Full story from an article on November 3, 2019.  The Mandarin Duck has appeared again in the lower mainland. It was also seen in 2018. The Mandarin Duck, as its known, has been causing a stir in the media lately, and among birdwatchers, since it is not native to North America. On October 31, a mandarin duck spotted in Central Park merited a New York Times article, and similarly this week in Vancouver, Global BC shared the word that at least one Mandarin Duck has been seen in the region, in Burnaby Lake … Continue reading →

A recent CBC news story about the use of glyphosate in BC to remove deciduous trees has generated considerable discussion about the practice. Below, I reproduce two letters relevant to this issue. The first is a letter submitted by the president of BC Nature to the Honourable Doug Donaldson and the Honourable George Heyman on October 9, 2019. The second is the reply to this letter from Shawn Hedges, RPF, Acting Executive Director/Deputy Chief Forester, Office of the Chief Forester.

Now this is a fun question to try and answer!  An article in Audubon News explains the research that likely corrects the old ideas that it was about not rolling off rocky ledges. For centuries, people have marvelled at the brown-flecked shell of a murre’s egg, which can range in color from a creamy white to a vibrant turqoise. But murre eggs have also fascinated people for another reason: their unusually angular tip, which is one of the pointiest in the avian kingdom. In the 1800s, naturalists posited that this shape allowed the eggs … Continue reading →