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 Invertebrate Alert ( http://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?cat=8 ) or the calendar (https://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?page_id=1518 ) closer to the date. Contact Gordon Hart at 250-721-1264 or butterflies@vicnhs.bc.ca for more information.
September 3, 2024 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING. 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.
Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Cattle Point. This is a good time to check out the waterfront for shorebirds and sea birds. We will wander around Cattle Point and then make a few stops between there and Clover Point, and finally we’ll end up at the Ogden Point Breakwater.
DIRECTIONS: Cattle Point is on Beach Drive between Rutland Road and Dorset Road.
September 10, 2024 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING. 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.
Directors of the Metchosin Foundation will discuss the inspiration and the urgency to establish conservation pockets and connected corridors within Metchosin’s remaining rural areas, with a particular focus on the Bilston Conservation Corridor (BCC) Project. The ambitious, multi-year BCC Project aims to protect biodiversity and contribute to climate resiliency, by working with partnering agencies and local landowners to establish a 7 km corridor of protected spaces, from the Bilston Creek headwaters to the estuary at Witty’s Lagoon. The BCC Project area includes diverse ecosystems and habitats featuring dry Coastal Douglas-fir forests, Garry oak meadows, rocky knolls, ponds, wetlands and streams. The Metchosin Foundation publicly launched the BCC Project in May 2024 in a media release announcing the establishment of the 32-acre Bilston Headwaters Nature Reserve, in collaboration with BC Parks Foundation.
September 14, 2024 @ 7:30 am - 1:30 pm Victoria Region
FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2)
Meet at 7:30 a.m. at Helmcken Park & Ride (8:30 a.m. at Jordan River Bridge).
Jordan River is a hot spot for rarities in spring and fall migration. We’ll look for various migrants along the beach and shore in front of the campground, walk through the lands across from the lumber operation, and walk the riparian corridors up to the abandoned power station, and back along the shorefront and flat riparian strip along West Coast Road.
DIRECTIONS: For those traveling from Victoria, we will meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Helmcken Road Park & Ride parking lot located at the Helmcken Interchange with Highway 1. It takes roughly 1.1 hours to drive to the Jordan River Bridge on West Coast Road. The goal is to be at the Jordan River Bridge (campground side) just after 8:30 a.m. Day parking is available in the campground at the bridge.
September 17, 2024 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING. 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.
September 21, 2024 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am Victoria Region
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.
September 24, 2024 @ 9:00 am - 12:00 pm Corner of Bowker Ave. and Bowker Place, Victoria
TUESDAY BIRDING. 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.
Herring and Birds in Hesquiat, Northwest Vancouver Island
For the past three years, in collaboration with the BC Important Bird Area Program, young ornithologists including Hannah Hickli have performed field surveys of this hard to access and beautiful stretch of the Northwest coast. Hannah will have just returned to Victoria after a month in Hesquiat surveying trophic interactions of a fascinating phenomenological event, the Pacific herring spawn. Join us to hear her experiences with the spring wildlife frenzy which draws in seabirds, bears, whales, people, and tens of thousands of gulls.
September 28, 2024 @ 8:00 am - 11:00 am Victoria Region
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.
Protecting the Home of the Orcas: The Proposed National Marine Conservation Area Reserve in the Southern Strait of Georgia.
The Salish Sea in BC is an area of spectacular beauty, biologically diverse marine waters, and rich cultural history. It is home to almost 3 million people and 3000 wildlife species, including the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales. To protect this region for the health and prosperity of future generations, local First Nations are working with Parks Canada on the feasibility of a National Marine Conservation Area Reserve in the Southern Strait of Georgia.
