Dick Cannings

Tours:

Print this page

Dick was born and raised in the Okanagan Valley, in a family keenly interested in natural history. This early involvement in birds, bugs and plants led him to a university education in zoology, including a BSc degree from the University of British Columbia and a MSc from Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Six summers as a Park Naturalist in his university student years gave him a broad knowledge of the ecology of British Columbia. This knowledge was deepened through his 15 years as Curator of the Cowan Vertebrate Museum at the University of British Columbia.

Dick has served on various boards and committees, including 8 years as co-chair for birds on the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, 11 years on the British Columbia Environmental Appeal Board and 5 years on the British Columbia Forest Appeals Commission. He was a founding director of the Okanagan Similkameen Conservation Alliance and is a present member of the British Columbia board of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Dick has written a number of books, including The Birds of the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia with his brothers Sydney and Robert Cannings; British Columbia: A Natural History with Sydney Cannings, The BC Roadside Naturalist, The Rockies: a Natural History, Birds of Southwestern British Columbia, and An Enchantment of Birds. British Columbia: A Natural History won several awards, including the Bill Duthie Booksellers Choice Award for best book published in British Columbia, the Canadian Science Writers’ Book Award and the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal for best book on the history of British Columbia.

Dick has produced regular radio items on natural history themes for CBC and taught continuing education courses on birding and nature. He has also led about 50 natural history tours to destinations around the world, particularly in the New World tropics. When Dick is not birding, he plays fiddle in a local Scottish country dance band.