The University of British Columbia

// News and Events

Hours

Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm.
Closed on Mondays for research.
Be sure to check out our full online calendar of daily and special events!

All of the events listed below are included with museum admission or membership, unless stated otherwise.

Ongoing Daily Programs

Create biodiversity crafts, learn at activity stations, explore the Allan Yap Discovery Lab, participate in biodiversity themed scavenger hunts, and watch films in the Allan Yap Theatre.

Birding Bonanza
March 10 - May 25, 2012

Discover the amazingly diverse lives of birds! View local birds like never before through displays and activities of bird specimens from our exclusive behind-the-scenes collections. Special programming will include hands-on activities with real bird specimens, birding activities and lessons, museum tours, puppet shows, scavenger hunts, crafts and more.

Beak to Beak Birding - Djavad Mowafaghian Atrium
Come face to face with birds that normally play "hard to get"! In this activity, visitors will use bird guides to identify amazing specimens of bird species from across North America.

Bird is the Word - Allan Yap Discovery Lab
From baby birds to adults and from feathers and wings to beaks and feet, this interactive station will allow you to explore amazing bird specimens and participate in hands-on activities and games.

Becoming Birds - Family Area
At this craft station, create your very own bird headband to wear home. As they design their birds and assemble their crafts, kids will have the opportunity to learn about how different bird body parts give us clues about where birds live and how they survive.

Birding for Beginners - Daily, 12:45pm
Do you like birds, but don't know how to identify them? Join us for this daily activity that explores the basics of birdwatching and takes you outside to practice your new skills and see how many birds you can spot!

Puppet Show: Birds of the Forest - Weekends, 11am.
Jacky wants to build a log house in the forest so that she can be closer to her favourite animals – birds! Help Jacky figure out which trees she should (and shouldn't) cut down for her home.

Birding Bonanza Scavenger Hunt
How are birds connected with the rest of biodiversity? As you explore the museum, follow the clues below to find the organisms that share a connection with birds. Scavenger hunt sheets will be handed out at admissions upon entry.

Collections Activity: "Turkey Trivia"
Aside from being a favourite holiday meal, turkeys are fascinating birds that live fascinating lives! Test your turkey knowledge & learn more about these amazing, and often surprising, animals.

Feast
Predator-Prey Relationships in the natural world. Photos by Brad Hill.
May 17 - July 22, 2012

To eat or be eaten? Through stunning photographs, internationally acclaimed nature photographer Brad Hill presents an intimate look at animals feasting in the wild. Whether in the air, on land, or in water, Brad addresses the challenge of photographing wild and unpredictable animals at one of their most fundamental behaviours.

Witness a raven thief making off with a goose egg in its beak, stare into the eyes of a grey wolf hungrily licking its lips, and marvel at a circus of dolphins chasing a salmon. Explore the true omnivorous diet of bears. Brad’s photographs include striking images of bears fishing for salmon, but they also reveal other feeding behaviours, including climbing trees for berries, grazing on grass, digging for roots, and even gnawing on the bones of other bears. These unique moments were all captured in Canada, predominantly in BC.

Within this collection, there are images captured in a coastal region of BC that has become known as the Great Bear Rainforest. It is one of the largest tracts of unspoiled temperate rainforest left on earth and is home to grizzly bears, black bears, spirit bears (rare white-phased black bears), coastal grey wolves, almost countless species of birds, and flourishing populations of many types of aquatic mammals. This ecosystem is driven by the energy and nutrient input provided by millions of salmon that return to their natal streams to spawn each year.

“It's about striving to find and expose the art inherent in nature. It's about increasing the awareness of the beauty, fragility and ephemerality of the natural world.” –Brad Hill

Biography

Brad Hill is an internationally renowned nature photographer with a focus on conservation. He resides in the southern Columbia Valley of BC, wedged between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Purcells to the west; an area sometimes known as the "Serengeti of North America." He shares his life with his longtime partner Patti and their two almost human Portuguese Water Dogs - Diego and Jose.

Formally trained as a wildlife biologist with a speciality in animal behavior, Brad’s professional journey eventually led him back to nature as a full-time conservation and nature photographer in 2005. He currently concentrates his photographic efforts in North America and, in particular, western Canada.

Brad’s work has been recognized by numerous international organisations, and awards for his photographs include Wildlife Image of the Year (Nature Photographer's Network, 2008) and Most Creative Nature Image (Creative Nature Photographers, 2009). He is also the Lead Moderator in the Wildlife Gallery of Nature Photographer's Network, the largest online community of nature photographers on the planet. www.naturalart.ca

Way Cool Biodiversity Series
First Sunday of every month  |  1 pm

Come listen to a family-friendly lecture each month as a different biodiversity researcher competes for public affection for their groups! At the end of the year, cast your vote for the coolest organism.

Termite guts are way cool because...
Sunday, June 3, 2012, at 1 pm
Could you survive on a diet of wood? Termites can, thanks to an amazing community of symbiotic microbes living in their guts. Shrink down with Vera Tai, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Biodiversity Research Centre, on a trip to this microbial world. We will hunt for furry, wood-munching Trichonympha, Streblomastix twizzlers, and spirally Spirochaetes. You are guaranteed to see things you’ve never seen before!

Viruses are way cool because...
Sunday, July 1, 2012, at 1 pm
Smaller than bacteria, viruses are some of the most mysterious entities in the biosphere. But don't let their small size mislead you – viruses play an important role in the environment, human health (both negatively and positively), and the formation of life as we see it today. Join Tyler Nelson, undergraduate student in the Department of Integrated Sciences, to explore the impressive capacities of the microscopic.
 

(Topic to be confirmed)
Sunday, August 5, 2012, at 1 pm
 
Copepods are way cool because...
Sunday, September 2, 2012, at 1 pm
Copepods are way cool ocean competitors, showing up everywhere as food, symbionts, and parasites! They have myriad adaptations to live in every sort of aquatic environment, as plankton, in the benthos, close to near-boiling water, and on other organisms. As parasites of fish and shellfish, copepods live in ways that can be potentially dangerous and economically costly to humans. Join Dr. AlLewis, an Emeritus Professor of Earth and Ocean Sciences, in discovering the tremendous abilities and adaptations of these very cool creatures.

Raising Big Blue Documentary

You can now watch our featured film in the Beaty Biodiversity Museum Auditorium!

Mark Miller Productions and the Discovery Channel present this documentary feature following the story of our blue whale skeleton from PEI to Victoria to Vancouver. See the behind-the-scenes drama involved in recovering, cleaning, and restoring the skeleton of the largest creature on earth. Find more information about the film, along with a teaser here.

Run time is approximately 45 minutes. Parental accompaniment is required; please note that some imagery may be overwhelming for sensitive or squeamish visitors.

Please note, Raising Big Blue will not be shown on Saturday, May 12.