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Get to Know the Nature Around You

Join the Burnaby Lake Park Association on guided walks to help you connect to nature in the environment around you.

Have you ever gone for a walk in the park and saw a cool looking insect, pretty flower or beautiful bird and you wondered what it was?

Sign up for a  guided Nature Walk with a BLPA Guide to learn how to use some of the most popular nature apps to help identify what you have seen and connect to Nature! They will review how to make an observation using the app and offer tips and tricks to get the best identification for your nature encounters and keep track of them.

You will be able to go out and use the apps right away in the park and may “snap” a photo of many of the native species that BLPA volunteers have planted, and the year round and seasonal birds that have been observed at Burnaby Lake!

Our tent and display will be set up twice this month in front of the Nature House from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm:

  • Sunday, August 13th
  • Sunday, August 27th

There will be a session for iNaturalist and one for Merlin Bird ID/eBird on each day. For details and registration information, click on the dates above.

Spaces are limited. Guided walks are FREE but registration is required for each walk. When you register, The registration links above will provide full details on how to download the apps and set up your accounts so you are prepared for the day of the event.

What is iNaturalist?

  • It is one of the world’s most popular nature apps
  • It helps you identify the plants and animals around you.

What are Merlin and eBird?

  • They are 2 of the world’s most popular birding apps
  • The Merlin app helps you identify the birds around you – by sight or sound!
  • eBird creates a checklist of the birds you have seen so you can track your observations

By recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature. Using these apps connects you to a community off over a million citizen scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature!

You can take your skills with these apps with you! Whether you are going for a walk in your neighbourhood, on a hike in a provincial park or even travel to a different country thousands of kilometers away, these apps will help you identify the nature around you.

Photo: Aaron Burden, Unsplash
Photo: Mason-Hassoun, Unsplash
Photo: Jorge Avila, Unsplash

BLPA at Burnaby Pride 2023

The Burnaby Lake Park Association is excited to be participating in Burnaby Pride activities this year. The BLPA supports all community members, and welcomes BIPOC community members to volunteer or participate in our regularly offered free programming such as nature outings. Our Board is composed of several members of the BIPOC community and we are guided by a commitment to inclusion and equity in all that we do.

We are participating in two events on Saturday, July 22.

9:00 to 10:30 AM
First, celebrate Burnaby Pride with a guided bird outing for members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and allies at Burnaby Lake Regional Park! All skill levels welcome.  Space limited. Free but registration required. Details and registration here.

12:00 to 6:00 PM
Then we will be headed to the Burnaby Pride Festival at Burnaby Civic Square with our information booth so you can find out about our activities and how to get involved. This event is organised by Burnaby Pride.

See you there!

World Migratory Bird Day – Spring 2023

World Migratory Bird Day 2023 focuses on water and its importance to bird life.

Water is fundamental to sustaining life on our planet. Virtually all migratory birds rely on water and its associated habitats at some point during their life cycles. Lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, wetlands, and coastal waters are all vital for feeding, drinking, or nesting, and as places to rest and refuel during long seasonal migrations.

Unfortunately, these aquatic ecosystems are becoming increasingly threatened around the world, and so are the migratory birds that depend on them. The increasing human demand for water, as well as pollution and climate change, is having a direct impact on the quantity and quality of water resources and on the conservation status of many migratory bird species.

Learn more in the graphic below:

https://burnabylakepark.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2023-ENG

Featured species in this year’s campaign include the Northern Shoveler, Rufous Hummingbird, Osprey, and Barn Swallow, just a few of the migratory birds you might encounter on a walk near Burnaby Lake this spring.

Add your name to become a Migratory Birds Defender.

Canada’s birds are in trouble. Grassland birds, aerial insectivores, and shorebirds have all experienced alarming population declines, and many more remain at-risk.

As Migratory Bird Defenders, we are asking decision-makers at all levels of government to promote healthy bird populations as a critical part of the ecosystems we all depend on.  Help us deliver a united call on behalf of Canada’s 450 bird species whose vanishing songs, chirps, tweets, and caws demand a simple but urgent message: it’s time to stand up for our country’s birds.

Add your name to become a Migratory Bird Defender and learn more about how you can protect birds in your community.

Check out the BLPA’s Bird Resources page.