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.
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.
SWAN LAKE GUIDED BIRD WALKS – Every Wednesday 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 led by Victoria Natural History Society members. Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary is at 3873 Swan Lake Road, off Ralph Street.
Join us on our monthly Butterfly Walk. Each outing is intended to help us learn more about local butterflies. This field trip is weather-dependent as it needs to be sunny and warm to make it worthwhile. We start at the top of Mount Tolmie (off Cedar Hill X Road). Meet at 1 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. Car-pooling is encouraged. We try to return by 4 p.m. Cancellations or special instructions will be posted on the calendar closer to the date. Contact Gordon Hart at 250-721-1264 or butterflies@vicnhs.bc.ca for more information.
Meet at 7:30 p.m. Blenkinsop Lake is a great place for evening birding. Commuting cyclists and group running clubs are done for the day and we should have the trail largely to ourselves. Late in the day, diurnal birds are starting to wind down but are still foraging for the day's last meal for themselves and their young. A few songbirds sing until late in the day or even for awhile after sunset. Crepuscular birds such as owls will be active. DIRECTIONS: Parking is available between Don Mann Excavating (4098 Lochside Drive) and the Lochside Trail.
June 3, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
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.
Novice and experienced Nature Victoria members are welcome!
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273.
June 7, 2025 @ 7:30 am - 10:30 am Hartland Regional Park, 1 Hartland Ave, Victoria, BC V9E 1J9, Canada
LEVEL 3.0
Meet: 7:30 a.m. at the parking lot next to Hartland landfill entrance.
Killarney Lake is located downslope on the eastern side of Mount Work near the Hartland Landfill, yet it has remained relatively undiscovered by most of the Victoria community. The lake is situated in a lush Douglas-fir forest that is home to Western Flycatcher, Olive-sided Flycatcher, wrens, various thrushes and warblers, and other species. We walk down the powerlines to the trail that circles the lake, on the way we may spot MacGillivray's Warbler in the scrub. As we move down into the forest, we'll be on the lookout for woodpeckers and owls. We'll circle the lake, stopping at main beach to scan for any waterbirds and swallows, before continuing on to where we entered the area. Total trail length is roughly 2.6 kilometres and has some steeper spots but is reasonable. The one caution is the powerlines approach as we'll be sharing the trail with mountain bikers.
DIRECTIONS: From West Saanich Road, head up Hartland Road all the way to the landfill. Parking lots are clearly marked.
June 10, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
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.
Novice and experienced Nature Victoria members are welcome!
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273.
June 14, 2025 @ 7:30 am - 10:30 am Victoria Region
FIELDTRIP (LEVEL 2)
Meet at 7:30 a.m. Join us at Florence Lake and Langford Lake. At Florence Lake, listen for Soras or Virginia Rails. Sometimes we find Steller's Jays, Band-tailed Pigeons, and other birds not too common in town. Then we'll continue to Langford Lake, to look for birds in the marshy areas, open fields, and woods. DIRECTIONS TO FLORENCE LAKE: Take the Island Highway to Exit 15 (McCallum Road). Turn right at the stop sign, and you will be on McCallum/Spencer Road. Turn left on Springboard Place. Park at the end of the road (not in the turnaround), where we will meet. DIRECTIONS TO LANGFORD LAKE: Return on McCallum/Spencer Road to the corner by the gas station. Curve around the front of the gas station onto the frontage road that leads to the Leigh Road overpass. Turn left at Leigh Road and cross the highway on the overpass. Turn right on Goldstream Avenue. Park at the west end of Goldstream Avenue just before it dead ends at the highway. Meet at the parking pullout; the group will walk to the boardwalk from there.
June 17, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
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.
Novice and experienced Nature Victoria members are welcome!
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273.
June 21, 2025 @ 7:30 am - 10:30 am Victoria Region
FIELDTRIP (LEVEL 1)
Meet at 7:30 a.m. A mostly level walk along a small lake and a circular trail through coniferous coastal Douglas-fir forest. In this private sanctuary and eBird hotspot, we should see and hear a good selection of woodpeckers, flycatchers, vireos, wrens, and warblers. A donation of $5 is requested to help offset the cost of property insurance for visitors. DIRECTIONS: 1772 Millstream Road in Highlands District. Park on the road; we will walk in.
June 24, 2025 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
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.
Novice and experienced Nature Victoria members are welcome!
For more information call Bill Dancer at 250-721-5273.
June 28, 2025 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am Victoria Region
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2)
Located in Gowlland Tod Provincial Park, the trail to Tod Inlet passes through a lush forest above Tod Creek before reaching the scenic inlet that is home to many different types of plants and wildlife. On the trail down to the inlet, we may find a few woodpecker species, warblers, Western Flycatcher, and possibly a few others. Down at the inlet, we'll see Purple Martin nest boxes. DIRECTIONS: The trail to Tod Inlet begins along Wallace Drive near Butchart Gardens. Follow West Saanich Road north from Royal Oak, turning left and driving north on to Wallace Drive. From Sidney, take Keating Road, cross West Saanich, and head toward Butchart Gardens. Near Butchart Gardens, turn on Wallace Drive and head south for 1 kilometre. Parking is along the roadside on Wallace Drive.
