Activity Descriptions

All activities will run RAIN or SHINE. Please dress appropriately.

All activities are free and unless otherwise noted; all are drop in with no pre-registration required unless noted.

Friday Nighttime Activities

All activities/tours will meet at the Nature House (unless specified otherwise below)

4:00-9:00 pm

Nature House Open

Meet local live animals up close and personal! Make a nature craft to take home! Dissect an owl pellet and learn about these fascinating nocturnal creatures!

 
4:30-5:00 pm Fish Trap Set-up
Help bait and set up fish traps to learn about the aquatic residents of Burnaby Lake.
4:30-5:00 pm Frog Watch
Take part in a Citizen Science project while learning about native frogs and what you can do to help them.
5:00-5:30 pm Project Feeder Watch
Identify common feeder birds and learn how you can do this at home as part of a continent wide Citizen Science project.
5:00-5:30 pm Shake Sheets
What insects are living in those bushes? Discover the answer with this fun invertebrate investigation method.
5:30-6:00 pm Pit-Fall Trap Set-up
Help interpreters set up pit-fall traps to capture ground dwelling invertebrates, check back on Saturday to see what the traps have captured!
5:30-6:00 pm Flying Squirrels
Learn about these fascinating gliders, see where they live, and knock on their door to see if they are home.
6:00-6:30 pm Ladybug Release
Ladybugs are a great way to control pest insects. Help protect our Butterfly Garden by releasing ladybugs and learning about the Lost Ladybug Citizen Science project.
6:30-7:30 pm Ducks and other Wetland Birds (meet out on Piper Spit)
Walk on a boardwalk onto a marsh to get up close to some wetland birds while learning who they are and how to tell them apart.
7:00-7:30 pm Sugaring
Help attract insects to identify by sugaring and placing other bait around the butterfly garden!
7:30-8:00 pm Beavers (meet out on Piper Spit)
Walk down to the lake and see a real beaver lodge up close while we quietly wait to see if any will make an appearance!
7:30-8:00 pm Small Mammal Trap Set-Up
Learn about some of our local small mammals while setting up a humane trap to check if any of them are nearby.
8:00-8:30 pm Project Feeder Watch
Identify common feeder birds and learn how you can do this at home as part of a continent wide Citizen Science project.
8:00-8:30 pm Frog Watch
Take part in a Citizen Science project while learning about native frogs and what you can do to help them.
8:00-9:30 pm Bat Mist Netting (meet out on Piper Spit)
Watch the South Coast Bat Action Team set up and monitor bat mist nets in the hopes of capturing live bats to gather data from before releasing them back into the wild.
8:30-9:00 pm Ladybug Release
Ladybugs are a great way to control pest insects. Help protect our Butterfly Garden by releasing ladybugs and learning about the Lost Ladybug Citizen Science project.
8:30-9:00 pm Check Fish Traps
Help pull up fish traps and see just what fish live in Burnaby Lake.
9:00-9:30 pm Fish Spot-lighting
Spot-lighting attracts fish and other aquatics by shining bright spot lights into water. Help us shine lights and see what creatures we attract.
9:00-9:30 pm Bats and Owls
Join this short walk armed with owl calls and bat detectors to help find the nocturnal residents of the park.

All-Day Saturday Activities

Nature House
Open 9am – 4pm

  • Meet local live animals up close and personal!
  • Make a nature craft to take home!
  • Create a plaster cast of an animal track from noon-1pm and 2:30pm-3:30pm

Exhibitor Display Tables
Open 10am-4pm

Display tables from various organizations will be set up to help you learn more about: birds, nature, community involvement, tracks and what you can do to help biodiversity!

  • Welcome Tent
    BioBlitz information!
    Learn about all the activities going on. Find out about biodiversity at Burnaby Lake Park. Pick up your activity passport and get it stamped to win a prize!
  • Animal Tracks
    What creatures have been walking here?
    Even if we don't seen them, lots of animals live in the park. Learn what different animal tracks look like and how to identify them.
  • Burnaby Lake Park Association
    Learn what you can do in the park!
    Find out about ongoing projects to help biodiversity in Burnaby Lake.  Stop by here to learn more about the BioBlitz and see a full schedule of activities!          
  • Wildlife Rescue Association
    Helping wildlife in the park!
    Learn about how Wildlife Rescue Association helps local wildlife that is injured or need helps.  Find out some cool facts and fun things about some of the animals you might find in the park.
  • Young Naturalist Club
    Birds, Birds, Birds!
    Discover how to explore nature while learning about some amazing flying creatures.  Stop by at 11am or 2pm to make a chickadee nest box (by donation) to give a bird a home.
  • South Coast Conservation Program
    What lives nearby?
    Play a bird call game to try an identify local birds. Learn about the importance of protecting natural areas for biodiversity.
  • South Coast Bat Action Team
    Batty about Bats!
    What bats live around here? Find out, and learn cool facts about them and why they are important for biodiversity.
  • Butterfly Gardeners
    Flowers for Polinators
    Meet the Master Gardeners who look after the Burnaby Lake Butterfly Garden. See the spring flowers starting to bloom and provide food for our local bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Scheduled Saturday Activities

All activities/tours will meet at the Nature House (unless specified otherwise below)

9:30-11:00am

Hummingbird Banding
Watch a real scientist at work as he bands hummingbirds to help learn more about them.
10:30am-3:30pm Pond Table (meet out on Piper Spit)
Join an Interpreter by the lake to look at this portable pond and meet some aquatic insects up close. Help capture critters for the table during the special pond dipping sessions at 11-noon and 1:30-2:30pm.		  
10:00-10:30am Check Fish Traps
Help pull up fish traps and see just what fish live in Burnaby Lake.
10:00-10:30am Project Feeder Watch
Identify common feeder birds and learn how you can do this at home as part of a continent wide Citizen Science project.
10:30-11:00am Ladybug Release
Ladybugs are a great way to control pest insects. Help protect our Butterfly Garden by releasing ladybugs and learning about the Lost Ladybug Citizen Science project.
10:30-11:00am Check Pit-Fall Traps
Help check pit-fall traps to discovery what ground dwelling invertebrates they have captured overnight!
11:00-11:30am Small Mammal Trap Check
Learn about some of our local small mammals while checking a humane trap to determine which small mammals are nearby.
11:00-12:00 noon Leaf Litter Survey
Collect leaf litter and using light help sift through the leaves and sticks to find out what invertebrates are living on the forest floor.
11:00-12:00 noon Worm Watch
Take part in this Citizen Science project to identify worms! Learn the basics of worm identification and how to take part in this project at home.
11:00-12:00 noon Pond Dipping (meet out on Piper Spit)
Using a net help collect aquatic organisms from Burnaby Lake to find out just what is living beneath the surface.
11:30-12:30pm

Nest Box Building
Chickadees nest inside hollow trees.  When they can’t find hollow trees, they use nest boxes!  Build and paint your very own nest box to take home. 
By Donation.
12:00 noon- 1:00pm Make Plaster Tracks
Learn the basics of tracking animals and make your very own plaster cast of an animal footprint to take home!
12:30-1:00pm

Tour the Nest Boxes
The Burnaby Lake Park Association puts up and maintains nest boxes for birds all around Burnaby Lake.  Go on a unique ‘behind-the scene’ tour to see some nest boxes in action and to find out who lives in those little houses.
1:00-1:30pm Ladybug Release
Ladybugs are a great way to control pest insects. Help protect our Butterfly Garden by releasing ladybugs and learning about the Lost Ladybug Citizen Science project.
1:30-2:00pm Project Feeder Watch
Identify common feeder birds and learn how you can do this at home as part of a continent wide Citizen Science project.
1:30-2:30pm Pond Dipping (meet out on Piper Spit)
Using a net help collect aquatic organisms from Burnaby Lake to find out just what is living beneath the surface.
2:00-2:30pm Check Fish Trap
Help pull up fish traps and see just what fish live in Burnaby Lake.
2:00-3:00pm Worm Watch
Take part in this Citizen Science project to identify worms! Learn the basics of worm identification and how to take part in this project at home.
2:00-3:00pm

Nest Box Building
Chickadees nest inside hollow trees.  When they can’t find hollow trees, they use nest boxes!  Build and paint your very own nest box to take home. 
By Donation.
2:30-3:00pm Ladybug Release
Ladybugs are a great way to control pest insects. Help protect our Butterfly Garden by releasing ladybugs and learning about the Lost Ladybug Citizen Science project.
2:30-3:30pm Make Plaster Tracks
Learn the basics of tracking animals and make your very own plaster cast of an animal footprint to take home!
3:00-4:00pm Leaf Litter Survey
Collect leaf litter and using light help sift through the leaves and sticks to find out what invertebrates are living on the forest floor.
3:00-3:30pm Shake Sheets
What insects are living in those bushes? Discover the answer with this fun invertebrate investigation method.
3:00-3:30pm

Tour the Nest Boxes
The Burnaby Lake Park Association puts up and maintains nest boxes for birds all around Burnaby Lake.  Go on a unique ‘behind-the scene’ tour to see some nest boxes in action and to find out who lives in those little houses.
3:30-4:00pm Check Pit-Fall Traps
Help check pit-fall traps to discovery what ground dwelling invertebrates they have captured overnight!
3:30-4:00pm Project Feeder Watch
Identify common feeder birds and learn how you can do this at home as part of a continent wide Citizen Science project.
4:00pm

Final Species Tallies
Stop by the big tent to find out the final species tally and see how many species we found!