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Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail
Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail
October 1, 2017 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am
119 St Giles St S, Victoria, BC, Canada (Helmcken park and ride)
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 3)
Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail (South End)
Join Ann Nightingale for an exploration of the southernmost 2-3 kilometres of the new Sooke Hills Wilderness Trail. This trail will be part of the 700 km Vancouver Island Spine Trail and the Great (formerly TransCanada) Trail, but for now, provides access to Greater Victoria Water District lands that have been closed to the public for years. The trail is in good shape and easy to walk, but does have a few steeper sections in the part we will cover. Walking sticks are advised for those with knee issues. Meet at Helmcken Park and Ride at 8:30 a.m. to carpool, or at the trailhead parking lot on Humpback Rd at Irwin Road at 9 a.m. Contact Ann at 250-514-6450 if you require more information.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 1, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Monthly Butterfly Outing
Monthly Butterfly Outing
October 1, 2017 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Mount Tolmie Park, 3486-, 3492 Mayfair Dr, Victoria, BC V8P 4P9, Canada
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2)
Join Gordon Hart on the last of the season’s monthly Butterfly events. Each outing is intended to help us learn more about our local butterflies. This outing is weather dependent. It needs to be warm and sunny to make it worthwhile. We will start at the top of Mount Tolmie (off Cedar Hill Cross Rd). Meet at 1:00 p.m. in the lot by the reservoir where we will have an initial look for butterflies and then decide where to go from there. Contact Gordon at (250) 721-1264 or butterflies@vicnhs.bc.ca for more information.
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Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding
October 3, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING Meets every Tuesday at the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 a.m., rain or shine. Birding activities take place at various locations around Greater Victoria.
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273 or Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634. Novice and experienced VNHS members all welcome.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 4, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Saturday Birding - Blenkinsop
Saturday Birding - Blenkinsop
October 7, 2017 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am
10 U 473934 5369370
The VNHS Saturday Birding Group will be going along Lochside Trail in the Blenkinsop Lake area this Sat Oct 7. Ben van Drimmelen will be your leader. Meet at 8:00 am opposite Don Mann Trucking on Lochside Drive (off Cedar Hill Cross Road). There should be lots of activity on the lake with the returning birds. Also keep your eyes open for the summer birds still around but quiet so harder to spot. For more details, contact Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 8, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Geological Formations of Greater Victoria
Geological Formations of Greater Victoria
October 8, 2017 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Beaver Lake Road and Elk Lake Drive, Victoria, BC, Canada
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1)
A Cook’s Tour of Geological Formations of Greater Victoria
In this field trip we will visit representative examples of all of the geological formations (terranes) that occur in the Greater Victoria area. We will carpool to Armstrong Point in Sidney, Finlayson Point in Beacon Hill Park, Gonzales Beach in Victoria, the prehistoric estuary of the Goldstream River on Metchosin Road and will finish at Witty’s Lagoon/Tower Point in Metchosin. Along the way you will see the sandstone Nanaimo Group, the gneiss rock of the Wrangellia Terrane, the argillite and schist of the Pacific Rim Terrane and the pillow lava basalt of the Crescent Terrane. We will see lots of evidence of glaciation at the various stops.
Meet at the Beaver Lake Road entrance on Elk Lake Drive (in the Parking area by the Pat Bay Highway) at 10:00 a.m. for carpooling. A basic map of the sites to be visited will be provided. Walking at each site involves short easy trails and we should be finished at Witty’s Lagoon/Tower Point by 4:00 pm. Please bring a lunch. Contact John Henigman at jfhenigman@gmail.com or (778) 678-6439 if you need additional information. The book reference for this field trip is The Geology of Southern Vancouver Island Revised Edition by C.J. Yorath.
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Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding
October 10, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING Meets every Tuesday at the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 a.m., rain or shine. Birding activities take place at various locations around Greater Victoria.
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273 or Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634. Novice and experienced VNHS members all welcome.
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New Zealand Nature
New Zealand Nature
October 10, 2017 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Fraser Building, University of Victoria (Room 159)
NATURAL HISTORY NIGHT
Join Brooke Clibbon and Eric Tull for their presentation of New Zealand Nature! Brooke took video on a birding trip to New Zealand, and their video presentation shows many of the land birds and seabirds that they encountered, as well as the marine mammals. The video format shows interactions among the various wildlife species, especially a brutal fight between two male takahes—giant flightless gallinules—while the female watches casually. We meet at 7:30 p.m. in Room 159 of the Fraser Building at the University of Victoria. Free and all are welcome, so bring a friend! Note: UVic parking is $3.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 11, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Saturday Birding - Sidney
Saturday Birding - Sidney
October 14, 2017 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am
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The VNHS Saturday Birding Group will be going to check out the waterfront areas north of Sidney this Saturday October 14. Eric Tull will be your leader this week. Since October 15 is All Buffleheads Day, we are going in search of the return of the Bufflehead who generally return to this area on or about October 15 every year. Of course there will be lots of other birds on and off the water to see as well. Meet at 8:00 am at the end of Surfside Place in Sidney. Park on nearby Beaufort Rd. (Beacon, left on 3rd, right on Beaufort). We hope to link up with the ceremony organized by the Friends of Shoal Harbour for All Buffleheads Day at 9:30 am at the Ardwell Beach Access. See more details for this event at www.shoalharbour.com . For more details on the birding, contact Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634.
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Extra Juan de Fuca Pelagic trip
Extra Juan de Fuca Pelagic trip
October 14, 2017 @ 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
48.421861,-123.370167 (Wharf Street, Victoria, BC, Canada)
The two scheduled VNHS mini-pelagic trips to be held on Sat Sep 23 and Sun Oct 15 are almost full so we have scheduled another trip to be held on Sat Oct 14. Please email Agnes (thelynns@shaw.ca) if you wish to come on this Sat Oct 14 trip. See details below:
Saturday October 14
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1)
Juan de Fuca Pelagic Birding
We have once again hired the boat Fantasea II to go from Victoria Harbour out into the Juan De Fuca Strait and towards Race Rocks to find some of the pelagic species that feed there. We repeat this popular tour each year as it always turns up something to keep us interested in going again. We will follow the tide debris line that occurs between Victoria and Race Rocks as the currents cause an upwelling of nutrients from the bottom, resulting in the best feeding spots for the birds. Possible birds include shearwaters, murrelets, auklets, jaegers, Northern Fulmar, many species of gulls, phalaropes and other pelagics. We generally are able to go through Race Rocks to see close-up the variety of sea lions and seals that laze on the rocks there. We are sometimes treated to views of whales if they are in the area.
There is room for 20 people. The cost is $70.00 per person for VNHS members, $90.00 for non-members. The trip is 5 hours (9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.). Please book as soon as possible, by Oct 6 at the latest. First contact Agnes to reserve your spot. Then pay through PayPal (details when you register) or you can pay by cheque. Send cheque to VNHS, Box 5220, Victoria BC, V8R 6N4. Contact Agnes at thelynns at shaw.ca or (250) 721-0634 to reserve or if you need more information.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 15, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Juan de Fuca Pelagic Birding
Juan de Fuca Pelagic Birding
October 15, 2017 @ 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Victoria, BC, Canada
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1)
Please book as soon as possible, by Oct 7 at the latest.
We have once again hired the boat Fantasea II to go from Victoria Harbour out into the Juan De Fuca Strait and towards Race Rocks to find some of the pelagic species that feed there. Possible birds include shearwaters, murrelets, auklets, jaegers, Northern Fulmar, many species of gulls, phalaropes and other pelagics. We may go through Race Rocks to see the variety of sea lions and seals that laze on the rocks there. We sometimes see whales if they are in the area.
There is room for 20 people. The cost is $70.00 per person for VNHS members, $90.00 for non-members. The trip is 5 hours (9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.). Please book as soon as possible, by Oct 7 at the latest. First contact Agnes to reserve your spot. Then pay through PayPal (details when you register) or you can pay by cheque. Send cheque to VNHS, Box 5220, Victoria BC, V8R 6N4. See more details about the trip at http://vicnhs.bc.ca/fantasea.html . Contact Agnes at thelynns at shaw.ca or (250) 721-0634 to reserve or if you need more information.
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Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding
October 17, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING Meets every Tuesday at the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 a.m., rain or shine. Birding activities take place at various locations around Greater Victoria.
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273 or Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634. Novice and experienced VNHS members all welcome.
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Botany Night: Death Cap Mushrooms
Botany Night: Death Cap Mushrooms
October 17, 2017 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Swan Lake Nature House, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC V8X 3W1, Canada
BOTANY NIGHT
Death Cap Mushroom: Coming to a neighbourhood near you?
The deadly poisonous death cap mushroom is an ectomycorrhizal fungus that was inadvertently introduced to North America decades ago. Until recently, death cap mushroom in British Columbia has been found fruiting almost exclusively with exotic boulevard trees in the developed environs of Victoria and Vancouver. But that changed two years ago with the discovery that death cap mushroom can fruit in association with a native BC tree species. Will this host expansion lead to spread of death cap mushroom from our cities to our forests? What, if anything, can we do about this?
Join us for Shannon Berch’s presentation at Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature House, 7:30 p.m. Everyone welcome.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 18, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Birding at Viaduct Flats
Birding at Viaduct Flats
October 21, 2017 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Interurban Rd and Viaduct Ave., Victoria, BC, Canada
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2)
Come join the VNHS Saturday Birding Group at Viaduct Flats. The birds will be back enjoying this area by now after the quiet summer season. As well as good birds on the water, there should be lots in the surrounding woods. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the viewing platform. This is near the intersection of Interurban and Viaduct. Contact Agnes at thelynns at shaw.ca or (250) 721-0634 for more information.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 22, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding
October 24, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING Meets every Tuesday at the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 a.m., rain or shine. Birding activities take place at various locations around Greater Victoria.
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273 or Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634. Novice and experienced VNHS members all welcome.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 25, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Birder's Night: Coastal Raptors
Birder's Night: Coastal Raptors
October 25, 2017 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Fraser Building, Fraser Bldg, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
BIRDERS’ NIGHT
Coastal Raptors: A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two on the Beach!
Dan Varland, founder and Executive Director of the non-profit Coastal Raptors, will give a slide presentation on raptor banding research on the Washington coast. During his 22 years of research, Dan and a host of volunteers have captured and banded more than 300 raptors of eight species, including 240 Peregrine Falcons and 32 Bald Eagles. Once in hand, in addition to banding, blood and feather samples are taken to assess contaminant levels and disease exposure. There have been more than 1000 resightings of the marked birds, some made by residents of Vancouver Island from Victoria to Scarlett Point Lighthouse at the north end of the island. Dan will share the how and why birds are banded, how to report a banded bird, findings from the research, and the value of banding to conservation and research.
We meet in Room 159 of the Fraser Building, UVic at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Note: UVic parking is $3.
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Exploring Metchosin Wilderness Park
Exploring Metchosin Wilderness Park
October 27, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Clapham Drive and Rocky Point Road, Metchosin, BC
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 3)
Exploring Metchosin Wilderness Park (Clapham Drive entrance)
Join world-famous author and forest ecologist, Andy MacKinnon, for an exploration of a local forest, looking at fungi and plants. This outing is the companion field trip to Andy’s presentation in September (Tuesday, September 12, Natural History Night: Cool Plants and their Fungal Friends). It is meant to be timed with the beginning of the fall rains. Meet at 9:00 am at the Clapham Drive entrance to the Metchosin Wilderness Park, off Rocky Point Road. Contact Andy MacKinnon at metchosinmacs at gmail.com if you need additional information.
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Saturday Birding
Saturday Birding
October 28, 2017 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Victoria, BC, Canada
Meets every Saturday morning, usually at 8:00 a.m., rain or shine. Check here on the Thursday/Friday before to find out the week’s time and location. Novice and experienced VNHS members all welcome. Non-members can participate up to three times, after which they are expected to join the Society.
For more details or to find out time & location if it is not described here, contact Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634.
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Swan Lake Bird Walks
Swan Lake Bird Walks
October 29, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary, 3873 Swan Lake Rd, Victoria, BC, Canada
Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Bring your binoculars and walking shoes and meet in the parking lot for this informal and informative walk around the lake area. Walks are generally led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street. Note that the Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Store in Shelbourne Plaza posts the bird reports from the Sunday walk.
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Wild Mushroom Show
Wild Mushroom Show
October 29, 2017 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
5238 Cordova Bay Rd, Victoria, BC V8Y, Canada
SVIMS Annual Wild Mushroom Show—non-VNHS Event
You may wish to attend the South Vancouver Island Mycological Society Annual Wild Mushroom Show. Location is at the Cordova Bay 55+ facility at 5238 Cordova Bay Rd (next to Cordova Bay Elementary School). There is lots of close parking. View edible, incredible and dangerous fungi. There will be speaker presentations throughout the day. Also mushroom growing kits and mushroom books for sale. Bring your mushrooms to be identified by friendly and knowledgeable experts. Admission by donation. Open 10 a.m.–4 p.m. More details at www.svims.ca .
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Marine Night: Hitchhikers on Marine Debris
Marine Night: Hitchhikers on Marine Debris
October 30, 2017 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Fraser Building, University of Victoria (Room 159)
Hitchhikers on marine debris from the Great Japan Tsunami
The devastating Great Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011 washed an estimated five million tons of debris into the Pacific Ocean. This debris made the journey across the ocean to land on the shores of North America with over 300 species of fish, seaweed, and shellfish aboard; some of which are well-known global invaders. Dr. Cathryn Murray, Senior Aquatic Biologist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada will describe some of these species and the potential threats to our marine ecosystem.
Everyone is welcome. Note: Uvic parking is $3.
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Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding
October 31, 2017 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING Meets every Tuesday at the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 a.m., rain or shine. Birding activities take place at various locations around Greater Victoria.
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273 or Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634. Novice and experienced VNHS members all welcome.
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