| March Date: Tuesday 3rd, 2026 IN PERSON Social time 7:00 – 7:30 pm, DNS Business 7:30 – 8:00 pm Presentation 8:00 – 9:00 pm Guest Speaker: David Bradley Topic: Using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to study Tree Swallows at Iona Island PowerPoint slides on YouTube (no audio) Tree Swallows Audio |
The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is a collaborative network of radio telemetry stations that can track the movements of birds over thousands of kilometers. However, Motus can also be used to examine the local-scale movements of birds over much finer scales, such as around nesting sites like at Iona Island. David will present the preliminary findings of a Tree Swallow tracking study that Birds Canada conducted in 2025 to examine the use of Iona Island for breeding, foraging, and roosting. Our aim was to collect data to scientifically inform the re-design of the Wastewater Treatment Plant so that the habitat is maintained for aerial insectivores like swallows and swifts.
Dr. David Bradley has been interested in birds and their conservation for as long as he can remember. Prior to his current role as the BC Director at Birds Canada, he completed a postdoc at the Birds Canada head office in Ontario and the University of Guelph on migration and breeding phenology in Tree Swallows. He conducted his Ph.D. research in New Zealand on the ecology and conservation of an endangered endemic bird, the North Island Kokako. He has also been involved in behavioral studies of Neotropical birds in Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.
| March Date: Tuesday 3rd, 2026 IN PERSON Social time 7:00 – 7:30 pm, DNS Business 7:30 – 8:00 pm Presentation 8:00 – 9:00 pm Guest Speaker: Carmen Prang Topic: Tsawwassen Garter Snake Hibernaculum |
Wild garter snakes have a tough life under ordinary conditions. I’d say our Beach Grove garter snakes experience un-ordinary conditions given how accessible the den’s location is to our human activity.
I know from my own experience, if we put distance between ourselves and the snakes, they will bask on the rocks for extended times. With additional protection and the snake-sitter’s presence, I think the snakes could have some degree of harmony at the rocks. As well, education is important to help people understand the snakes better and I’ll work on that with whoever will listen to me.
Our dyke trail park is a beautiful place for us all to visit and enjoy, and also to appreciate seeing these wild snakes in this natural setting. It’s important, though, that we recognize our Beach Grove garter snakes have need to do what is instinctive behaviour and necessary for their survival – to bask on THEIR rocks peacefully.
Although Carmen Prang is not a professional biologist, just a concerned member of the public who developed a love and dedication to the garter snakes and their home, she has become an advisor on how to snake sit.
You can download Carmen’s 2025 Summary_Beach Grove Garter Snakes here.
Delta Naturalists Society 