Willows Beach Seine Net – June 14, 2015 9 to 11am [Hosted by Friends of Uplands Park & RBCM]

The Friends of Uplands Park has partnered with the Royal BC Museum for a wonderful hands-on event Sunday June 14 from 9 to 11am at the north end of Willows Beach.  This is one of the museum’s Field Tripper Series celebrating 125 years of the museum doing public programs outdoors.

The museum staff will be running a seine net over the eelgrass beds to collect creatures and then bring in the nets to shore.  Families can find creatures, put them into little containers of sea water, and have them identified by experts.  It will also be low tide so other living things can be found.  People should wear boots or water shoes.

 

SeaChange Marine Conservation Society has just finished a map of the eel grass off the shore of Oak Bay and will have this on display.

Friends of Uplands Park are also in the process of planning an educational Marine Kiosk at Cattle Point.   About $7000 has currently been raised but we need another $7000 donated.  There will be a display of this kiosk as well as information about the flora and fauna of the area.

 

Tide Pools and Sea Birds “Nature Walk” a Wonderful Event

Thanks to Margaret Lidkea, for all her work in organizing and hosting the Friends of Uplands Park Tide Pools and Sea Birds “Nature Walk” at Cattle Point (June 15, 2014). With fairly good weather and very low tides, folks of all ages went out to  the exposed tide pools to identify and to learn. A lovely way to spend time on Father’s Day.

Margaret sends this email message, and some photos, to to thank participants and volunteers:

Thank you very much for your contributions to a wonderful afternoon at the Cattle Point Tidal Pools and Sea Birds event.  People (Geoffrey counted 67 at one point) were very engaged in everything so it was good to have all of you helping.

Chris [Ocean Physics Scientist]…you grounded people with your talks on tides and the ocean physics. Great to see you so animated.

Melissa and Gavin [marine biology experts from RBCM]…you were wonderful catching and teaching about the creatures …saw things I hadn’t before and it was wonderful to have a “newly named” sea star.  Enjoyed the different kinds of sculpins.

Geoffrey [birder extraordinaire]…excellent with the birds and taking people around Cattle Pt and beyond when they wanted to…your group was delighted.

Elizabeth and Kathleen [FOUP Steering Committee] …thank you for welcoming people, directing them and looking after all the equipment, the head table and ID books.

Hoping that FOUP will do this again next June.
You are all so inspiring,
Margaret Lidkea, Co-Chair of FOUP

Tidal Pools & Sea Birds – June 15, 2014 – Hosted by Friends of Uplands Park

Tidal Pools & Sea Birds
Hosted by Friends of Uplands Park

Sunday June 15-2014 [A great Father’s Day Activity!]
10:30 AM – 1:00 [Low Tide]
Cattle Point – Uplands Park

Low tide at Cattle Point offers an opportunity to view a diverse ecology in tidal pools and sub tidal crevices. Join Gavin Hanke and Melissa Frey, curators of the RBCM, and Chris Garrett, Oceanographer and Geoffrey Newell, Expert Birder of Friends of Uplands Park to learn how to tread softly on the rocks to find anemones, crabs, fish, and to watch the birds interact with this foreshore ecological niche.

Bring binoculars and wear water shoes/boots to investigate the tide pools with nets and containers. Last year families found
53 species of plants and animals! All ages.

PDF of Poster: 2014 June 15 Tidal Pool poster

Feb. 16-2014 Birding Report/Photos and Feb. 19 Marine Night with Geoffrey

Email  From Dave Newell – Two topics

• Feb 19-2014  Marine Talk with Geoffrey Newell
• Feb 16-2014 Bird Sightings at Uplands Park

Feb 19-2014  Marine Talk with Geoffrey Newell

Dear Friends : Next Wed. Feb. 19, the Friends of Uplands Park and Oak Bay’s Environment Advisory Committee are organizing three guest speakers who will be talking about local marine life. Two speakers will be from the Royal B.C. Museum: Melissa Frey’s talk is entitled ‘Biodiversity and Bioinvasions: how globalisation has changed our local marine communities’; Gavin Hanke’s talk is called ‘Intertidal Fish: a marginal life’. Geoffrey Newell’s show is entitled ‘Birds of the Salish Sea’. He will be showing a few of the many films and slides that he has taken over the years. Geoffrey will also show a couple of his bird drawings during the show. The talks will be followed by refreshments and an open question panel discussion.

The venue is at the Windsor Pavillion in the middle of Windsor Park in Oak Bay, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Each person will be speaking for about 20 minutes during the first hour. The program promises to be very interesting.
Many thanks to Chris Garrett for organizing this event!

Feb 16-2014 Bird Sightings at Uplands Park – Here are the results for our birding on Feb. 16, 2014.

Victoria–Cattle Point, Capital, CA-BC
Feb 16, 2014 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 kilometer(s)
Comments: rainy, then cloudy, then some sunny periods, mid to high tide, calm ocean
45 species (+1 other taxa)
Photos courtesy of Ron Carter (people) and Wayne Matthews (birds)

Canada Goose 17
American Wigeon 43
Mallard 5
Harlequin Duck 11
Surf Scoter 37
White-winged Scoter 2
Long-tailed Duck 30
Bufflehead 21
Common Goldeneye 34
Hooded Merganser 6
Common Merganser 6
Red-breasted Merganser 4
Brandt’s Cormorant 2
Double-crested Cormorant 16
Pelagic Cormorant 7
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper’s Hawk 3
Bald Eagle 2
Black Oystercatcher 7
Black Turnstone 25
Surfbird 12
Pigeon Guillemot 13
Mew Gull 5
Western Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 40
Western x Glaucous-winged Gull (hybrid) 6
Anna’s Hummingbird 20
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 5
Northwestern Crow 20
Common Raven 2
Chestnut-backed Chickadee 22
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Pacific Wren 9
Bewick’s Wren 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet 4
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
American Robin 60
Spotted Towhee 19
Fox Sparrow 11
Song Sparrow 7
White-crowned Sparrow 1
Golden-crowned Sparrow 20
Dark-eyed Junco 6
House Finch 18
Purple Finch 4

View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S17079167

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Birding in Uplands Park – Sunday, February 16-2014

The Uplands Park Bird Walk with expert Geoffrey Newell, has been changed from the last Sunday of the month to Sunday February 16

Time: 9 am

Meeting place:  Meet at Cattle Point

Bring binoculars and dress for the weather.

___________________________________________________

Also, consider attending  panel session on our Oak Bay Marine Heritage:

Geoffrey is one of three presenters at our public meeting:

The Marine Environment of Oak Bay

Geoffrey Newell will talk about “Birds of the Salish Sea”.

Two other presenters are marine ecology/biology experts from the RBCM.

Wednesday February 19 at 7 pm

Windsor Park Pavilion, upstairs

Refreshments

Donations appreciated

Sponsored by the Friends of Uplands Park and the Oak Bay Environmental Advisory Committee.

“The Marine Environment of Oak Bay” – Event sponsored by FOUP/EAC – Feb 19-2014 at Windor Park Pavillion [7:00pm]

Invitation to hear three experts talk about “The Marine Environment of Oak Bay”.
This event is sponsored by the Friends of Uplands Park and Oak Bay’s Environmental Advisory Committee

Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Time: 7:00pm
Place: Windsor Park Pavilion – Upstairs sports room. Windor Park, Oak Bay

Speakers:

• Melissa Frey, RBCM on Biodiversity and Bio-invasions: how globalization has changed our local marine communities;

• Gavin Hanke, RBCM, on Intertidal Fishes: a Marginal Life;

• Geoffrey Newell, Friends of Uplands Park Expert on Birds of the Salish Sea

Refreshments will be served. Donations welcome.

PDF of poster MarinePosterLoRes Feb 19-2014 FOUP event

Please feel free to circulate poster.