Going, going… Whoa!
Category Archives: Nature
Volunteers Go All Out on Byrne Ck Bug Count
Wow, thanks to everyone who helped with the bug count on Byrne Creek in southeast Burnaby, BC, today. We went full out (10 volunteers for a total of 35 volunteer hours) and got all nine sites sampled and counted in one day — something that usually takes three days to do!
While the totals haven’t been tallied yet, as we surmised, it was pretty slim pickings.
Using a D-net to take a sample. The variety and quantity of aquatic bugs is a good indication of water quality. Unfortunately, Byrne Creek regularly runs poor to marginal, or 1.5 – 2 on a scale of 4, using the methodology in module 4 of The Streamkeepers Handbook.
And here’s why we have poor water quality in the creek. As we were taking our last sample today just upstream of Edmonds Skytrain Station, a slug of milky blue stuff came down the creek. We immediately reported it to City of Burnaby Environmental and they sent a tech out to try to find where it was coming from.
Years ago we learned how to count in comfort. Here we are in a volunteer’s kitchen with coffee and muffins.
A Byrne Creek monster!
There you go! Nine sites sampled in one day!
Fun & Informative Nature Tour of Byrne Creek
Pamela Zevit of the South Coast Conservation Program led a fun and informative nature tour on Byrne Creek in SE Burnaby today.
Checking out Pamela’s bags of goodies — snail shells, feathers, and other cool stuff.
I’ve been volunteering with the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers for over a decade, and I always enjoy getting out in the park and down in the ravine with knowledgeable folks, be they biologists, or birders, or geologists… There is always something to learn!
Thanks to the City of Burnaby Parks Department for organizing such tours. I’ll be leading one on Byrne Creek on Nov. 14 to look for spawning salmon. More info here.
Tour of the Working Fraser River with Burnaby Board of Trade
It was a lovely afternoon for a tour of the working Fraser River with the Burnaby Board of Trade and Port Metro Vancouver. It was sunny and warm, and in addition to the tugs, barges, cranes, containers, and ships, nature put on a bit of a show, too.
I saw several salmon jumping, and a sturgeon rolled just at the surface of the water. An inquisitive harbour seal also put in a brief appearance, not to mention herons, cormorants, seagulls, and more.
You can check out my Flickr album here.
Wispy Clouds Over Burnaby, BC
Lovely clouds shot from Ron McLean Park in SE Burnaby on my afternoon walk today.
Looks Like Rain, Sure Hope it Rains
Taking the compost out to the bin this evening I saw this lovely sight. Sure looks like rain, it smells like rain, and I hope it rains. A lot. We need it.
Byrne Creek Lamprey
There have been some questions about lamprey on the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers mailing list.
Here’s one that I shot just below the stop log in the sediment pond on July 30 this summer. It was about 15 cm long, give or take a few.
They may seem icky for their snake-like appearance and because many are by nature parasitic, but they are part of the great scheme of things, and have coexisted with salmon, trout and other fish for millennia.
We have observed them spawning in Byrne Creek, in the lower ravine, and in the sediment pond. They are actually quite beautiful to watch when they are mating for they dance and twine together.
Birds, Bees, Blossoms at Stewart Heritage Farm
Another photo ramble at Stewart Heritage Farm in south Surrey. It’s one of my favourite places in the lower mainland to take photos.
South Burnaby Ravine Forests Show Major Cooling Effect
I was happy to see that water temperatures have eased in Byrne Creek in southeast Burnaby.
Today I got readings of 10/11 C in the ravine, and a high of 13 C at the downstream end of the sediment pond. That’s off from 17+ a few weeks ago, which was getting high for the health of salmon and trout.
It was also interesting to note that the air temperature in the thick, tall woods of the ravine was 15 C, while the air temperature standing on the median of Southridge Drive, a four-lane road running past the ravine, was 24 C.
Another example of the natural services provided by woods and forests!
Today’s Cornucopia – Yum!
We got ten cobs of fresh corn at HMart today for, I think it was $5.98. A minute or two in boiling water and it’s fantastic, not even any salt or butter, just natural sweetness.
