Our activities include Hiking, Nature Walks, Birding, Bat Monitoring, Botanizing, Education and Outreach, Conservation and Monthly Meetings featuring informative guest speakers.
Non-members are welcome to participate in these activities as a way to preview our club and meet our friendly members prior to joining our group.
Visit our calendar of events for a list of scheduled activities.
Burke Mountain Naturalists (BMN) was formed in 1989 by local residents interested in enjoying nature, encouraging nature awareness, and conserving local green spaces.
We are a club based in Coquitlam, BC, with a focus on the enjoyment and awareness of nature through activities and education.
Whether you are starting your exploration of nature in the Tri-Cities area (Port Moody, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam) or are an experienced naturalist, we invite you to join us. Meet people who share your interests such as hiking, walking, birding, nature appreciation, and conservation.
Come as a guest and drop in to one of our monthly meetings, or participate in an scheduled activity,to learn more about us.
Here’s a chance to participate in an online bird census of wintering birds in your backyard (or anywhere else). For at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see. Submit each days’ checklist online. To register and for information, see gbbc.birdcount.org. The GBBC is led by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society with Canadian partner, Bird Studies Canada.
North East Ratepayers Association monthly meeting will have guest speaker Ian McArthur from the Pinecone Burke Stewards talk about Pinecone Burke Provincial Park. The main topic will be trail maintenance done by this volunteer group on Burke Mountain and the Widgeon Valley while working with BC Parks. Some photos of the more remote parts of the Park will also be shown. All interested parties are welcome to attend this presentation.
The regular business meeting of NECRA will begin shortly after 8 pm after a short break. Any concerns of Burke Mountain residents are welcome to be brought forward for discussion and possible correspondence to the City from NECRA which has existed over 50 years, meeting the third Thursday of the month to address the civic needs of this quadrant of Coquitlam.
Meeting location:
Victoria Hall
3435 Victoria Drive
Coquitlam, BC
This event offers a rare opportunity to visit a regional-park-in-waiting. We often see swans out on the Pitt River and a sunny day will provide breathtaking views of Golden Ears and the Widgeon area. Because access is through a locked gate, we must all enter and leave together. It is a good idea to bring a snack and drink as we usually work until at least 1:30 pm. While no washrooms are available, there is an abundance of bushes. Contact BurkeMtnNats@gmail.com or sign up at the February club meeting. Dress for the weather and bring work gloves.
Our last half-day of cleaning and maintaining nest boxes. Please contact BurkeMtnNats@gmail.com or sign up at the February meeting. Dress for the weather and bring work gloves. Because high winds prevented us from cleaning the nest boxes around the stables area, we hope to do those this morning too.
For our first hike of the year, we will make a return visit to the Buntzen Lake Recreation Area. This time we will circle the lake by means of the Lakeview Trail on the west side and the Buntzen Lake Trail on the east side. The Lakeview Trail sees somewhat less traffic than other Buntzen routes and features a beautiful lush forest, interesting outcroppings, and views of North Beach and Swan Falls. This moderate hike has a roundtrip distance of 11 km and a cumulative elevation gain of about 290 m. Meet at 9:00 am. Return 2:00 pm.
Please contact Mark (604. 552. 0727) for more info.
Our guest speaker this month is Dr. Veronica Wahl from the Institute of Urban Ecology at Douglas College. Veronica is the coordinator of the UNIBUG citizen science research project at the College. The goal of UNIBUG is to engage community volunteers in learning about the ecology of urban gardens, with a focus on beneficial garden insects. The UNIBUG project looks at attracting predatory and parasitic insects into urban gardens as well as studying pollinators and their habitat through identifying, counting bees and monitoring bee houses. In this presentation, Veronica will tell us how to encourage local and native bees in the garden, including mason bees and leafcutter bees.
This meeting will be held at
King of Life Lutheran Church
1198 Falcon Dr (SW corner of Falcon and Guildford)
Coquitlam BC
There is parking in the church parking lot, off the Falcon Drive entrance.
** Please note that this presentation is held on the Tuesday immediately prior to our regular Thursday slot. The church is not available to us on the Thursday for this month.
Join BMN members Jeff Rudd and Gay Mitchell for a series of three nature walks along the Coquitlam River. Dress for the weather, bring water, a snack, and binoculars. All walks will be at a slow pace, with little or no elevation gain.
For Walk #1, meet at 1328 Gabriola Drive. For more info, contact: Gay Mitchell 604-552-0727.
Amsterdam Nurseries in Pitt Meadows holds its 2st annual Nature Day and Native Plant Sale. Community groups, including the Friends of DeBoville Slough, will be there with displays.
Event runs from 10 am – 4 pm. Located on Dewdney Trunk just before Harris Road in Pitt Meadows. For more info, see Amsterdam Greenhouses’ website, and look under the “seminars” tab.
Join BMN members Jeff Rudd and Gay Mitchell for a series of three nature walks along the Coquitlam River. Dress for the weather, bring water, a snack, and binoculars. All walks will be at a slow pace, with little or no elevation gain.
For Walk #2, meet at the Ozada Tot Lot. For more info, contact: Gay Mitchell 604-552-0727.
Join Larry Cowan and members of the Vancouver Naturalists for a half-day birding trip to Coquitlam’s DeBoville Slough and Minnekhada Regional Park. Osprey, hummingbirds and swallows should be back on their breeding grounds. Spring migrants will also be moving through the area. With luck there will be a glimpse of Sandhill Crane, Red Crossbill, Band-tailed Pigeon and Western Meadowlark. Meet in the main parking lot adjacent to the public washrooms at Cedar & Victoria Drives in Port Coquitlam at 9am. Some vehicles will be positioned in the parking lot off Quarry Road in Minnekhada Park for our return trip. For more info, contact the leader, Larry Cowan.
Join BMN members Jeff Rudd and Gay Mitchell for a series of three nature walks along the Coquitlam River. Dress for the weather, bring water, a snack, and binoculars. All walks will be at a slow pace, with little or no elevation gain.
For Walk #3, meet at 1328 Gabriola Drive. For more info, contact: Gay Mitchell 604-552-0727.
Getting a good image of a wild bird is challenging, especially when they are in flight. Learn some of the basics (and ethics) of bird photography from BMN member Vladimir Jan at the March 12th meeting of the Burke Mountain Naturalists. Vladimir has worked as a professional photographer doing family portraits, but now turns his lens to local wildlife and landscapes. To view a selection of Vladimir’s images, see his gallery on the website of the Pacific Digital Photography Club.
As a follow-up to this presentation, there will be a bird photography field trip with Vladimir to Port Coquitlam’s Blakeburn Lagoons later in the month. Details to follow.
This meeting will be held at
King of Life Lutheran Church
1198 Falcon Dr (SW corner of Falcon and Guildford)
Coquitlam BC
There is parking in the church parking lot, off the Falcon Drive entrance.
** Please note that this presentation is held on the Tuesday immediately prior to our regular Thursday evening slot. The church is not available to us on the Thursday for this month.
