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VICTORIA WATERFRONT

DOES ANY CANADIAN city offer a more impressive selection of top-notch, year-round birding sites within a small urban area than Victoria? While BC’s capital and its suburbs have seen massive expansion in the past few decades, many places within the city limits of Victoria and Saanich still offer local and visiting birders a diverse array of species throughout the year, a wonderful cross-section of Pacific coast specialties, and the opportunity to discover mind-blowing rarities. Victoria, one of the mildest winter cities in Canada, holds the world record for Anna’s Hummingbirds on a Christmas Bird Count (over 1,000!).

Since Victoria is located near the southern tip of Vancouver Island, the area is a natural funnel for birds travelling along the Pacific flyway, and many concentrate at these last points of land before flying across the Juan de Fuca Strait to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. This makes fall birding very exciting, but spring can be equally productive, especially after a good morning shower.

There are so many great places to bird in Victoria it can be difficult to decide where to start. I figure the best place to start is right in downtown. Within just over 1 km (0.6 mi.) of Victoria Harbour, there are two easily accessible sites offering a lovely cross-section of Victoria birding, including diverse parkland, rocky shoreline, and the wonderful seabird-watching opportunities of the Juan de Fuca Strait. The Victoria Natural History Society’s website (vicnhs.bc.ca) is also worth checking out.

BIRDING GUIDE

These sites are close together and close to downtown Victoria with ample footpaths and bus stops, so you have a choice between driving, cycling, or walking. For Clover Point, a scope is highly recommended as there’s usually a good mix of water birds feeding and flying by just a bit out of binocular range.

BEACON HILL PARK This is essentially Victoria’s version of Central Park. With over 135 hectares (330 acres) of mixed woodland and grassland, there are plenty of corners to explore. In spring and fall, this is a great place to observe songbird migration, with good numbers of vireos, flycatchers, thrushes, warblers, and sparrows passing through. In late fall and early winter, look for lost vagrants that get mixed in with the resident flocks of Chestnut-backed Chickadees (the only chickadee on Vancouver Island), Bushtits, and Golden-crowned Kinglets. Some recent standouts include Blackburnian Warbler and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. A few feral Indian Peafowl reside in the park, with birders continually arguing over their “countability.” There is also a standard city duck pond in Beacon Hill—Goodacre Lake. Mallards dominate, but a few other species join the mix during the winter months, including the occasional Eurasian Wigeon. This is a wonderful place to bird year-round.

GETTING THERE

There are a number of ways to visit Victoria, including regular flights from Vancouver, two ferries from Washington State, and a BC Ferries service from Tsawwassen (Vancouver) to Swartz Bay at the north end of the Saanich Peninsula (roughly 1 hour’s drive to downtown Victoria). If driving from Nanaimo, it takes around 1.5 hours to get to Victoria along Hwy. 1. Whether travelling from the Nanaimo direction or Swartz Bay, follow the signs for downtown Victoria. Just beyond the provincial Legislature and Royal BC Museum, Douglas and Blanchard Streets merge; continue south along the west side of Beacon Hill Park until you hit Dallas Rd. at a T-junction.

Ever-present gull flocks dot the rocks and mowed grass of Clover Point. PATRICIA TAYLOR

CLOVER POINT Consisting only of a parking lot, an open grassy area, and a rocky shoreline, there isn’t much to Clover Point, but for some reason the birds seem to like it. This is likely due to its location as the southernmost point along this stretch of coast. Even with the steady stream of humans passing through the area, the birds continue to show themselves, much to the delight of local and visiting birders. To reach it, head east for a few hundred metres/yards on Dallas Rd. from the south/ocean end of Beacon Hill Park, then turn right into the obvious ring-shaped parking lot at Clover Point.