Please note that we cannot process payment over the phone.
Protecting our foods, farms and environment August 20/2016
It’s no secret that bees and other pollinators are facing a crisis – the ‘bee-pocalypse’ and ‘the plight of the honey bee’ headlines are hard to miss these days. This awareness is a good thing, because pollinator declines are a real problem. What is less talked about is the fact that one of the biggest threats to bees right now is pesticides coated onto seeds. The largest single use of neonics (a group of bee-toxic insecticides) is as pesticide seed coatings for field crops, like corn. The scale and rate at which we’re using these chemical seed coatings is unprecedented – virtually all of the corn grown in the United States comes from seeds coated with neonic chemicals, and the total acreage of corn treated with insecticides is now three times higher than it was prior to seed coatings being used. But bees don’t pollinate corn, so why does this matter? A huge problem with neonic seed coatings is that only a small fraction—roughly 5%--of the neonic chemical that is coated onto the seed is actually absorbed into the plant, delivering enough of a dose to still make the plant highly toxic to bees, while leaving the remaining 95% to enter the environment through seed dust or soil contamination and water runoff. This widespread contamination
makes it very easy for bees and other pollinators to continually come into contact with these toxic chemicals.
While corn dominates the neonic seed coating market, popcorn also has a big stake in the game, as a large percentage of popcorn seeds are coated with neonics. That’s why CFS launched a new campaign last year urging popcorn companies to stand up for bees and stop sourcing their popcorn from seeds that are coated in harmful neonic chemicals. Several of the leading companies saw value in the idea—within just a couple of months, two of the largest popcorn companies, Pop Weaver and Pop Secret, agreed to phase out their use of neonics as a commitment to helping conserve bees, other pollinators, and the environment. But there is one company – the biggest in the popcorn industry – that is still refusing to stand up for bees and phase out uses of neonic seed coatings: Orville Redenbacher’s. Thankfully, there are plenty of healthy, bee-friendly popcorn choices to enjoy while we wait for Orville Redenbacher’s to step up and protect bees and other pollinators. You can check out some of these popcorn brands doing the right thing for bees in our popcorn guide:
Download the Guide | Sign the Petition
Still want to do more for bees?
1. Visit our popcorn campaign website to learn more about the issues 2. Sign the petition urging Orville Redenbacher’s to do the right thing for bees. 3. There are also numerous other ways to help pollinators, starting in your homes and
backyards – here are a few easy options to consider.
Thanks for standing up for the bees, The Center for Food Safety team
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/about-us
CORRESPONDENCE
July 12, 2016 Dear Nature Enthusiasts and Photographers, It's that time of year again - time to show off your best photos of British Columbia's diverse wildlife! The BC SPCA's annual Wildlife-In-Focus photography contest is now open and runs until September 30th. We're encouraging British Columbians to explore green spaces, roadsides, beaches and even backyards to find striking images that represent the resiliency of local wildlife living at the interface with humans. The photos will be judged and prizes will be awarded to the top winners. We are excited to announce that this year, in addition to the judged winners, there will be a donate-to-vote People's Choice Award for which anyone can vote! All the details and rules of the contest can be found at http://www.gogophotocontest.com/bc-spca-wildlife-in-focus which is also where you can enter the contest and/or vote for your favourite photos. There is no limit to the number of entries and votes you can make. We hope you will join us in raising awareness for local wildlife, as well as funds to support the BC SPCA Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC)! Sincerely, Betsy and Katie Volunteer Contest Coordinators BC SPCA Wildlife-In-Focus 2016 [email protected]
Jack MacDonald
EXECUTIVE and COMMITTEES 2015-2016
President – Tom Bearss Vice-President – Elizabeth Perrin Secretary – Anita Den Dikken Treasurer/ Membership – Jim Kneesch Director (Speakers & BCN) – Ursula Easterbrook Director (Environment) – James Ronback, [email protected] 604 948-1589 Publicity – Valerie Fuller Social Committee – Elizabeth Perrin, Liz Stewart, Joanne Williamson Display Co-ordinator – Terry Carr; Assistant co-ordinator Marylile Martin Newsletter Editor – Audrey Coutts, [email protected] Archivist – Geof Hacker Casual Birders – Tom Bearss Telescope Custodian – Tom Bearss Delta Nats’ website: https://dncb.wordpress.com/ Useful Phone Numbers:
Wild Life Rescue 604-526-7275 Canadian Wildlife Services 604-666-0143 Rare Bird Alert (24 hour) 604-737-3074 Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary 604-946-6980 OWL (Orphaned Wildlife Rehab) 604-946-3171 Wildlife Violation Report 1-800-663-9453 Fisheries and Oceans HOT LINE 604-666-3500 Delta Farmland & Wildlife Trust 604-940-3392 Nature Vancouver - http://naturevancouver.ca
INTERESTING LINKS Delta Farmland and Wildlife Trust: http://www.deltafarmland.ca/ Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society: http://www.birdsonthebay.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/wildlifelive/videos/1262199393790994/
THE LAST PAGE
From Kamloops This Week, July 19, 2016 With thanks to Donna Thomson
