The city’s feathered friends now have a new place to hang out.
Vancouver Park Board Thursday officially opened the Backyard Bird Garden at VanDusen Botanical Garden, an enhanced habitat for resident and migratory birds. More than 85 bird species have been sighted at the garden.
A garden is a collaboration between the park board and the Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA), a charity that jointly manages VanDusen and Bloedel Conservatory. It includes several features that are sure to bring the birds flocking — colourful, nectar-rich perennials such as anise hyssop, which is a source of food for hummingbirds, goldfinches and other small birds; deciduous trees like vine maple provide food and open branches for perching; and, evergreen shrubs, such as salal, offer cover and a safe place to nest.
Thanks to an anonymous gift of $10,000 from a private donor, the garden also features a child-sized birdhouse.
“The Backyard Bird Garden demonstrates how anyone with a yard or balcony can create habitat for birds with the right selection of plants and shrubs to provide food, shelter and nesting habitat,” park board chair Stuart Mackinnon said in a press release.
The garden will also be a highlight for visitors during the Vancouver International Bird Festival and 27th International Ornithological Congress, which are both being held in Vancouver Aug. 19-26.
To celebrate the new garden, up to two children can get in free with each paid adult, senior or youth until March 29 at both VanDusen and Bloedel Conservatory.
VanDusen will also feature family-friendly bird walks, talks and activities, free with admission, on weekends throughout the month of March.
At drop-in workshops on Saturdays from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. children can join VBGA education staff to investigate bird nests and predict which birds built them, explore the functions of feathers and learn how to preen like a bird. And any day of the week, young birders can take on the Junior Bird Challenge while exploring the garden and receive a junior bird button upon completion.
@JessicaEKerr
jkerr@vancourier.com
