Bird Week 2016: Birds in Our Garden

By Samantha Woods, SPES Environmental Educator

Celebrate Vancouver’s birds during the city’s 4^th annual Bird Week, May 7-14, 2016. A week-long series of events will take flight with this year’s theme, “Birds in Our Garden.” Watch for bird-related workshops, walks, talks, exhibitions, and lectures across the city. Stanley Park Ecology Society will host 5 of the events during the week (see listings below). While all events are free, they will require preregistration. Please view the events calendar in the coming months for more information and registration.

Vancouver Bird Week is organized by a collaborative partnership of non-profits, artists, and other institutions, in partnership with City of Vancouver and Vancouver Park Board.

Garden Plants for Birds

May 7^th: 9:00-11:00AM

Have you wondered what types of birds visit your garden? Or, how to plant a garden that attracts birds? Join us for an easy 2 hour tour of the Native Plant Demonstration Garden in Stanley Park. Learn about what birds you can expect to see in a native plant garden and the importance of these plants for perching, hiding, and feeding.

Mother’s Day Bioblitz: ABC’s of Birding

May 8^th: 10:00-12:00PM

This walk is the perfect opportunity to break into the growing world of birding! Join us for an introductory birding walk during our Mother’s Day Bioblitz. Learn about the birds you are most likely to see like the chickadee and white-crowned sparrow.  Get acquainted with the harder-to-spot birds like the spotted towhee and the bushtit.  

Mother’s Day Bioblitz: Bird Biodiversity

May 8^th: 12:00-2:00PM

Stanley Park is a bird lover’s paradise. Over the course of a year, as many as 230 species of birds are easily viewed and heard in the Park’s diverse landscape of forests, wetlands and seashore. We’ll count as many bird species as we can see and hear on this easy 2 hour walk in the Park.

 

Bird Taxidermy

May 12^th: 7:00-9:00PM

Develop a deeper understanding of bird anatomy as you practice basic taxidermy techniques and help us build SPES’ specimen collection for educational programming.  Specimens include a diversity of song birds and birds of prey. For ages 18+, max. 15 people.

 

Nest Box Building

May 14^th: 1:00-3:30PM

Have you heard chickadee-dee-dee in your backyard? Join us above the Nature House on Lost Lagoon and build a cedar nest box for a chickadee while learning about this charismatic species and how nest boxes can provide a safe habitat. Max. 15 nest boxes available.