Calendar

June 2020: Please review the Field Trip Guidelines for the COVID-19 Environment on the Field Trip Guidelines page.

Note that while evening presentations are open to the public, field trips are for members only. Click here for our Field Trip Guidelines for participants and leaders.

If space allows, guests may join for up to three trips, after which they are expected to join the Society.

Codes for Field Trip Difficulty Levels:
LEVEL 1—Easy walking, mostly level paths.
LEVEL 2—Paths can be narrow with uneven terrain.
LEVEL 3—Obstacles in paths or steeper grades, requiring agility.
LEVEL 4—Very steep, insecure footing, or longer hikes requiring good physical condition.
Please—no pets on VNHS field trips.

If you would like to do a talk or know someone who might, please contact one of the presentation night coordinators. If you have an idea for a field trip or wish to volunteer as a leader, please contact the Field Trip Coordinator. Many of you do interesting things either for fun or for work, and it would be great to share! See Contact page for email addresses and phone numbers.

ATTENTION: We ask that you be double vaccinated to participate in VNHS field trips, keep physical distance but if unable, put on your mask. Please check this site for up-to-date information on these events.

TUESDAY MORNING BIRDING – Meets every Tuesday one block south of the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 a.m. or at the foot of Bowker Ave at 9:30 a.m. Birding activities take place at various locations around Greater Victoria. For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273. Novice and experienced VNHS members all welcome.

SATURDAY MORNING BIRDING – Meets every Saturday morning, usually at 8:00 a.m., rain or shine. Check on the Calendar on the Thursday/Friday before to find out the week’s location. Novice and experienced VNHS members all welcome. For more details, contact Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634.

SWAN LAKE GUIDED BIRD WALKS – Every Wednesday and Sunday at 9:00 a.m. Jointly sponsored by Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary and Victoria Natural History Society. 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.

Note: Some presentations can also viewed on the VNHS’ Youtube Channel

	March 2023
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 1, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details •	2	3	4 Saturday Birding - Witty's Lagoon Park Saturday Birding - Witty's Lagoon Park March 4, 2023 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am Witty's Lagoon Regional Park Nature House, 4115 Metchosin Rd, Victoria, BC V9C 3Z6, Canada Saturday Birding - Witty's Lagoon Park Field Trip (Level 3) The Victoria Natural History Society Birding Group will go to Witty's Lagoon Park. Meet at 8:00 am at the main parking lot. Due to the diversity of habitat types at this park, Witty's is a year-round birding hotspot, hosting a good variety of shorebirds, gulls, diving ducks, dabblers, raptors and passerines. From the parking lot, the trail drops quickly via a scenic waterfall to the beach. This parking lot for Witty’s Lagoon Park is in on Metchosin Road just across from the golf course. Bring a mask for use when you are close to other participants. For more details, contact Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or phone 250-721-0634 if you are not able to send an email.  Organiser: Victoria Natural History Society See more details •
5 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 5, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details •	6	7 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding March 7, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria TUESDAY BIRDING. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. We meet every Tuesday, one block south of the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 am, or at the foot of Bowker Ave at 9:30 am, 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. See more details VNHS Board VNHS Board March 7, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm See more details Victoria NHS Board Meeting Victoria NHS Board Meeting March 7, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm https://us06web.zoom.us/w/88076817621?tk=Il8Oxp0jNYO3YclZpETKb0PxDJGvXtUZUbzFNaSF4jU.DQMAAAAUgcmU1RZmbkVsMl8wR1RBMmlpRnBSbnlEejNBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA&pwd=Q2N2cGdBekFac3lSNzRIOUlFcHFWUT09 BC Nature is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Victoria NHS Board Meeting Time: Mar 7, 2023 7:30 PM Vancouver Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/w/88076817621?tk=Il8Oxp0jNYO3YclZpETKb0PxDJGvXtUZUbzFNaSF4jU.DQMAAAAUgcmU1RZmbkVsMl8wR1RBMmlpRnBSbnlEejNBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA&pwd=Q2N2cGdBekFac3lSNzRIOUlFcHFWUT09 Meeting ID: 880 7681 7621 Passcode: 625347 One tap mobile +17789072071,,88076817621#,,,,625347# Canada +17806660144,,88076817621#,,,,625347# Canada Dial by your location +1 778 907 2071 Canada +1 780 666 0144 Canada +1 204 272 7920 Canada +1 438 809 7799 Canada +1 587 328 1099 Canada +1 647 374 4685 Canada +1 647 558 0588 Canada Meeting ID: 880 7681 7621 Passcode: 625347 Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kc9WxmV0vN See more details • • •	8 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 8, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 8, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details • •	9	10	11 Saturday Birding Saturday Birding March 11, 2023 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am Victoria Field Trip (Level 2/3) Birding Island View Beach & Saanichton Spit We will walk along beside Island View Beach and continue out to the end of the park. There are still a lot of birds on the water as well as other good possibilities on land. Brant Geese may be resting at the water’s edge at this time of year and we always can hope for a Black Scoter as it’s one of the few locations where they are found in the Victoria area. We’ll walk back along the trail away from the water to check for a Shrike or maybe a Northern Harrier. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the north end of the parking lot. To reach Island View Beach, go north on the Pat Bay highway, turn right at the lights at Island View Rd (Michell's Market) and follow that to Homathko Rd. Follow Homathko Road to the end. Contact Agnes at thelynns at shaw.ca or (250) 721-0634 for more information. Meets every Saturday morning, usually at 8:00 a.m., rain or shine. We ask that participants have both vaccines completed, to come on this walk. 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.  Organiser: Victoria Natural History Society See more details •
12 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 12, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details •	13	14 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding March 14, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria TUESDAY BIRDING. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. We meet every Tuesday, one block south of the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 am, or at the foot of Bowker Ave at 9:30 am, 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. See more details Natural History Night Natural History Night March 14, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm NATURAL HISTORY NIGHT AND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. The Polar Bears of Churchill: Now You See Them, Soon You May Not Every year, thousands of tourists flock to the isolated community of Churchill perched on the barren west shore of Hudson’s Bay in Northern Manitoba. They come to see the town’s star attraction - polar bears. In late October and early November, these animals begin congregating around the town waiting to set out on the pack ice to hunt seals. But the ice - so essential to the survival of this species - is forming later and melting earlier due to climate change. In this presentation, Rick Searle will delve into the biology and ecology of this magnificent animal as well as the challenges it faces. Please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcod-2orTwtG9NJAy7qzqhPEnGebatoK7Oo After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Or go to the VNHS online calendar and click on the March 14 Natural History Night/AGM description for the link and instructions on how to join. See more details • •	15 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 15, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details •	16	17	18 Saturday Birding - Centennial Park and Maber Flats Saturday Birding - Centennial Park and Maber Flats March 18, 2023 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am Centennial Park, 7526 Wallace Dr, Saanichton, BC V8M 1V8, Canada Saturday Birding Group Sat Mar 18 Centennial Park and Maber Flats FIELD TRIP (LEVEL2/3) The VNHS Saturday Birding Group will be going to Centennial Park in Central Saanich on Sat Mar 18 starting at 8:00 am. We will start in Centennial Park but will go down towards Maber Flats as well. To get to the starting point, turn off Wallace Drive at the Hovey Rd entrance to Centennial Park. Meet at the main parking lot next to the Lawn Bowling Club. Just to the south before the turnoff, watch for the American Kestrel which often hangs out on the hydro lines around Stellys Cross Rd and Wallace Dr. Please bring a mask to wear when you are in close contact with others. For more details, contact Agnes Lynn at thelynns at shaw.ca or 250-721-0634.  Organiser: Victoria Natural History Society See more details •
19 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 19, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details •	20	21 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding March 21, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria TUESDAY BIRDING. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. We meet every Tuesday, one block south of the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 am, or at the foot of Bowker Ave at 9:30 am, 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. See more details Botany Night Botany Night March 21, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm BOTANY NIGHT On Zoom (see link below) Adventures in BC’s Provincial Parks In 2022, the BC Parks iNaturalist Team conducted biological inventories in 55 parks and protected areas throughout the southern half of BC. Over 5 months, the team collected more than 135,000 observations of nearly 6,000 species, including more than 79,000 observations of plants. In the course the 2022 project, the team experienced unique protected ecosystems, stunning landscapes, and a huge variety of interesting species. The core field team of Julia Carr, Eva Ullstrom, Finn McGhee, and Braden Judson will share photos and highlights from their incredible year. Please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkcuusrTouGdb6Z3O3EpDhGZGs8ten366M After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See more details • •	22 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 22, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details Birders' Night Birders' Night March 22, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Rare Birds of Alaska David Sonneborn is believed to have seen more birds in Alaska than anyone else. As he has aged, he has been chasing less and enjoying the local scene in Anchorage more. He has seen nearly 430 species in the state but he has not been keeping careful count recently. He took up bird photography to document rarities that he was seeing and with little interest and less skill in photography, he is renowned for horrible photos of rare birds which he will share with us. News and announcements at 7:30 followed by the presentation. Come early to socialize! Please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpcemqpj8oHt0qfiRlXKRnyawXxKt1JYw0 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See more details • •	23	24	25 Field Trip: Almost Everything Field Trip: Almost Everything March 25, 2023 TBA Field Trip (LEVEL 2/3) Almost Everything Event One might think that there is nothing much to see in the woods in March, so this event is intended to show you that this is not true. Juliet and Kem will dabble in lichens, mushrooms and mosses. The location in Metchosin has been chosen due to the great diversity of these interesting organisms. This is a good time of year to see the mosses and lichens before they dry up and become more difficult to enjoy looking at. There will be a few mushrooms and remnants thereof that we should see also. We will probably talk about why we really can’t classify mushrooms, and lichens as well, as ‘Plants’. You will be encouraged to bring a hand lens if you have one. You must pre-register after March 5 if you want to come. The number of participants will be limited to minimize habitat damage and allow optimal exchange of information. Start time and directions for where and when we will start will be provided when you sign up. Contact Agnes for further information and to register. Preferably email her at thelynns at shaw.ca or phone 250-721-0634 if you are not able to send an email. See more details Saturday Birding: Panama Flats Saturday Birding: Panama Flats March 25, 2023 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am Victoria Field Trip (Level 2/3) Birding around Panama Flats You are welcome to join the VNHS Saturday Morning Birding Group who will explore Panama Flats on Saturday March 25. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the small parking lot near the playground. We will walk up the west side. The area should be full of the water birds that we enjoy over the winter and early spring months. Also, there are usually plenty of other residents around the edges. To reach this meeting place, turn off Interurban Rd at Hyacinth and follow the road to the end. Organiser: Victoria Natural History Society See more details • •
26 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 26, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details •	27 Marine Night Marine Night March 27, 2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Keeping up with Sea Changes – A Tale Encompassing a Cast of Thousands SeaChange is a non-profit charitable society working with community partners on marine education, conservation and restoration in the Salish Sea and BC. Nikki Wright, Executive Director of SeaChange Marine Conservation Society from 1998 to 2022 will speak about the work of the Sea Change Society. In 1999, 1800 eelgrass (Zostera marina) shoots were transplanted in Tod Inlet, a small inlet off Saanich Inlet north of Victoria BC. From that success was born the Seagrass Conservation Working Group in 2001 (www.seagrassconservation.org) and over 40 restored eelgrass habitats within the Salish Sea. SeaChange surveyed eelgrass within the Islands Trust Area between 2012 -2014. Maps created from these surveys can be viewed and downloaded from the Islands Trust Fund Ecosystem Inventories web site: https://islandstrust.bc.ca/programs/ecosystem-inventories/ Please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIof-2qrj0oEtS4px9MLqRLySX2Na-5Xkr- After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Or go to the VNHS online calendar and click on the March 27 Marine Night description for the link and instructions on how to join. See more details •	28 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding March 28, 2023 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria TUESDAY BIRDING. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. We meet every Tuesday, one block south of the foot of Bowker Ave on the waterfront (off Beach Drive) at 9:00 am, or at the foot of Bowker Ave at 9:30 am, 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. See more details •	29 Swan Lake Bird Walks Swan Lake Bird Walks March 29, 2023 @ 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. We ask that participants be double vaccinated, keep physical distance but if unable, put on a mask. 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. See more details •	30	31

June 2020: Please review the Field Trip Guidelines for the COVID-19 Environment on the Field Trip Guidelines page.

Note that while evening presentations are open to the public, field trips are for members only. Click here for our Field Trip Guidelines for participants and leaders.

March 2023