Inside Vancouver

Featured Attraction of the Week: Victoria Butterfly Gardens (Free Ticket Giveaway!)

by Inside Vancouver in Deals on December 17, 2012

photo: Victoria Butterfly Gardens

Back by popular demand, Inside Vancouver has relaunched the “Featured Attraction of the Week” series. Each Monday we’ll be featuring a different Vancouver attraction and will be giving away free tickets to our readers. To be eligible, all you have to do is post a comment.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE!

Come and experience what the holidays are like in the Jungle at the Victoria Butterfly Gardens. Their gardens will take on a holiday feel with their evening lights display. Come and explore. Let them reveal to you a side of the jungle you have not seen before. Take your picture under an umbrella of resting butterflies, visit with the nocturnal creatures and drink in the warmth and beauty of the tropics lit up with the magic of Christmas. Happy Holidays!
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Featured Attraction of the Week: Victoria Butterfly Gardens (Free Ticket Giveaway!)

Top 5 Urban Wildlife Sightings in Vancouver Ever

by Remy Scalza in Green City on December 6, 2012

Photo credit: frosty_white_raven | Flickr

It’s no secret that Vancouver has one wild backyard. Eagles are a relatively common sight in the city and, if you’re lucky, you might even see an orca swimming in the waters of English Bay.

But every so often a truly exceptional visitor from mother nature wanders into our urban jungle. Here’s a list of the top 5 wildlife sightings in downtown Vancouver in recent memory.

Coyote devours Stanley Park’s squirrels: Open the Vancouver Sun today and on page A3 you’ll find a photo of a coyote with a squirrel in its mouth. This picture wasn’t taken in the remote backcountry – It was taken at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. While coyotes are normally nocturnal, this one apparently enjoys the spotlight. Experts encourage anyone who spots the animal to yell and frighten it away.

Snowy owl spotted on West End balcony: Earlier this week, someone snapped an iPad picture of a rare snowy owl perched on the edge of her balcony in Vancouver’s West End. The giant owls with downy white feathers live in the arctic tundra and occasionally winter in the Lower Mainland, but normally in more remote areas near Boundary Bay.

Photo credit: Mardi Foster-Walker

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Top 5 Urban Wildlife Sightings in Vancouver Ever

Bald Eagles Return to Vancouver

by Remy Scalza in Green City on November 13, 2012

Photo credit: jscott7357 | Flickr

It’s that time of year again. Thousands of bald eagles have returned to the regions surrounding Vancouver as part of their annual migration south. For wildlife lovers, it’s a rare chance to see the iconic birds in the wild – flying, feeding on salmon and roosting in trees.

Several local sites have earned reputations for fabulous eagle watching. Grab your camera and binoculars and check out these eagle hot spots. Just remember to always maintain a respectable distance and never disturb the birds. Continue reading:
Bald Eagles Return to Vancouver

Wildlife Sightings! Don’t Miss the Sea Lions in Steveston

by Remy Scalza in Green City on June 1, 2012

Photo credit: poecile05 | Flickr

Vancouver can be a real jungle sometimes, with bald eagles, coyotes, black bears and even whales making appearances in the city’s beaches, forests and backyards.

But perhaps our rowdiest (and smelliest) visitors from the wild kingdom are the California sea lions that take up residence on the Steveston jetty in Richmond each fall and stay until late spring.

There are still approximately 50 sea lions – all males – lounging on the jetty right now, according to a great article in the Vancouver Sun. Though they’re not visible from land, you can spot the gentle giants via boat or on an ecotour. They’re hard to miss, in fact, weighing in at more than 300 kilograms and measuring more than two meters.

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Wildlife Sightings! Don’t Miss the Sea Lions in Steveston

Hidden Gem Alert! Amazing Wildlife at Reifel Bird Sanctuary

by Remy Scalza in Green City on February 13, 2012

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pervspics/4925777756/

Every visitor to Vancouver has their must-do list. Stanley Park is always on there. Then there’s Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, among other great choices.

Almost no one has the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary on their list. But they should.

A stunning reserve situated on 850 acres of coastal ponds and tidal marshes in nearby Delta, B.C., the Reifel Sanctuary is one of the most important stopovers for birds migrating along the Pacific Coast. Translation: Year-round, it’s chock-full of amazing wildlife, from majestic great blue herons to waist-high sandhill cranes, snow geese, owls and just about every kind of duck you could imagine.

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Hidden Gem Alert! Amazing Wildlife at Reifel Bird Sanctuary