Field Trips - December 2025 - March 2026
Please Note: anyone wishing to carpool should email to make arrangements beforehand, otherwise please meet at the designated meeting plance.
Please let the leader know to expect you.
The walks are generally about two to three hours long and are open to all Naturalist Clubs members (adults & children, but no pets please). Please dress for the weather and bring water, binoculars and a snack (plus bug spray in summer).
Note: these walks are weather dependent so if the weather is bad and no calls are received then the leader will not show up.Unless otherwise noted, washroom facilities are available on these walks.
> Saturday December 13th
Blackie Spit - Crescent Beach
Leader: Keith Chrystall
Time: 9:00 am at Crescent Beach Pier (across from the parking lot by the outdoor swimming pool)
Join Keith for a walk around this popular park where a variety of migrant and resident birds can be found in winter followed by a warm-up at a local coffee shop. This is an easy walk of about 3kms and a great opportunity to brush up your duck identification skills.r>
Email Keith Chrystall
> Saturday January 10th
Noel Booth Community Park and Brookswood Pond
Leader: Nora Truman
Join Nora for a leisurely walk along the trail past Noel Booth Park and around Brookswood Pond. Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar shade the path where a variety of birds and animals can be found. The area also has red Alder and Black Poplar (Cottonwood) and is fringed by Hardhack and Salmonberry bushes. Deer and Coyotes live here and in the pond, Carp, Brown Catfish, and Pumpkinseed can be seen. This is not a long walk, so if the weather is clear we can drive east on 36th Avenue to the parking lot just west of 208th Street in Dale Ball Passive Park. There is a large pond with waterfowl and a trail that circles the pond and heads uphill to the forest above, before continuing south and back to the starting point at the bottom of a steep hill. Challenged walkers can take the lower trail back to the parking lot.
Email Nora Truman
> Saturday January 24th
Surrey Lake Park
Leader: Ryan Usenik
Time: 9:00 am in the parking lot on 152nd Street, just north of 72nd Avenue (note this parking lot can only be accessed from the northbound lane of 152nd Street).
Join Ryan to walk through Surrey Lake Park past the lake where a variety of water birds spend the winter. After checking out the wetland we will follow the circular trail through the woods.
NOTE: there is not a washroom at this site.
Email Ryan Usenik
> Tuesday February 3rd
George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Delta
Leaders: Joanne Rosenthal and Anne Gosse
Time: 9:00 am at Reifel in the Sanctuary parking lot.
Join Joanne and Anne to walk the trails in this well-known nature reserve. Expect to see lots of over-wintering ducks, shorebirds, Snow Geese, Trumpeter Swans, and perhaps an owl or two. Please dress for the weather and wear proper footwear. There is a small admission fee. Bring lunch, snacks, and refreshments.
NOTE: you must register your vehicle ahead of time. Go to the Reifel website for registration information.
Email Joanne Rosenthal
> Saturday February 14th
Aldergrove Regional Park
Leader: Ted Goshulak
Time: 9:00 am; at the main parking lot at the end of the access road off 8th Avenue.
Join Ted to walk the trails in this lovely park with its varied habitat, from marsh to mixed forest, to open grassland, and ponds, to see a great variety of flora and fauna. This is a moderately difficult walk of about 3 km with some uphill sections.
Email Ted Goshulak
> Thursday February 19th
Campbell Valley Regional Park
Leader: Viveka Ohman
Time: 10:00 am at the 8th Avenue parking lot.
Join Viveka to walk the trails through this popular park, with its great variety of trees, flowers, shrubs, and birds. This is a moderately difficult trail with some ups and downs, so please wear appropriate footwear. Walking distance is approximately 5 km. Bring a packed lunch to eat at a suitable spot at the end of the walk.
Email Viveka Ohman
> Thursday March 5th
Houston Trail in Derby Reach Regional Park, Nature Beyond Names
Leader: Phil Henderson
Time: 9:00 am at the Houston Trail parking lot on McKinnon Crescent
We humans spend a lot of time naming things, then changing those names until we are happy, at least some of us, if only temporarily. Naming and labelling are necessary for us to keep track and sort things out. On this walk, we won't abandon names and categories (raven, bird; fern, plant) but we will try to view nature as a whole, then possibly deconstruct, bringing names into the picture to help us understand and make sense of things. The process of figuring things, such as how organisms fit into their environment and interact with one another, may be more important than figuring things out, because chances are we won't; what we think we have figured our may be entirely speculative and quite possibly, wrong. Bring your eyes, ears, nostrils, and ideas, however wild and speculative, to the Houston Loop parking lot and trailhead, 09:00, rain or shine.
Email Phil Henderson
> Wednesday March 11th
White Rock Pier and Waterfront
Leader: Eric Habisch
Time: 9:00 am at the parking lot by the museum. NOTE: paid parking is now in effect.
Join Eric to walk along the pier and the waterfront looking for a variety of sea birds that are seen wintering here. Bring binoculars and a spotting scope, if you have one, to see these shy birds not close to shore. The tide should be in our favour. Dress warmly as it can get cold at the end of the pier. This is an easy walk of about 2 km.
Email Eric Habisch
> Saturday March 11th
Fort Langley Bird Count
Leaders: Phil Henderson and others
Time: 8:00 am to noon, meet at Wendel's at 7:45 am.
A great event for anyone interested in birds. UYou don't need to be an expert birder to join this fun event, which covers Brae Island and Derby Reach Regional Parks. We encourage inexperienced birders, new birders, families, etc.; anyone curious and wanting to learn more about local birds and nature. Patricipants will walk (a "birdwatcher's saunter") along one of six possible routes. Walks are longish but not physically challenging and all but one are on groomed gravel Metro Vancouver paths. We will proceed in all but the nastiest of weather (i.e, 2 ft. of snow and/or - 30 degrees C.).
Email Phil Henderson
> Saturday March 21st
Seedy Saturday at the Arboretum
Leaders: Nora Truman and Lisa Dreves
Time: 11:00 am in the parkig lot in the the 21200 block of Fraser Highway.
Come out to the annual Seedy Saturday event (runs from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm) at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum. For an added bonus, head out with our leaders, Nora and Lisa, to enjoy the solitude of the end of winter and explore the gardens, while discussiong the need to practice "lazy gardening" (where we leave the seed heads perennials and annuals through the winter to feed our local birds and wildlife). Let's see if we can find any remaining seed heads and marvel at their beauty.
NOTE: if the parking lot is full, St. Andrew's church, just across the road allows overflow parking.
Email Nora Truman
> Saturday March 28th
Tynehead Regional Park
Leader: Keith Chrystall
Time: 9:00 am in the parking lot at the Tynehead Hatchery in the 16700 block of 96th Avenue.
Join Keith to walk the trails of this popular park with its great variety of trees, birds, mammals, and shrubs, in the watershed where the prolific salmon-bearing Serpentine River rises. Walking distance is approximately 3.5 km on undulating trails, so please wear appropriate footwear.
Email Keith Chrystall
Please Note: anyone wishing to carpool should email to make arrangements beforehand, otherwise please meet at the designated meeting plance.
Please let the leader know to expect you.
The walks are generally about two to three hours long and are open to all Naturalist Clubs members (adults & children, but no pets please). Please dress for the weather and bring water, binoculars and a snack (plus bug spray in summer).
Note: these walks are weather dependent so if the weather is bad and no calls are received then the leader will not show up.Unless otherwise noted, washroom facilities are available on these walks.
> Saturday December 13th
Blackie Spit - Crescent Beach
Leader: Keith Chrystall
Time: 9:00 am at Crescent Beach Pier (across from the parking lot by the outdoor swimming pool)
Join Keith for a walk around this popular park where a variety of migrant and resident birds can be found in winter followed by a warm-up at a local coffee shop. This is an easy walk of about 3kms and a great opportunity to brush up your duck identification skills.r>
Email Keith Chrystall
> Saturday January 10th
Noel Booth Community Park and Brookswood Pond
Leader: Nora Truman
Join Nora for a leisurely walk along the trail past Noel Booth Park and around Brookswood Pond. Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar shade the path where a variety of birds and animals can be found. The area also has red Alder and Black Poplar (Cottonwood) and is fringed by Hardhack and Salmonberry bushes. Deer and Coyotes live here and in the pond, Carp, Brown Catfish, and Pumpkinseed can be seen. This is not a long walk, so if the weather is clear we can drive east on 36th Avenue to the parking lot just west of 208th Street in Dale Ball Passive Park. There is a large pond with waterfowl and a trail that circles the pond and heads uphill to the forest above, before continuing south and back to the starting point at the bottom of a steep hill. Challenged walkers can take the lower trail back to the parking lot.
Email Nora Truman
> Saturday January 24th
Surrey Lake Park
Leader: Ryan Usenik
Time: 9:00 am in the parking lot on 152nd Street, just north of 72nd Avenue (note this parking lot can only be accessed from the northbound lane of 152nd Street).
Join Ryan to walk through Surrey Lake Park past the lake where a variety of water birds spend the winter. After checking out the wetland we will follow the circular trail through the woods.
NOTE: there is not a washroom at this site.
Email Ryan Usenik
> Tuesday February 3rd
George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Delta
Leaders: Joanne Rosenthal and Anne Gosse
Time: 9:00 am at Reifel in the Sanctuary parking lot.
Join Joanne and Anne to walk the trails in this well-known nature reserve. Expect to see lots of over-wintering ducks, shorebirds, Snow Geese, Trumpeter Swans, and perhaps an owl or two. Please dress for the weather and wear proper footwear. There is a small admission fee. Bring lunch, snacks, and refreshments.
NOTE: you must register your vehicle ahead of time. Go to the Reifel website for registration information.
Email Joanne Rosenthal
> Saturday February 14th
Aldergrove Regional Park
Leader: Ted Goshulak
Time: 9:00 am; at the main parking lot at the end of the access road off 8th Avenue.
Join Ted to walk the trails in this lovely park with its varied habitat, from marsh to mixed forest, to open grassland, and ponds, to see a great variety of flora and fauna. This is a moderately difficult walk of about 3 km with some uphill sections.
Email Ted Goshulak
> Thursday February 19th
Campbell Valley Regional Park
Leader: Viveka Ohman
Time: 10:00 am at the 8th Avenue parking lot.
Join Viveka to walk the trails through this popular park, with its great variety of trees, flowers, shrubs, and birds. This is a moderately difficult trail with some ups and downs, so please wear appropriate footwear. Walking distance is approximately 5 km. Bring a packed lunch to eat at a suitable spot at the end of the walk.
Email Viveka Ohman
> Thursday March 5th
Houston Trail in Derby Reach Regional Park, Nature Beyond Names
Leader: Phil Henderson
Time: 9:00 am at the Houston Trail parking lot on McKinnon Crescent
We humans spend a lot of time naming things, then changing those names until we are happy, at least some of us, if only temporarily. Naming and labelling are necessary for us to keep track and sort things out. On this walk, we won't abandon names and categories (raven, bird; fern, plant) but we will try to view nature as a whole, then possibly deconstruct, bringing names into the picture to help us understand and make sense of things. The process of figuring things, such as how organisms fit into their environment and interact with one another, may be more important than figuring things out, because chances are we won't; what we think we have figured our may be entirely speculative and quite possibly, wrong. Bring your eyes, ears, nostrils, and ideas, however wild and speculative, to the Houston Loop parking lot and trailhead, 09:00, rain or shine.
Email Phil Henderson
> Wednesday March 11th
White Rock Pier and Waterfront
Leader: Eric Habisch
Time: 9:00 am at the parking lot by the museum. NOTE: paid parking is now in effect.
Join Eric to walk along the pier and the waterfront looking for a variety of sea birds that are seen wintering here. Bring binoculars and a spotting scope, if you have one, to see these shy birds not close to shore. The tide should be in our favour. Dress warmly as it can get cold at the end of the pier. This is an easy walk of about 2 km.
Email Eric Habisch
> Saturday March 11th
Fort Langley Bird Count
Leaders: Phil Henderson and others
Time: 8:00 am to noon, meet at Wendel's at 7:45 am.
A great event for anyone interested in birds. UYou don't need to be an expert birder to join this fun event, which covers Brae Island and Derby Reach Regional Parks. We encourage inexperienced birders, new birders, families, etc.; anyone curious and wanting to learn more about local birds and nature. Patricipants will walk (a "birdwatcher's saunter") along one of six possible routes. Walks are longish but not physically challenging and all but one are on groomed gravel Metro Vancouver paths. We will proceed in all but the nastiest of weather (i.e, 2 ft. of snow and/or - 30 degrees C.).
Email Phil Henderson
> Saturday March 21st
Seedy Saturday at the Arboretum
Leaders: Nora Truman and Lisa Dreves
Time: 11:00 am in the parkig lot in the the 21200 block of Fraser Highway.
Come out to the annual Seedy Saturday event (runs from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm) at the Derek Doubleday Arboretum. For an added bonus, head out with our leaders, Nora and Lisa, to enjoy the solitude of the end of winter and explore the gardens, while discussiong the need to practice "lazy gardening" (where we leave the seed heads perennials and annuals through the winter to feed our local birds and wildlife). Let's see if we can find any remaining seed heads and marvel at their beauty.
NOTE: if the parking lot is full, St. Andrew's church, just across the road allows overflow parking.
Email Nora Truman
> Saturday March 28th
Tynehead Regional Park
Leader: Keith Chrystall
Time: 9:00 am in the parking lot at the Tynehead Hatchery in the 16700 block of 96th Avenue.
Join Keith to walk the trails of this popular park with its great variety of trees, birds, mammals, and shrubs, in the watershed where the prolific salmon-bearing Serpentine River rises. Walking distance is approximately 3.5 km on undulating trails, so please wear appropriate footwear.
Email Keith Chrystall
