Wildlife

Bats

The City of Port Moody is proudly a certified bat-friendly community! As a bat-friendly community, the City is committed to bat habitat conservation and education.

Bats provide important services and support healthy ecosystems in Port Moody and throughout Canada. In the Lower Mainland, bats play an important role in controlling insect pests that can harm our forests, crops, and people. There are 17 species of bats that occur in BC, and around 9 species found in Port Moody. This includes Little Brown Myotis (or 'Little Brown Bat'), a species that is listed as Endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act. Bat populations around the globe are in decline as they face several threats, including habitat loss, impacts associated with climate change, pesticide use, noise pollution, vehicle collisions, predation from cats, collisions with wind turbines, and white-nose syndrome. Check out this 2023 YouTube video by BC Nature and the BC Community Bat Program which provides an excellent introduction to BC bats.

How you can help bats:

• If you have bats in your house, shed, or property, contact the BC Community Bat Program.
• Landscape with native plants, including species that flower at night and other species that support pollinators.
• Consider adopting Naturescape Principles in your yard.
• Build and maintain a bat box, following best management practices.
• Remove invasive plant species - especially Burdock, which can trap bats, frogs, and small mammals.
• Keep cats indoors or within outdoor enclosures (cats are the #1 predator of bats!)
• Reduce light pollution.
• Participate in Community Science initiatives like BC Annual Bat Counts. 

Other resources 

• White Nose Syndrome - Detecting, Preventing, Reporting
• Bat Friendly Communities Guide
• Bulletin for Roofers and Chimney Professionals in BC
• BC Guide for Managing Bats in Buildings
• Bulletin for Realtors
• 2 Page overview and detailed guide for excluding bats for Pest Control Providers

Bat FAQs

Do all bats have rabies?

Less than 1% of bats in BC are known to carry rabies.  

What should I do if I find a dead bat?

If you find a dead bat, report it to 1-855-9BC-BATS (1-855-922-2287) OR environment@portmoody.ca. Some dead bats are collected for scientific research or for rabies testing.

What should I do if I have been bitten or scratched by a bat?

If you have been physically contacted by a bat, call your physician or public health office.

What should I do if my pet has been in contact with a bat?

If your pet has been in physical contact with a bat, call your veterinarian. 

What should I do if I find a bat roosting outside?

If you find a bat roosting outside, please leave it alone. It might be waking up from hibernation.

Do our local bats drink blood?

All BC bat species are insectivores, meaning they consume insects - not mammal blood!

Beavers

Known for their creation of large wetland complexes, North American beavers (Castor canadensis) are ecosystem engineers and a keystone species. Because of their ecological role, beaver dams are protected under the BC Wildlife Act and Water Sustainability Regulation. 

In response to beaver activity in Port Moody, Council has endorsed a beaver management plan that promotes co-existence, outlines best practices, and addresses risks and liabilities associated with flooding, property damage, ecological impacts, and human health and safety. The plan also addresses compliance with all provincial and federal regulations related to wildlife and fish passage.

Port Moody’s Beaver Management Plan balances the needs of beavers, fish, and other wildlife with the need to protect public safety, civic infrastructure, and public and private lands. It recommends strategies that use alternatives to relocation or lethal trapping whenever possible.

The Plan includes a decision-making framework and a diagnostic key to help guide the City in making informed decisions and taking appropriate actions in response to beaver activity. As identified in the Plan, while beaver restoration efforts across North America are promising, not all areas have suitable habitat for beaver colonies. In highly urbanized areas, co-existence with beavers can be challenging because of constraints related to available space and the depth and flow of watercourses. The decision-making framework and diagnostic key are designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities of co-existence within an urban context, and include a protocol for regular monitoring and maintenance to ensure the City takes a comprehensive approach to co-existence.

Birds

Many bird species can be found in Port Moody. This includes both resident species that are here year-round, and migratory species that are here seasonally. The general bird nesting period is March 1st to August 31st, when bird activity is high. Bird nests, eggs, and young are protected under the BC Wildlife Act and federal Migratory Birds Convention Act. Bird nests do not only occur high up in trees, as many bird species in Port Moody nest on the ground, holes in trees, or in shrubs at waist height. Bird nests are designed to be unnoticeable, and so extra care should be taken during the general nesting period to avoid disturbing or destroying nests.

Avoid tree and brush clearing activities during the general nesting period wherever possible, and ensure that you comply with the City's Bird Nest Protection Policy. If you locate a nest, keep your distance and do not disturb it.

Purple martins migrate to Port Moody every year from South America from May until August. As insectivores, they help to control insect populations by eating flies, beetles, and moths. They nest near water and are rarely seen on land. In Port Moody, artificial boxes attached to marine pilings provide ideal nesting habitat – these special next boxes can be viewed from Rocky Point Park or Old Orchard Park shorelines. We can coexist with purple martins by enjoying them from the land or maintaining an on-water distance of at least 30 m from nest boxes (for boats, kayaks, and paddleboards). A drastic reduction in nesting habitat almost led to the extirpation of purple martins from BC in the 1980s. However, due to over 30 years of conservation efforts by local stewardship volunteers to establish new nest boxes, the purple martins have continued to return every year to Port Moody. 

Port Moody is home to a Great Blue Heron colony along the Shoreline Trail by Old Mill Park. The colony consists of 10-20 nests that are reoccupied or reconstructed each year. During the early stages of nesting, herons may be especially sensitive to noise disturbance from machinery or other loud activities. The heron nesting period is longer than the typical songbird nesting window, extending from January 15 to September 15. A heron's diet consists largely of fish, and may include shellfish, amphibians, and small mammals. Our coastal fannini subspecies does not migrate and is present in the region year-round.

Bird nesting behaviour can include gathering or carrying nesting materials, such as bits of grass, twigs, or string.  Some birds also produce alarm calls when people or animals are within close proximity of their nest site.

Black Bears

Black bears are a common sight in Port Moody. The Bear Essentials Program provides education and awareness on how to minimize adverse human-bear interactions. 

Canada Geese

Non-migratory Canada Geese were introduced to our region and the number of them has increased drastically over the last few decades. They can leave large amounts of fecal matter on grass, docks, and paths. This poses a health and safety risk for residents. They can also become aggressive and territorial. 

Geese are protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. However, the Act recognizes that there are times when issues caused by them must be addressed.

To help limit the number of geese in the Rocky Point area we have developed a Goose Management Plan. This involves placing fencing and vegetation along shorelines and using trained dogs. Both of these are recommended by the BC SPCA and Environment Canada.

Cougars

If you encounter a cougar, you should stay calm and back away slowly.

In late winter/early spring cougar sightings increase in Port Moody as their preferred prey, deer, spend more time in urban areas. Here are some tips to stay safe and avoid negative encounters with cougars.

• Keep dogs on a leash and under control at all times
• Keep house cats indoors at all times
• Remove bird feeders or shrubs that may attract the preferred prey of cougars (deer, raccoons, etc.) to your yard
• Be alert and make noise when walking in forested settings 
• If you do encounter a cougar, never run. Instead, turn and face the animal, use jackets/back packs to look as big as possible, and back away slowly.
• If the cougar appears to be stalking or following you, yell and throw objects such as rocks/sticks.

Report any encounters or sightings in an urban area to the RAPP (Report all poachers and polluters) line at 1-877-952-7277

For more information about how to respond to a cougar sighting, follow the BC Human – Wildlife Conflict guidelines.

Coyotes

Coyotes are well adapted to living in urban areas. They are naturally timid but may act aggressively if they become too comfortable with people. With a few simple actions, you can help reduce conflict between people, pets and coyotes:

• Be big, brave and loud. Scaring coyotes helps them retain a natural fear of people
• Never feed coyotes. Coyotes that are fed by people can become bold and aggressive and may have to be destroyed. Keep a secure lid on your garbage and compost, do not leave pet food outside and pick your tree fruit before it falls
• Pet safety. Keep dogs on a leash and cats indoors, especially at night

If the coyote does not run away or acts aggressively towards you:

• make eye contact and face the coyote, while slowly backing away
• pick up small pets or young children

For more information on coyotes, visit the Urban Coyote Initiative web page.

Fish

Local salmon-bearing streams are identified by yellow signs throughout the City. Contact the Provincial Emergency Program number 1-800-663-3456 to report any situation that may compromise the health of the stream. You can also contact the City Environment Division at 604-469-4574.

Seals

 Tips for Dog Owners 

- Avoid areas of high wildlife activity and stick to official trails to avoid entering wildlife dens or defended territories.

- Keep dog food and water bowls indoors.

- Do not allow your dog to interact or play with coyotes or other wildlife. This can habituate wildlife so they lose their fear of people and pets.

- Spay/neuter your dog. Coyotes are attracted to unspayed/unneutered dogs and can mate with them.

- Keep dogs on a 6-foot leash to maintain control. In designated off-leash areas, keep dogs in view at all times and immediately call and leash them if wildlife appear nearby.

- Avoid walking dogs at dawn and dusk, and bring dogs inside at night.

- Maintain fencing in your yard to keep dogs in and wildlife out. If your property backs onto forested parkland, be sure to supervise your dog when it’s in the yard.

- Keep dogs out of streams to protect sensitive aquatic species, especially during salmon spawning season (October – March).

- Pick up dog waste in your backyard and in natural areas to avoid attracting wildlife. 

 Tips for Cat Owners 

- If your cat roams free outdoors, bring them in from dusk until dawn.

- Keep cat food and water bowls indoors.

- Domestic cats are the number 1 killer of wild birds in North America. Consider keeping your cats indoors to protect our local bird species.

Tips for Fish, Reptile, Amphibian, Rabbit, Insect, and Rodent Owners 

- Do not release domestic or exotic pets into the wild. They can compete for resources with native species and have drastic ecological effects.