Iona Beach event this Saturday focuses on bird migration

Millions of birds pass through Richmond twice each year along the Pacific Flyway. Metro Vancouver Regional Parks will celebrate the fall migration with the ninth annual Wings Over Iona on Saturday, Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Iona Beach Regional Park.

Sara Mimick, a special events assistant with Metro Vancouver Parks, said the event is intended to help people learn about the park's importance to birds and the species that use it. The park includes the Fraser River, ocean and freshwater ponds, as well as a coastal sand or sand-dune ecosystem with plants adapted to sandy conditions.

Visitors can watch bird banders work early in the event, see live raptors, measure their wingspan, explore aquatic insects, remove invasive plants and try bird-song trivia.

Paid bird walks will run from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. before the event. Registration is required; admission is $15 for adults, $11.25 for adults 65 and older, and $7.50 for children and youth. Parking will be limited. A free shuttle will run every 30 to 45 minutes from Templeton Canada Line Station, beginning at 7:45 a.m.; the final shuttle leaves Iona Beach Regional Park at 2:15 p.m. Attendees are asked to leave pets at home.