little red nest box

nesting after the trees came down

related to this:
letter to/from Port Coquitam about tree removal,  letters to The News 1,   letters to The News 2

quick response from Port Coquiitlam about tree removal

City Planning Division
Tel 604.927.5442
planning@portcoquitlam.ca

To Whom It May Concern

re: removal of mature trees at Terry Fox Library/Rec Centre site

The recent clear cut at the Terry Fox Library/Rec Centre site in downtown Port Coquitlam has once again reminded us that Port Coquitlam seems to have little regard for our heritage of mature specimen and habitat trees.

​​In my neighbourhood alone, dozens of mature conifers have been felled in the last few years. These trees provided habitat for numerous bird species, including the large but increasingly rare Pileated Woodpecker. Among the trees removed by the library this week were snags used for years by northern flickers for nesting.

Our mature trees contribute so much to the City. We have an opportunity here to be part of a global movement to protect habitats for a wealth of declining bird species and to enhance the livability of our City at the same time.(link: Green Infrastructure Metro Vancouver)

Please give priority to the protection and preservation of our mature trees and act to strengthen Port Coquitlam's commitment to better safeguarding those trees in future.

regards, Rhamona Vos-Browning
(sent Saturday March 11, 2017)

Good Afternoon,

The City has received a number of calls and emails from residents concerned about the loss of trees in the development of our new community recreation complex and asking questions about options for more trees to be retained.

The challenge of constructing a new and much larger recreation facility while keeping two ice rinks, the library and seniors’ spaces in operation during construction results in limited siting options for our new building.  While we recognize that meeting this challenge has a significant impact on the site’s trees, overall there are substantial benefits related to achieving a cohesive project design, meeting community needs, and retaining recreation and social activity spaces during the construction period. 

Once the building’s siting and access requirements were known, we carefully considered the potential for tree retention. Unfortunately very few of the trees not impacted by the construction are in a condition appropriate for retention.  It is normally possible to retain more trees along the edge of a development site, but we are unable to do this in part because most of these trees were subject to ongoing hydro line clearance pruning and have a poor structure and in part because the size of the complex results in its close proximity to property lines.  While only 7 trees can ultimately be retained, we will be relocating 17 trees (that have a high probability of survival) and replanting them off site.

New trees will be planted and we will be looking to ensure the future landscape plan includes the right trees in the right places.   We will also be phasing the removals, as we wish to leave trees standing as long as possible. 

For further information about the complex, including information about the site’s trees, please check out  www.portcoquitlam.ca\reccomplex.

Regards,
Penny Martin on behalf of Kristen Meersman P.Eng, MBA | City of Port Coquitlam
(Received Monday March 13, 2017)

nest art 3

^^inactive bald face hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) nest in shrub

 

^^nest are only used for a year. Baldfaced hornets are present throughout most of Canada and the US except for the American Midwest. Except for newly mated females, the entire colony dies each winter. A possible exception maybe in the American deep south where colonies may overwinter. 

^^Adults feed on flower nectar, ripe fruit, carrion and insects, including other wasp species.

Check out BugGuide for more wasp info

thanks to Matteo's Gelato for the use of their patio to take these nest shots

nest art 2

 

^^hummingbird nest on rose branch

nest art

spring on the Walkway

 ^^spring opens on the Donald Park Walkway

 ^^early colour, Viburnum sp.

 ^^lawn crocus, Leigh Square along Donald Street

 

^^Wilson Street entrance

 

^^the Walkway bursts into colour every spring with magnolia, rhododendron and azalea flowers

^^snake's head lilies aka checker lilies or Fritillaria meleagris, at Atkins Avenue

 

^^one of a half dozen of magnolia species along the Walkway, this one on Kelly Avenue

^^this magnolia is just north of Atkins

^^and this one just south of Atkins

 

^^pink canopy

 ^^Atkins Avenue entrance

^^this recently relandscaped section is just north of Kelly Avenue

^^ toad lilies (Erythronium pagoda) Thanks to barvinok for the i.d.

^^at Kelly Ave, looking south

 ^^just one of dozens ...

^^

^^...along the Walkway

 ^^the show continues into a neighbouring yard

 ^^camellia sp.

 ^^trillium sp.

 ^^primula cultivar

 ^^primula cultivar

^^There's a bushtit nest in the lower branches of this tree.

 ^^even up close the nest is hard to see. Many birds nest along the Walkway every spring.

Thanks to Jaguar Landscaping Services for plant identifications.

guest shots: wings over Saskatchewan

guest post by Layton Smith

 ^^Canada goose

 

 ^^American goldfinch

^ ^sandhill cranes
a great article and downloadable pdf available at Canadian Field Naturalists

 ^^Baltimore oriole, one of two northern oriole subspecies

 ^^oriole nest

^^tree swallows

^^western crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos hesperis), a smaller
subspecies of the american crow, found on the prairies.

 

Photographs by Layton Smith used in this post are 'free to use' under the the terms of
this Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

leaving home

^^last day at home before the big adventure. 

American Robin, Turdus migratorius.