When there is still so much time before work starts, why not have a nice little stroll along Stanley Park’s seawall?!
That was exactly what I did this morning, and I ended up walking along Lost Lagoon, too, one of my most favourite places in Vancouver.
I very much enjoyed this peaceful morning walk, and I never felt alone; there was always some kind of bird or a squirrel around.
Finally, after many attempts, we had found some time to visit the George C. Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Delta. And we were so lucky with the weather. Though it was quite cold, the sun and the excitement to see so many birds kept us warm.
While walking along the many beautiful paths, we encountered so many ducks in and out of the water, heard a lot of birds singing, saw some of them, too, and discovered some sandhill cranes hiding in the marsh.
One of the many amazing moments was when red-breasted nuthatches, black-capped chickadees and even the larger red-winged blackbirds ate some bird seeds right out of our hands.
After we had seen sandhill cranes hiding in the grass, we were pleasantly surprised to see them wade through the water and come out of it right in front of us. That was such an amazing experience to see those large birds up close.
And to top all this, we saw a flock of what seemed to be several hundreds of lesser snow geese fly by and land in the marshlands a bit further away. That was such an impressive sight!
We had a fantastic day, and we will definitely be back – hopefully next spring when we might get to see the ducklings.
Ducks walking along the paths of the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A male wood duck at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A close-up of a female mallard at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
The Reifel Bird Sanctuary is a paradise for birds
View of the Reifel Bird Sanctuary from the tower
A pintail at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Two mallards mating at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A black-capped chickadee at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Two American robins at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A red-winged blackbird at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A red-breasted nuthatch eating bird seeds out of my hand at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Black-capped chickadees picking bird seeds from my hand at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A black-capped chickadee on Marcus’s hand at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A red-winged blackbird sitting on my hand at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Not a bird, but a grey squirrel at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Sandhill cranes wading through the water at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
Sandhill cranes coming out of the water at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A close-up of a sandhill crane at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
The Reifel Bird Sanctuary in the afternoon sun
The afternoon sun giving the Reifel Bird Sanctuary a warm glow
Hundreds of lesser snow geese – seen from the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
A flock of hundreds of lesser snow geese about ready to land near the Reifel Bird Sanctuary
The Reifel Bird Sanctuary in the setting sun
View of the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in the setting sun
When we were walking around Lost Lagoon, we saw a lot of wildlife.
There were squirrels, a red-winged blackbird, a towhee, wood ducks and mallards, mute swans, seagulls, blue herons, Canada geese and their goslings – and a beaver. Never before had we seen a beaver at Lost Lagoon, so that was really exciting. At first we only saw a branch in the water, but it was moving on its own; so that could not be happening, right – and then we saw the beaver dragging the branch along. Amazing, eh?
We had a fantastic evening stroll around Lost Lagoon, and we should definitely spend more time there…
At Vancouver’s Lost Lagoon
Looking from one bridge to another at Lost Lagoon
A male wood duck at Lost Lagoon
A close-up of a single yellow flower at Lost Lagoon
A close-up of a female mallard at Lost Lagoon
A male mallard at Lost Lagoon
A towhee at Lost Lagoon
A black squirrel at Lost Lagoon
An extended family? A squirrel among wood ducks and mallard at Lost Lagoon.
Odd one out? A mallard and two Canada geese at Lost Lagoon
A close-up of a Canada goose at Lost Lagoon
Another male mallard at Lost Lagoon
View of Lost Lagoon and its fountain
A beaver swimming across Lost Lagoon
A beaver swimming towards its lodge at Lost Lagoon
A blue heron at Lost Lagoon
Another blue heron at Lost Lagoon
Another view of Lost Lagoon
Another view of Lost Lagoon and its fountain
View of Lost Lagoon in the evening sun
View of Lost Lagoon, its fountaind and wildlife in the evening sun
View of Lost Lagoon and its fountain in the setting sun
View of Lost Lagoon in the setting sun
Another view of Lost Lagoon and its fountain in the setting sun
View of Lost Lagoon and one of its many benches in the setting sun
A mute swan swimming on Lost Lagoon
Stanley Park’s hike and bike paths at Lost Lagoon
Canada geese and their 21 (!!) goslings at Lost Lagoon, the fountain and seagulls in the background
Cute goslings at Lost Lagoon – seagulls in the background
Together with our boys we visited Canada Place to experience FlyOver Canada – and what an experience it was! FlyOver China was pretty amazing, but FlyOver Canada was breathtakingly beautiful. The flying part definitely felt real.
From there we went to the Vancouver Lookout to have an amazing view of Greater Vancouver.
After that we strolled along Vancouver’s waterfront until we came to Stanley Park where we saw a blue heron wading in the water, and later a squirrel nibbling on something to eat.
We were quite hungry, too, although we had a nice snack and a cool drink in between, so we made our way home to get something delicious for dinner.
A seagull on an ocean adventure?
The Canadian Trail at the Vancouver Convention Centre at Canada Place
The FlyOver Canada sign, West Vancouver and North Vancouver with Lions Gate Bridge in the background
View from the Vancouver Convention Centre
Another view from the Vancouver Convention Centre
View of the SeaBus from the Vancouver Convention Centre
View of downtown from the Vancouver Convention Centre
View of the Vancouver Lookout from the Vancouver Convention Centre
View of Vancouver and its stadium from the Vancouver Lookout
View of Vancouver’s port, heliport and railway from the Vancouver Lookout
View of the SeaBus from the Vancouver Lookout
View of the Vancouver Convention Centre from the Vancouver Lookout; North Vancouver in the background
View of Stanley Park, the Lions Gate Bridge and West Vancouver from the Vancouver Lookout
Walking down towards the waterfront, Stanley Park in the background; impressive clouds above
The last day of May promised to be as sunny as a summer’s day – and is there any better way than to spend it at the Vancouver Aquarium?! – So that we did.
On our way there, at Devonian Harbour Park, we saw a Canada geese family with lots of goslings swimming happily together.
Once inside the Vancouver Aquarium, we made a beeline to Jack and Daisy’s habitat, only to see that now there were six female fur seals in. I had never seen any of those before, and they were fun to watch, too. Jack and Daisy were still in the little dolphin habitat. But the good thing for us was to be able to see them interact with their trainers during one of their training sessions. Jack seemed to respond more to them than Daisy did. We then walked over to the Steller sea lions and harbour seals to watch an interesting training session with them as well. Vancouver Aquarium interpreter Lauren and both marine mammal trainers Anna and Leonora made this experience very special. It was the first time that we actually saw all four female Steller sea lions together with their male colleagues, the three harbour seals. And then it was time to see the dolphins in action. Once again, Lauren very enthusiastically led the audience through the dolphin show in which Hana and Helen had fun interacting with their trainers Anna and Leonora.
When we went to see Elfin, Tanu and Katmai, they all seemed to have a very relaxing day.
Time is always flying by when being at the Vancouver Aquarium, and as it was nearly time to leave, we quickly headed towards Schoona’s habitat which she shares with lots of fish, some sharks and rays. So one of her co-inhabitants is often swimming in front of the lens and trying to sneak into the picture…
Then it was time to say good-bye to all the animals, but surprisingly we saw quite a few different animals on our way home, too.
In Stanley Park, there was this black squirrel sitting in the grass and climbing a tree later, and some turtles were swimming in the Lost Lagoon. There we also saw those huge berries which looked like raspberries, but I looked them up and found out that these are edible salmonberries.
At Devonian Harbour Park we did not only see two geese families, and one of them had twelve (!) goslings, but also some birds. There were a house sparrow, a male red-winged blackbird and a female Red-shafted Northern Flicker. Did you know that these Northern Flickers are the only woodpeckers that frequently feed on the ground? Interesting, eh?
At Cardero Park we also saw a Common Starling, and a bit further away, near the Marina, there was a single duck swimming with its duckling.
Back home in Burnaby, we had a beautiful sunset with great clouds. What a fantastic ending of such an amazing day!
Canada geese at Devonian Harbour Park
A Canada geese family with goslings at Devonian Harbour Park
A female fur seal at the Vancouver Aquarium
Female fur seals at the Vancouver Aquarium
Jack looking out of the water at the Vancouver Aquarium
Jack touching his trainer’s hand
Jack getting some fish from Ana, his trainer
Jack at the Vancouver Aquarium
Daisy getting some fish at the Vancouver Aquarium
Daisy eating her fish
A male harbour seal at the Vancouver Aquarium
Two harbour seals responding to their trainer
Lauren, Leonora and Ana with three harbour seals at the Vancouver Aquarium
Ana feeding a harbour seal at the Vancouver Aquarium
Three Steller sea lions at the Vancouver Aquarium waiting for their training session
Two female Steller sea lions at the Vancouver Aquarium
All four Steller sea lions Ashby, Izzy, Rogue and Willo enjoying a swim together
Hana with her trainer Ana at the Vancouver Aquarium
Helen and Hana jumping out of the water
Hana and Helen showing different behaviours
Lauren, Ana and Leonora together with Helen and Hana at the Vancouver Aquarium
Elfin having a relaxing day at the Vancouver Aquarium
A close-up of Elfin
Tanu relaxing at the Vancouver Aquarium
Tanu having a look around her
Katmai looking at her visitors at the Vancouver Aquarium
Katmai having a little nap
Schoona at the Vancouver Aquarium
A zebra shark and Schoona at the Vancouver Aquarium
A stingray and Schoona at the Vancouver Aquarium
A black squirrel in Stanley Park
A black squirrel climbing down a tree in Stanley Park
Lost Lagoon
A salmonberry at Lost Lagoon
A turtle at Lost Lagoon
At Lost Lagoon
A close-up of a duck
A Canada geese family with twelve goslings at Devonian Harbour Park
Two goslings at Devonian Harbour Park
Two Canada geese families at Devonian Harbour Park
A house sparrow at Devonian Harbour Park
A male red-winged blackbird at Devonian Harbour Park
A female red-shafted northern flicker at Devonian Harbour Park
Sunday showed its sunny side so that we couldn’t resist and head out into the sunlight to enjoy a great day in sunny Vancouver.
On our way to Stanley Park we observed one of the blue herons standing in the water near Devonian Harbour Park and trying to catch some food – and that it did! It just seemed as if its food didn’t want to be eaten and tried to seal the blue heron’s bill. After this exciting experience we continued our walk to the Vancouver Aquarium where we couldn’t wait to get inside once again. Well, it was only the second time this week…
We headed to the first sea otters’ habitat where we watched Tanu and Katmai at feeding time. And then we saw that Elfin, the male sea otter, was in his habitat again – happily playing with a red ball. They are all so cute, and I simply can’t get enough observing them.
Then we went on to have a look at Hana and Helen who were happily swimming in their smaller habitat, especially Helen swam around all the time – on her back!
Opposite them the sea lion jumped out of the water while two seals were looking out of the water.
But as huge Jack and Daisy fans we simply had to go down to their underwater viewing area. Surprisingly, Daisy came down this time posing in front of the cameras – just like a little diva, but so super cute! The funny thing was that Jack didn’t come down as long as Daisy was there, instead he hovered nearby observing the situation. It looked like as if he had been parked there.
Then we made our way to the 3:30 pm dolphin show but had to stand in a second row as it was really crowded. As always, you could see that Hana and Helen had great fun during their training session which was commented on very enthusiastically by Lauren, a passionate interpretive specialist for marine mammals at the Vancouver Aquarium. After the show and a little chat with Lauren we went to see Hana and Helen at their underwater viewing area and were amazed how close they swam by.
After having spent some time there, we headed to Aurora and Qila’s underwater viewing area, sat on one of the benches and just watched those beautiful belugas in action.
From there it’s just a little walk to Jack and Daisy’s habitat where we spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Jack (me) – and yes, he came down very often – or taking pictures of him (mostly Marcus, sometimes me as I was busy playing with him…). We were literally the last two persons to leave Jack. Strangely enough he somehow sensed that his fun was over and he stopped playing, and it seemed as if he was saying something like ‘You can’t go now. I’m so cute!’ That was heart breaking…
Anyway, we really had to leave the Vancouver Aquarium and strolled through Stanley Park where we saw two squirrels until we arrived at the Lost Lagoon. There we saw a blue heron, together with two ducks, on one of those logs placed in the Lost Lagoon. After a while a tree swallow landed on a bird house nearby. Of course, the usual Canada geese and seagulls were present, too. And then, just like some days ago, a male red-winged blackbird appeared, quickly followed by a female one.
At Devonian Harbour Park we couldn’t believe our eyes as we saw another pair of black-winged blackbirds there. The Canada geese family and their goslings from last time were swimming on the pond before heading onto land for their lunch or dinner.
As we had to get back to Burrard SkyTrain station, we walked along the seafront, passed the marina and saw two seagulls checking out their seafront property, i.e. this interesting piece of art. A bit further on we also had a great view of the Convention Centre, the sea plane terminal and Vancouver harbour. But we had to get some rest on those lovely benches at Jack Poole Plaza (who can’t resist sitting on those huge benches?) where we could once again enjoy the view of Coal Harbour, Stanley Park, North Vancouver and the mountain range with those funnily shaped mountains.
As you can see, we had a most fantastic day which simply has to be repeated soon!
A blue heron near Devonian Harbour Park
A blue heron has caught an eel
The eel doesn’t want to be swallowed by the blue heron
Tanu at the Vancouver Aquarium
Katmai at the Vancouver Aquarium
Elfin at the Vancouver Aquarium
Helen swimming on her back
Hana enjoying her swim
A Steller sea lion and two harbour seals at the Vancouver Aquarium
Daisy posing in front of the camera
Daisy at the Vancouver Aquarium
Hello Daisy
Daisy posing and Jack in ‘parking position’ waiting for his turn
Helen and Hana jumping out of the water at the Vancouver Aquarium
Hana – as seen from the underwater viewing area
Helen – as seen from the underwater viewing area
Aurora – as seen from the underwater viewing area
Jack at the Vancouver Aquarium
Jack playing with Christine
Jack still playing with Christine
Jack is having fun playing with Christine
Jack swimming on his back
Bye Jack
A grey squirrel in Stanley Park
A blue heron and two ducks on Lost Lagoon
Lost Lagoon in Vancouver
A tree swallow at Lost Lagoon
Two seagulls at Lost Lagoon
A male red-winged blackbird at Devonian Harbour Park
Two black birds – a crow and a red-winged blackbird
A female red-winged blackbird at Devonian Harbour Park
A Canada geese family with goslings on water
A Canada geese family with goslings at Devonian Harbour Park
Vancouver’s marina
Two seagulls on top of their seafront property
Vancouver’s most beautiful seafront
View of Vancouver’s Convention Centre, the sea plane terminal and Vancouver harbour
View of North Vancouver and the mountain range from Jack Poole Plaza
Funnily shaped mountains – as seen from Jack Poole Plaza
View of Coal Harbour and Stanley Park from Jack Poole Plaza
Today we just had a little stroll to get some fresh air, and as a little natural oasis is very close by, we started at Springer Park where we enjoyed watching two squirrels playing with each other, walked along Beecher creek and headed towards Beecher Park.
We definitely enjoyed our little hiking experience along a nice little hiking path hidden among an urban residential area.
Today we chose the scenic route and were walking from Burrard SkyTrain Station to the Vancouver Aquarium – and that’s quite a long way. However, lots of spring plants and flowering trees on our way totally made up for this.
We also walked along the seawall where we had a great view of Coal Harbour before we finally arrived at the Aquarium. There we caught a glimpse at Elfin, saw a seagull trying to blend in with Aurora and Qila and watched Hana and Helen jumping out of the water during one of those very educational shows.
While strolling through Stanley Park we observed some squirrels chasing each other, especially a black squirrel and a grey one seemed to be playing together.
On our way home we passed Firehall N° 6, a historical firehall in service since 1907. And on one of its sides, there was this little inukshuk – and I absolutely love those little stone landmarks.
Well, and to get into the Easter spirit, there was this rather cute Easter chick disguised as the Easter bunny.
Anyway, we had a great day and even greater weather – and will return to Vancouver pretty soon.
Tulips
Cherry blossoms
Daffodils
Rhododendrons
A view of Coal Harbour
Katmai at the Vancouver Aquarium
A seagull in Aurora and Qila’s habitat
Hana and Helen jumping together
Two squirrels in Stanley Park
A grey squirrel in Stanley Park
Another squirrel in Stanley Park
Firehall N° 6 in Vancouver’s West End
An inukshuk at Firehall N° 6 in Vancouver’s West End
I just wanted to add some more pictures to Marcus’s post about our walking tour around Cates Park earlier today which we enjoyed very much, especially as the sun was shining on an otherwise rather cold day.
On our walk we saw a squirrel sunbathing – the perfect opportunity to take a picture! Of course, we saw seagulls and ducks as well.
Back home we had a nice hot cuppa and enjoyed the sunset from our couch.
There is always so much to see and to explore in the VanDusen Botanical Garden so that we are always happy to go there – no matter which season we are in.
This time the autumn colours were impressive everywhere. Unfortunately, the sun wasn’t really cooperative that day, but we enjoyed our visit there enormously. Except for the magnificent autumn leaves, we also had a look at those “dead man’s fingers” that Marcus took pictures of, too. That’s a scary name, but they are indeed edible!
We also saw some ducks swimming in the pond and some nosy squirrels watching us while taking pictures.
All in all a wonderful day – and we will definitely be back soon!
Autumn leaves at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Autumn leaves at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Autumn leaves at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Autumn leaves at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Autumn leaves at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Autumn leaf at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Autumn leaves at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Autumn leaves at VanDusen Botanical Garden
Beautiful maple leaves at VanDusen Botanical Garden