Sturgeon Banks

This is the first article in a monthly series on the ecosystems around Vancouver. In coming months we will explore alpine meadows, old-growth forests and bogs. This month we visit Sturgeon Banks salt marsh just in time to see migratory birds passing through on their way north.

Sturgeon Banks, West Dyke Trail (Richmond)
Excellent bird watching 5-km trail; walk as much or
as little as you want
Allow 2 hours on the dyke
Easy walking, biking
Wheelchair-accessible
Good year-round

Situated along the western edge of Richmond outside the dyke, the salt marsh sits on sediments deposited by the Fraser River and is inundated regularly by brackish water from Georgia Strait.

Cattails in fresh water, and various sedges such as bulrushes in brackish water, dominate the plant community. The marsh provides important habitat for young fish, especially salmon, as well as for birds and river otters.

Birds include gulls, loons, grebes, cormorants, great blue herons, swallows and red-winged blackbirds; various geese and ducks are also common, especially in the spring and fall migrations. You may also see hawks, owls, falcons, and eagles.

Adjacent groves of trees provide habitat for passerine (perching) birds, flickers, and woodpeckers.

The West Dyke Trail, maintained by the city, parallels the salt marsh along the western edge of Richmond from the North Arm of the Fraser River to the South Arm (about 5 km in total length). The best location to view the salt marsh is at the western end of River Road or Westminster Hwy. Picnic and toilet facilities are available at the end of River Road.

Getting to your walk

Get to the West Dyke Trail by car, bus, or taxi, driving south from Vancouver to northwest Richmond. Various bridges from Vancouver will get you there.

Get onto Westminster Hwy. in Richmond, and then drive west.

Turn north along No.1 Road from Westminster Hwy. and drive to River Road and then turn west to the end of the road and parking. Alternatively, continue west along Westminster Hwy., rerouting around a new subdivision, and continue to the end of Westminster Hwy. and more parking.

Or take a bus (#401 or 411 from downtown Vancouver) along Westminster Hwy. toNo.1 Road and walk 1 km to the dyke. For more information, call Richmond Nature House at(604) 718-6188.

If you would like to know more about local ecosystems get the Vancouver Ecological Explorer: A Walker’s Guide to the Ecosystems ($6.95) available in most book, outdoors and nature stores in Vancouver.

More information is available at www.ecoexplorer.ca. Contact us at guidebook@ecoexplorer.ca and tell us about your visits to natural places. In the article the bulrush drawing is used with permission from the BC Ministry of Forests, and the two bird drawings are used with permission from the BC Provincial Museum, artist Frank Beebe.




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