boundary bay regional park
I went for a nice walk in tsawwassen with some birders this morning. We went to Boundary Bay Regional Park, near centennial beach at about 8am, and walked through the area until about 10:30. One of the people i was with has been going there and surveying the local bird population for several years now, on the first saturday of every month. She has 7 locations along the trail where she stops for about 10 minutes, and writes down all the different types of birds she sees there and how many there are.
It turns out that a lot of the so-called conservation agencies don’t actually keep track of any bird populations. They depend a lot on amateurs to collect data, and then they use that. I suppose it saves money when you don’t do any work. The other thing that happens is Ducks Unlimited will take funding for “conservation” where every frickin wetland has to allow hunters on there to shoot things up and be manly men.
anyway, we had a fun time, and i got to see some new things for my list, like a beautiful Short-eared Owl. I guess getting up early in the morning is good for something ;). It was too far away to take a picture, but pretty soon i’m gonna get hooked up with a telescope that i can hook my camera up to, so expect some owl shots in the near future.
In case anyone is interested, i found out that there’s an organized bird walk that happens at Reifel Refuge in Ladner every sunday morning at 10am, led by an expert birder. $4 for adult admission there, but it’s worth it. It’s a great place to go at any time of the year, and there’s stuff there right now that will be migrating back to the arctic for breeding season in the spring. I’ll be there tomorrow morning :)
Ride hard, ride free
April 17th, 2006 at 11:11 am
For your information: a new travel guide to Boundary Bay B.C – order online http://www.natureguidesbc.com
Nature Guides B.C.
http://www.natureguidesbc.com
Box 18170, 1215c - 56 Street, Delta, British Columbia, Canada V4L 2M4
info@natureguidesbc.com Telephone/fax (604) 943 0273
Media Release
For Immediate Release
April 15 2006
Launch of a New Book on Wildlife of the Boundary Bay Area
Last weekend saw the launch of the first, comprehensive, nature guidebook to Boundary Bay, the most significant area for bird diversity and numbers in the whole of Canada, and a key wildlife habitat at the mouth of the Fraser River.
A Nature Guide to Boundary Bay is written by Anne Murray, winner of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee award for nature conservation. Over 170 colour photographs by Dr David Blevins illustrate the plants, animals and landscapes that can be found around Boundary Bay.
Boundary Bay is a premier birding area and wildlife destination in the heart of the Fraser River estuary. This dramatic and diverse coastal landscape connects British Columbia with Washington State, and lies just 30 km south of Vancouver, B.C.. The book covers all of Boundary Bay and its watershed, including Burns Bog, North Delta, Tsawwassen, Ladner, Surrey, White Rock, Langley and Richmond in British Columbia, and Blaine, Point Roberts and the Drayton Harbor watershed in Washington State. According to renowned B.C. naturalist and author, Richard Cannings, “A Nature Guide to Boundary Bay is one of those rare local guides that informs you about the broader world as well as your own backyard. Everyone in southwestern British Columbia should have this book on hand.â€
Author, Anne Murray, is passionate about Boundary Bay: “My hope is that this book will both open the door to an appreciation of Boundary Bay’s natural beauty and encourage its wise conservation.â€
Murray and Blevins have published the book under the company name Nature Guides B.C..
It is available on line at http://www.natureguidesbc.com or at selected bookstores. Book talks and signings will be taking place at a number of locations around the Lower Mainland in the next few weeks. Please contact Nature Guides B.C. at info@natureguidesbc.com or 604 943 0273 for more details.
ISBN 0 -9780088-0-4
Soft cover, 6†x9â€, 224 pages, 171 colour photographs, 2 maps. Recommended retail price $24.95 Can., $20.95 US; printed in Canada by Friesens on recycled paper. Published by Nature Guides B.C.
Optional attachment: book flyer and biography sheet: reply to this email if you would like this attachment, or any further information sent.
For more information on this media release, please contact: Anne Murray 604 943 4460