Nature Outings
Every week throughout the year, the Delta Naturalist Casual Birders or DNCB—a group within the DNS—leads birdwatching and nature walks to many of Delta and Metro Vancouver’s richest birding spots, including Centennial Beach, Boundary Bay, Burnaby Lake, Reifel Bird Sanctuary, and more. Our field trips take long, meandering walks through key habitats for hundreds of resident and migrating bird species and other fauna and flora. We write reports for our walks, which you can find on the DNS blog; and post photographs, which you can admire on the DNCB Flickr site.
| When? | Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and sometimes Saturdays or Sundays [View the DNCB bird outing schedule here.] |
| What time? | 8:00 AM in summer (outings are usually 3 hours) 9:00 AM in winter Please refer to outing schedule for the correct start time because it can vary depending on sunlight and destination. |
| Where? | Various nature hotspots around Delta and Vancouver. [View detailed Maps & Directions here.] |
Whether you’re a seasoned birder/nature enthusiast or just starting to spread your wings, the DNCB’s weekly outings will introduce you to the incredible biodiversity that call the Fraser River delta—and greater Vancouver area—home.
We also participate in many nature events and festivals throughout the year and occasionally organize multi-day field trips to birding hotspots located further afield in British Columbia, Canada, and even internationally. Becoming a DNS member will put you on our mailing list and you will be notified of such events and field trips many months ahead of time. Liking and following our Facebook page is also a great way to keep a finger on the pulse of our activities!
Upcoming Nature Fieldtrips / Outings
To sign up for an outing, click on the DNS bird outing schedule sheet.
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY OUTINGS
(MEETING TIME IS 8 AM)
May 12 & 13: Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver
Meet at 8 AM by the Pitch & Putt.
Parking is no longer free in the park. There is free parking below the tennis courts on 37th Ave at Elizabeth St.
May 19 & 20: Campbell Valley Regional Park, Langley (16th Ave entrance) 20290 16th Ave
Meet at 8 AM in the parking lot on the south side of 16th Ave. .
May 26 & 27: Colony Farm Regional Park, Colony Farm Rd, Coquitlam
Meet at 8 AM at the Community Gardens parking lot. From Port Mann Bridge take the exit to Hwy 7 east (Lougheed Hwy).
June 2 & 3: 41B Pond & Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Some people may meet at the 41B Pond on Tsawwassen First Nation at 8 AM.
Meet at Reifel at 9 AM. DNS has been booked as a group. You do not need to book parking – just tell the gatekeeper that you are part of the DNS group booking.
Non-Reifel members will need to pay admission.
June 9 & 10: Joe Brown Park, Surrey
Meet at 8 AM at 5381 125A St. There should be enough room to park below the traffic circle on 125A St.
June 16 & 17: Sturgeon Slough, Pitt Meadows (on the road to Pitt Lake).
Meet at 8 AM. Park on Rannie/Neaves Rd after it crosses Sturgeon Slough (before Swaneset Golf Course). The address for Swaneset Golf Course is 16651 Rannie Rd, Pitt Meadows.
June 23 & 24: Blackie Spit at Crescent Beach
Meet at 8 AM in the gravel parking lot at the NE end of McBride Ave in Crescent Beach. Go past the paved parking lot and sailing club.
June 30 & July 1: Cypress Provincial Park in West Vancouver
Meet at 8 AM at the High View Lookout on the road up to Cypress. There is a large parking area and we may see some birds there. Then park at the cross country ski area and walk into Hollyburn Lodge and lake. Then park at the downhill area and walk the Yew Lake loop.
July 7 & 8: Alaksen National Wildlife Area, 5421 Robertson Rd, Delta – on Westham Island before the turn into Reifel. Meet at 8 AM in the first parking lot.
July 14 (TUES ONLY): Manning Provincial Park
We will leave Tsawwassen at 7 AM and meet about 930 AM at the Manning Park Resort Parking lot. We will make a washroom stop there and look for birds. Then we will drive up the road on the other side of the highway to the Blackburn Peak/Heather Meadows parking lot at the end of the road (15 km). Elevation 6400 feet/1950 metres. Cascade Lookout is part way up that road (8km) where we usually see Clark’s Nutcrackers. We will walk along the Paintbrush Trail. There will be wild flowers right at the parking lot. Bring a picnic lunch. After lunch we will drive to the Strawberry Flats Trail which is on the other side of the Resort past Lightning Lake.
Paintbrush Trail 1.5km loop, 30 minutes return, little elevation change. Starts from the upper parking lot at the end of the Blackwall Road. Excellent wildflower viewing from mid-July to mid-August.
Strawberry Flats Trail 2km or 45 minutes one way, little elevation change. Starts at Strawberry Flats parking.
July 21 & 22: Jackman Wetlands in Langley
Meet at 8 AM in the disc golf parking lot on the west side of 272nd St between 16th Ave & 8th Ave.
Raptors Knoll Disc Golf Park, 1111 272 St, Langley (across from Langley Transfer Station).
July 28 & 29: Aldergrove Regional Park, 27240 8th Ave, Aldergrove.
Meet at 8 AM at the main parking lot at the end of the access road off 8th Avenue.
WEEKEND OUTINGS
(MEETING TIME IS 9 AM)
SUNDAY, JUNE 7: Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Meet at Reifel at 9 AM. DNS has been booked as a group. You do not need to book parking – just tell the gatekeeper that you are part of the DNS group booking.
Non-Reifel members will need to pay admission.
SUNDAY, JULY 12: Iona Beach Regional Park in Richmond via Templeton St & Ferguson Rd.
Meet at 9 AM by the washrooms.
Maps To All Outing Destinations
The map below shows the locations visited by the Delta Naturalists Casual Birding club (DNCB), usually on a rotating basis. Clicking on the toggle at the top left corner of the map (the little box icon with an arrow) will show the complete list of locations. By clicking on the little arrow to the left of ‘All Items’, you’ll be able to see all of our outing locations, and by clicking the location of interest, it’ll highlight the point (or pin) of the parking spot where we meet on the map, along with description of the parking spot (shown on the side panel).
There is also an option at the top right-hand side to view the map on a larger screen.
Try switching your browser if the map does not load for you, or access the map here.
Discover more right here…
- Learn more about the incredible biodiversity of the Fraser River Delta — and get our beautiful nature brochures — on our Nature Resources page.
- Go to Our Blog to read our latest trip reports and get a feel for what to expect on these weekly nature walks, as well as the birds, animals, bugs, and nature encountered.
- Check out Our Gallery for pictures taken by the DNS’s talented photographers. (This is a great way to become familiar with the birds and bugs we see on our outings!)
- See list of Metro Vancouver birds with photos by DNS member Glen Bodie
- Sign up to become a member of the Delta Naturalists Society today!
Delta Naturalists Society 