If you’re a Greater Vancouver resident or stopping by during the week of October 3-10, you must check out (Greater) Vancouver Bird Week 2020! A lucky bonus for those of us that can’t make it in person—there will be plenty of online activities and presentations to attend to further your bird knowledge.
Coordinated by the Stanley Park Ecology Society, Vancouver Bird Week is a week-long series of events to celebrate Vancouver’s birds, inspired by World Migratory Bird Day’s focus on the importance of birds as key indicators of our environment’s health. All week long, there will be workshops, webinars, and walking tours hosted by various partners across the Lower Mainland. From talks led by local experts, to bird-related arts and crafts, there is sure to be something for everyone, no matter your experience level.
Photo credits: Anna’s Hummingbird by Frank Lin, Barred Owl by Don Enright, Black Capped Chickadee by Katelyn James, Northwestern Crow by Katelyn James.
Special events and walking tours along the South Fraser and Fraser Valley Bird Trails include:
October 3rd, 8:30 – 10:30am @ Iona Beach Regional Park
Let’s Go Birding Together: Guided Bird Walk In Cantonese / 齊來觀鳥: 賞鳥行活動 (廣東話版)
Led by Vinci Au, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, this guided bird walk in Richmond, BC welcomes the Cantonese-speaking community. Pre-registration required.
October 4th, 8:30 – 10:30am @ Iona Beach Regional Park
Let’s Go Birding Together: Guided Bird Walk In Mandarin / 讓我們一起去賞鳥吧（中文版)
A guided bird walk in Richmond, BC welcoming the Mandarin-speaking community led by Andrew Huang, a biologist at the Canadian Wildlife Service. Pre-registration required.
Oct 5th, 8:30 – 9:30am / 9:45 – 10:45am / 11:00 – 12:00am @ Iona Beach Regional Park
Bird Banding Tour
Led by WildResearch, participants will be able to witness bird conservation in action using the power of citizen and community science. Learn about the importance of bird banding, with opportunities to have a close-up interaction with the birds, and perhaps even release them from the palm of your hands! Pre-registration required.
Oct 7th, 9:00 – 11:00am @ George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary
Let’s Go Birding! Guided Bird Walk Welcoming BIPOC
Led by Melissa Hafting, a birder from Vancouver, British Columbia who serves as the eBird reviewer over five regions and runs the BC Rare Bird Alert blog, this guided bird walk in Delta, BC welcomes Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour. Come learn and marvel at birds in this safe, friendly setting. Pre-registration required.
Oct 10th, 8:00 – 10:00am @ Matsqui Trail Regional Park (Abbotsford)
Let’s Go Birding Together: Guided Bird Walk Welcoming The Queer Community
Led by Amanda Edworthy (they/them), a bird biologist specializing in cavity nesting birds and endangered Tasmanian birds, this bird tour welcomes members of the queer community to learn and marvel at birds in this safe, friendly setting. Pre-registration required.
For more information about in-person activities and all the wonderful online seminars, visit the Vancouver Bird Week website and take a look at their full schedule.
