Come Fly With Me

This summer, get up close and personal with birds of prey at the Capilano Suspension Bridge (to Sep. 7). From 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day, you’ll find barn owls, falcons and hawks roaming the park with their handlers, who educate guests, answer questions and explain the importance of these majestic animals to our ecosystem. Bird brains? No way.

– Jennifer Patterson

 The Power of Pink

As you’re out and about in Vancouver this month, you may find yourself in the pink—and not just from the sun. Thousands of women and men sporting rose-coloured attire descend upon city streets Aug. 15 to 16 for the 6th annual Weekend to End Breast Cancer, a 60-km (37-mi) walk that raises millions of dollars for the BC Cancer Foundation. The deadline for registration has passed, but you can still make a donation at www.endcancer.ca.

– Kristina Urquhart

Photo by Sheri Radford

Flights of Fancy

Bald eagles are flocking to Vancouver, but you might have to look hard for real feathers on these 2.3-m (7.5-ft) fibreglass birds. Eagles in the City, a public art project by the BC Lions Society, enlists local artists to create a unique design for each eagle, including “Haida Eagle Takes Flight” by Lyle R. Campbell (at the corner of Robson Street and Burrard; pictured). The striking birds are on display throughout BC until April 2010, when they will be auctioned off for charity. Visit www.eaglesinthecity.com or pick up a Bald Eagle Flight Path Map at Tourism Vancouver for a bird’s-eye view of where the eagles are nesting.

– Kristina Urquhart

Dive In

After 28 years of scuba diving, Mike Hughes knows more than the average person—or fish, for that matter—about the underwater world. He shares this knowledge in The Northwest Dive Guide (Harbour Publishing, $29.95), which covers everything from training to gear to dive sites in BC, Washington and Oregon. Bursting with colour photographs, this handy guide is making a splash at local bookstores.

– Sheri Radford

Photo by Aki Mimoto

Festival Fun

Have you ever secretly dreamed of competing in an amateur sumo tournament? You can—plus do much more—at this year’s Powell Street Festival (Aug. 1 to 2).

– Sheri Radford

Photo by KK Law