Category Archives: Nature

Byrne Creek Streamkeepers Gear Up for Autumn Activities & Events

Following yesterday evening’s Byrne Creek Streamkeepers meeting I thought I’d consolidate our events and activities for the next month into one message.

Saturday, Sept. 8, 10 – 2 pm, Alta Vista Community Picnic
Alta Vista Park, on Royal Oak a few blocks south of Rumble
Set up from 9:30

Sunday, Sept. 23. World Rivers Day
Burnaby Village Museum
Event runs 11:00 – 4:30

At both of the above events we put up our display panels and talk to
folks about streamkeeping and the Byrne Creek watershed in particular.

Fish trapping. (Sampling for juvenile fish that are identified, measured, and returned unharmed to the creek). Needs to get done before mid-October when spawners start to return. Works best with at least three or four people. Traps go in during good weather one day and are retrieved and enumerated the next day.

Bug counting (Aquatic Invertebrate Survey). Also needs to get done before mid-October before spawners start returning. All ~ nine or so sites can be done in one day if we have enough volunteers.

Storage Container. We have gotten approval to put a storage container in the fenced-off habitat (artificial spawning channel) near the gate. Once the container is in place, we’ll have a work party to paint it, and collect all the gear and inventory it.

Spawner Monitoring. Mid-October to early December. We’ll talk more about this at the October meeting — scheduling and training.

Rain, Wonderful Rain in Burnaby, BC

It’s not too often that we want rain here on the west coast of British Columbia. But it’s been so dry for so long that today’s steady drizzle is a welcome respite.

The air smells fresh and the balcony plants and ravine forest are sucking up moisture.

We’re fortunate that this welcome precipitation has arrived as a slow, steady drizzle. With it being dry for so long, a downpour would have just run off the parched soil.

plants rain burnaby bc

White Rock Beach Walk Bird Action

We heard there was less smoke down in White Rock, BC, than around here in Burnaby, so we headed down for a beach walk today. It certainly was more pleasant near the water.

white rock beach walk
There were several killdeer flitting about the water’s edge


Mallards in flight

Not sure what kind of dove this is. Have asked some experts. . .
UPDATE: Eurasian Collared-Dove


Cormorant off the pier


Yumi shot me on the pier


We came across this massive old log that must have been part of a logging operation