Swan Lake

Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary

 

Attached is a map of Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary. Swan Lake is located in Saanich, B.C. conveniently located right beside the Saanich Municipal Hall. If you live in Victoria, B.C. it is a 10 - 15 minute drive.

 

This place is home to all kinds of wonderful wildlife. Marine Birds, Raptors, Song Birds, etc. Depending on the time of year who knows what you might come across. Some of my favorite sightings have included: Common Yellowthroat, Barred Owl, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Pied-billed Grebe, Wood Duck, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, etc.

 

The trail takes you around Swan Lake, over a board walk, through a couple fields, and also through a few wooded areas. The trail can also be used to access Christmas Tree Hill (an elevated view area) which is close by.

**Please click the picture above if you would like a quick link to Google Maps**

Witty's Lagoon

Witty's Lagoon Regional Park

 

 

Attached is a map of Witty's Lagoon Regional Park. Witty's is located in Metchosin, B.C. which is about a half hour to forty five minute drive from Victoria, B.C. This place is home to all kinds of wonderful life. A river, waterfall, and a large lagoon which connects to the ocean.

 

The route marked with the orange/red colour is the trail you would take to your left when you are just getting started on the path. It is a more wooded route which consists of nice views of the lagoon and ocean. I would say this trail is probably the more bumpy of the two with a few ups and downs. Keep your eyes peeled for all kinds of wildlife/birds. (Pileated Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher, Osprey, Hawks, etc.)

 

The route marked with the yellow colour is the trail you would take if you are looking to get to the ocean. This trail crosses a bridge near a waterfall at the beginning of the path. You descend down through the forest until your reach the flats and beyond that lies the ocean. Lots of marine birds can be spotted here throughout the year. Winter is especially a good time to check it out. Also, the flats give you a great view which you can almost certainly see a couple of raptors patrolling over head. (Mergansers, Western Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, etc.)

**Please click the picture above if you would like a quick link to Google Maps**

Wizard Of The Wind

American Kestrel

 

We took a trip over to Saanich to walk around the Cedar Hill Golf Course. We knew a head of time that the Kestrel had been spotted in the area and were hopeful we would cross paths. We are very happy and grateful to come across such a beautiful sight. Props to Lauren for taking this awesome photo. One of my favorites for sure.



Blog Update

Hello folks,

Soooooo... I joined Flickr a while back and have been posting some of my most recent work there.

**If you would like to check it out or follow me on Flickr, please follow the link below.**

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125267575@N08/

I also plan to continue posting articles on this blog. My next project is to post some locations including maps to some of my favorite spots to go birding on Southern Vancouver Island. Wishing you all the best and happy birding!

Cheers,

Nick

Respectful "Guidelines" For Birding

In this article I am going to outline some useful advice for anyone who is seeking it or finds it to be helpful. You can take this information however you would like to and apply it to your own adventures or disregard it completely.

 

 "Respect" is probably the most important behaviour one can possess while appreciating/admiring anything on our planet... or on any planet for that matter. While you are out on your hikes, make sure to respect all of your surroundings and the wildlife in which you come across. Do not litter. We share this wonderful world with all creatures who inhabit this earth and some of them are a great deal smaller than we are. All of our waste belongs in a garbage bin or a recycling bin. Cigarette buds are no place for the forest floor or trails/pathways. They pose fire risks and also poison our soil. Please dispose of them in a proper place.

 When you are out on your hike a good way to take a photo of something is to time your approach slowly and remember that if you don't catch a glimpse of the subject right away, the opportunity will come again. It may not always be as quickly as you would like but patience is the key to every great photo or sighting. It is not a good idea to keep chasing things down until you alone are satisfied (that is selfish). Remember that what you are admiring also has a brain and doesn't necessarily want to be chased around all day. Let the opportunity come to you and you will be rewarded.

Make sure to always watch where you are walking and be mindful not to damage any of the vegetation that you are walking through. The best way to avoid damaging any plants is to stick to the trails or pathways. Every little thing that grows plays a role in helping keep the planet a habitable place. If we just walk all over everything and destroy it then eventually it will come full circle and destroy us.

 If you ever happen to stumble upon a nest full of baby birds move slowly and be extremely careful with the way you move. Try to stay a respectable distance away so that you do not scare them. If they fledge too early then they most likely will not make it. A good way to snap a photo is to take one from further back and use a zoom lens so that you do not disturb the nest (or use binoculars if you are only there to view them). The mother will certainly let you know if you have gotten too close. If she does send you this message then please respect what she is saying and back away from the nest.

No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. As long as we learn from our mistakes and help each other out, that is all that matters. It starts with respect and ends with respect, as do all situations in life. I hope this article is helpful and that you enjoyed it while taking the time to read it.

Cheers,

Nick

Favorite Places To Go Birding On Southern Vancouver Island

The following are some GREAT places you can go birding or hiking in and around Victoria, B.C.

-Beacon Hill Park
-Government House
-Swan Lake
-Ogden Point/Breakwater
-Colquitz River Park
-Mt. Douglas Park/Beach
-Mt. Tolmie
-Panama Flats
-Esquimalt Lagoon
-Island View Beach Provincial Park
-Sidney Spit
-Goldstream Provincial Park
-East Sooke Park
-Witty's Lagoon
-Gowland Tod Provincial Park
-Mt. Wells
-etc.

**Don't be scared to go further North or check out the Gulf Islands either. So much beautiful land to explore and admire.**



This is a good list to start with but keep in mind that the Island is full of great wildlife and places to go for a hike. I hope this helps anyone who is interested in enjoying the great outdoors and looking for a nice place to go for a hike.

Cheers,

Nick

A Walk In The Park

Great Horned Owl

Barred Owl

Barred Owl

Coopers Hawk Fledgling

Coopers Hawk Fledglings

 

Any day is a good day to walk down to the park. The fresh air, trees, friendly people, you name it. It's all there. When we go to the park, we like to admire all the nature that presents itself to us.

 

On this specific day we were grateful to see quite a number of birds having a grand ole time. One Great Horned Owl has returned to the park. Being tipped off about this and informed that it returns every August, we were quite excited to go check it out.

 

We also got the opportunity to visit the Coopers Hawk fledglings who were hanging out in a tree together. They were very vocal and waiting on a meal to return to them.

 

The Barred Owls are also still in the park. The male adult seems to be keeping to the Chestnut trees these days. One of the Juveniles however seems to be calling the Gary Oak forest it's home. Due to the fact that the Great Horned Owl is the Barred Owls only real threat, we are likely to assume the Barred's will not be hanging out in the SEW (South East Woods) any time soon. 

King's Pond

Great Horned Owl

We took another trip over to Kings Pond recently by the Cedar Hill Golf Course. During our first trip out we did not spot the Owl but we had a nice time scouting the place out and admiring the scenery.

This time though we found some pellets and droppings and knew we had to be close by. A couple of crows ended up giving the location away and we approached with respect and admiration for a couple of minutes.

Very beautiful feathers and eyes. 

Photography

Photography is art. Skill is measured by the amount of time and practice you have surrendered to your work. My advice to anyone who is photographing wildlife is to throw all logic out the window.

The best way to learn is to step out of your comfort zone and experiment by trying new things. Get down low to give yourself a different perspective on things. Get extremely close to see things you would have never imagined seeing with your own eyes. Position the Sun behind you to light the objects up in front of you. Set your focal points manually and experiment with them all the time. You will be able to take very artistic shots this way.

And last but not least, invest in your glass. The lens on your camera is what gives you the ability to take wide angle shots or zoom in and get those extreme close up shots. Hope this is helpful and thank you for stopping by.

Cheers,

Nick

Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay

Steller's Jay

I took these photo's at Goldstream Provincial Park. We spent the weekend camping with some good friends and had an excellent time.

I woke up at about 6:00 a.m. and went for a walk down the Arbutus Trail. I was greeted about 10 minutes in by the first Steller's Jay. It called out a few times and then presented itself a few feet away. In total we probably spotted about 3 - 4 on the trip. We also spotted a Weasel and a Doe.

We were all treated to the vibrant vocals of a Barred Owl as we fell asleep at night. We had a great trip and I would recommend camping at this location to anyone looking for a place close to Victoria. It's close to town but the environment you are surrounded by is beautiful and you would never know you were that close to civilization. 

Witty's Lagoon

Osprey

Osprey

Osprey

Osprey

Family Of Mergansers

Sandpipers

Sandpipers

Sandpipers

Dug in to the archive to grab these shots. We took a trip to Witty's last year and had a great time visiting the beach and walking the trails. We spotted an Osprey, family of Mergansers, and a couple of Sandpipers. 

We will certainly be back to check out this gem of a spot some time soon!

Government House

Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Turkey Vulture

Cooper's Hawk

 

We took a walk over to Government House today. Lauren put it out to the universe that we would get a chance to see a Cooper's Hawk. Her strong intuition did indeed lead us to one. But before we got to it we ran in to two Turkey Vultures who had stumbled upon a dead rat.

 

The Cooper's Hawk chased the two Turkey Vultures away though which had us thinking it may have been protecting a nest close by or challenging the Vultures away from the food it was intending to claim. 

Nice Way To End The Week

Juvenile Barred Owl

Juvenile Barred Owl

Barred Owl

Barred Owl

Juvenile Barred Owl

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

 

We saw one of the Juvenile Barred Owl's hanging out near the middle of the SEW (South East Woods) in Beacon Hill Park. The father was fairly close by in a new spot he is frequenting.

 

To top things off, one of the Bald Eagles flew over top of us while we were in the woods and landed on the Totem Pole. We were able to make it out and get a few shots before leaving the park. Not a bad way to cap off the week! 

Mt. Arrowsmith

Morning Inside The Cabin (Note The Angel In The Lower Left)

Sunset On A Cliff

Tree Top Facing Port Alberni

Tree Tops Facing Port Alberni

Port Alberni And Mountains

Port Alberni And Mountains

Mountain Tops Over Port Alberni

Port Alberni

Campfire At The Cabin

The Cabin

Mt. Arrowsmith 

Mt. Arrowsmith

Mt. Arrowsmith

Mt. Arrowsmith

Really, Really, Really, High 

Old Rusted Bed Behind The Cabin

Mt. Arrowsmith

The River Below The Mountain

Mt. Arrowsmith

The River Below The Mountain

Mt. Arrowsmith

Mt. Arrowsmith

Mt. Arrowsmith

Mt. Arrowsmith

Mt. Arrowsmith

The River Below The Mountain

Holly's Truck Parked On The Side Of A Logging Road

View From The Logging Road

View From The Logging Road

View From The Logging Road

View From The Logging Road

View From The Logging Road

We took a trip to Port Alberni with our friends Holly and Nels. We camped out on Mt. Arrowsmith for a couple of nights in a cabin. The cabin was built in the 1960's and surprisingly remains in decent shape. People who have spent time there have signed books or left messages inside the cabin along the walls. It's quite a magical place. 

While we were there we woke up to the sounds of a Great Horned Owl nearly every morning. We were also greeted by a couple of Grey Jay's and could hear some Varied Thrush calling throughout the forest. 

Holly and Nels were the lone troopers to actually hike to the top of the mountain (I have a slight fear of heights so Lauren and I stayed at the cabin). Our friends though braved the steep slopes and even fed Grey Jay's out of there hands while embarking up to the top. Holly showed us a few photo's she took at the top when they got back and I have to say they are truly incredible. 

During this trip I was able to challenge myself to get more comfortable at higher elevations. I have to say, driving up the mountain on the logging roads is quite the experience.