2022 December 21 – Victoria Natural History Society

2022 December 21

The Sun reached its greatest southerly declination at 1:48 pm PST today. In other words, winter has started – and it has started with a wintry blast. Unsurprisingly no invertebrates have been reported today. Instead, I pass along a small item of interest from outside the place and time interval usual for this site. I just heard recently that an American Lady was
seen in September in Cornwall, southwest England.

December 2024

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

December 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.

See more details

Langford Lake Christmas Bird Count Tune-up
Langford Lake Christmas Bird Count Tune-up

December 7, 2024 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Victoria Region

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2)

Meet at 8:30 a.m. for a chance to tune up your winter bird-spotting identification skills. This trip will cover the area around Langford Lake (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L2423287/bird-list). Bring your walking shoes, field guide, and notepad. This is a regular Saturday Birding Group outing but it is also a great opportunity for novice or near-novice Christmas Bird Counters to get some practice.

DIRECTIONS: meet at Langford Lanes parking lot on Langford Parkway.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

December 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.

See more details

CBC4Kids
CBC4Kids

December 14, 2024

We will again be partnering with Rocky Point Bird Observatory for a Christmas Bird Count for Kids in conjunction with our regular count day. This family-focused event at Beckwith Park, Saanich, is meant to encourage young birders to become engaged with citizen science, and we are delighted to include their observations in our official CBC results. If you are interested in helping out or would like more information, please contact RPBO at cbc4kids@rpbo.org.

See more details
Victoria Christmas Bird Count
Victoria Christmas Bird Count

December 14, 2024
Victoria Region

Everyone is welcome!

The Victoria Christmas Bird Count is on Saturday, December 14 this year. You don’t need to be an expert birder to participate. Novices will be teamed up with more experienced counters as much as possible. Anyone can help out by acting as a tally person or as a spotter. Most teams spend all of the daylight hours out in the field, but there is room for people who can only spend part of the day too. Come out for as long as you can!

See more details

North Salt Spring Island/Galiano Christmas Bird Count and South Salt Spring Island/Sidney Christmas Bird Count
North Salt Spring Island/Galiano Christmas Bird Count and South Salt Spring Island/Sidney Christmas Bird Count

December 15, 2024

South Salt Spring Island/Sidney CBC: Please contact Daniel Donnecke at sidneycbc@naturevictoria.ca.

North Salt Spring Island/Galiano CBC: Please contact Tim Marchant tim@timmarchant.com (North Salt Spring) or Mike Hoebel mhoebel@telus.net (Galiano Island).

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

December 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.

See more details

Birding at Rithet's Bog
Birding at Rithet's Bog

December 21, 2024 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Victoria Region

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1.5)
Meet at 8:30 a.m. We typically do this loop trail in spring, but it's also good for winter visitors and we can enjoy the year-round residents too (Rithet's Bog). A different set of waterfowl can be found, recently including Trumpeter Swan and Northern Shoveler. Virginia Rail is possible, and Barred Owl is frequently found here. Winter passerines include Varied Thrush and both kinglet species. Please wear waterproof footwear, as parts of the trail may be flooded. DIRECTIONS: Park along Dalewood Lane, just off Chatterton Way at the northwest corner of the Bog.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

December 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.

See more details

Sooke Christmas Bird Count
Sooke Christmas Bird Count

December 27, 2024

Please contact Robyn Byrne at sookecbc@rpbo.org.

See more details

Saturday Birding
Saturday Birding

December 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.

See more details

Duncan Christmas Bird Count
Duncan Christmas Bird Count

December 29, 2024

Please contact Gail Mitchell and Tania Tripp at cbcbcdu@gmail.com.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

December 31, 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.

See more details

	December 2024
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1	2	3 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding December 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. See more details •	4	5	6	7 Langford Lake Christmas Bird Count Tune-up Langford Lake Christmas Bird Count Tune-up December 7, 2024 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am Victoria Region FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2) Meet at 8:30 a.m. for a chance to tune up your winter bird-spotting identification skills. This trip will cover the area around Langford Lake (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L2423287/bird-list). Bring your walking shoes, field guide, and notepad. This is a regular Saturday Birding Group outing but it is also a great opportunity for novice or near-novice Christmas Bird Counters to get some practice. DIRECTIONS: meet at Langford Lanes parking lot on Langford Parkway. See more details •
8	9	10 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding December 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. See more details •	11	12	13	14 CBC4Kids CBC4Kids December 14, 2024 We will again be partnering with Rocky Point Bird Observatory for a Christmas Bird Count for Kids in conjunction with our regular count day. This family-focused event at Beckwith Park, Saanich, is meant to encourage young birders to become engaged with citizen science, and we are delighted to include their observations in our official CBC results. If you are interested in helping out or would like more information, please contact RPBO at cbc4kids@rpbo.org. See more details Victoria Christmas Bird Count Victoria Christmas Bird Count December 14, 2024 Victoria Region Everyone is welcome! The Victoria Christmas Bird Count is on Saturday, December 14 this year. You don’t need to be an expert birder to participate. Novices will be teamed up with more experienced counters as much as possible. Anyone can help out by acting as a tally person or as a spotter. Most teams spend all of the daylight hours out in the field, but there is room for people who can only spend part of the day too. Come out for as long as you can! See more details • •
15 North Salt Spring Island/Galiano Christmas Bird Count and South Salt Spring Island/Sidney Christmas Bird Count North Salt Spring Island/Galiano Christmas Bird Count and South Salt Spring Island/Sidney Christmas Bird Count December 15, 2024 South Salt Spring Island/Sidney CBC: Please contact Daniel Donnecke at sidneycbc@naturevictoria.ca. North Salt Spring Island/Galiano CBC: Please contact Tim Marchant tim@timmarchant.com (North Salt Spring) or Mike Hoebel mhoebel@telus.net (Galiano Island). See more details •	16	17 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding December 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. See more details •	18	19	20	21 Birding at Rithet's Bog Birding at Rithet's Bog December 21, 2024 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am Victoria Region FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1.5) Meet at 8:30 a.m. We typically do this loop trail in spring, but it's also good for winter visitors and we can enjoy the year-round residents too (Rithet's Bog). A different set of waterfowl can be found, recently including Trumpeter Swan and Northern Shoveler. Virginia Rail is possible, and Barred Owl is frequently found here. Winter passerines include Varied Thrush and both kinglet species. Please wear waterproof footwear, as parts of the trail may be flooded. DIRECTIONS: Park along Dalewood Lane, just off Chatterton Way at the northwest corner of the Bog. See more details •
22	23	24 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding December 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. See more details •	25	26	27 Sooke Christmas Bird Count Sooke Christmas Bird Count December 27, 2024 Please contact Robyn Byrne at sookecbc@rpbo.org. See more details •	28 Saturday Birding Saturday Birding December 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. See more details •
29 Duncan Christmas Bird Count Duncan Christmas Bird Count December 29, 2024 Please contact Gail Mitchell and Tania Tripp at cbcbcdu@gmail.com. See more details •	30	31 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding December 31, 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. See more details •