2025 January 21 – Victoria Natural History Society

2025 January 21

Barb McGrenere sends a splendid photograph of a cauliflower – with a Large Yellow Underwing caterpillar, which had been feeding on it.

Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba (Lep.: Noctuidae) Barb McGrenere

Jeremy Tatum sends a photograph of a firebrat from his Saanich apartment.

Firebrat Thermobia domestica (Thy.: Lepismatidae) Jeremy Tatum

February 2025

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Birding Cowichan Bay
Birding Cowichan Bay

February 1, 2025 @ 7:30 am - 1:00 pm
Victoria Region

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1)

Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Helmcken Road Park & Ride or 8:30 at the parking area near the west end of Westcan Terminal Road. Carpooling from the Park & Ride is recommended. The mostly open flats of the Cowichan Bay area offer excellent winter birding. We can expect to see hundreds or thousands of ducks (both dabblers and bay ducks), Trumpeter and Mute Swans, Northern Harrier, a wide variety of passerines, and much more. We’ll bird in at least two locations in the area, and time allowing, make one or two other stops in the Cowichan Valley. DIRECTIONS: The Helmcken Road Park & Ride is located at the Helmcken Interchange with Highway 1. Westcan Terminal Road is near the south end of Tzouhalem Road.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

February 4, 2025 @ 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 Copley Park and Panama Flats
Birding Copley Park and Panama Flats

February 8, 2025 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Victoria Region

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2)

Meet: 8:30 a.m. at Copley Park. From Copley Park, we’ll take the Colquitz Trail toward Panama Hill Park, checking the edge habitats near the houses for birds. After crossing Roy Road, we’ll do a loop around Panama Hill Park and scan the north end of Panama Flats for ducks and raptors. On the way back, we’ll stop by a field at Northridge Elementary School before returning to Copley Park. The route is relatively flat but waterproof hiking boots are recommended due to wet areas. DIRECTIONS: From McKenzie Avenue, turn right onto Glanford Avenue and continue for approximately 1 kilometre. Turn left onto Vanalman Avenue, drive 500 metres, then take a right onto Parkridge Street. Park in the Copley West Park parking lot.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

February 11, 2025 @ 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 Island View Beach
Birding Island View Beach

February 15, 2025 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am
Victoria Region

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1.5)

Meet: 8:30 a.m. Island View Beach is the only local location that offers relatively undisturbed beach, dune, wetland, and shrub ecosystems, and is home to numerous resident and migratory bird species. At this time of year, Haro Strait continues to host large numbers of diving ducks, loons, grebes, cormorants, and gulls. A few Brant Geese have been observed at Island View this month; throughout March and April, many more will stop here to rest and refuel on their northbound migration. Northern Harrier and Northern Shrike are among the possibilities in the fields. A spotting scope will be helpful to see distant birds offshore and up on the ridge. DIRECTIONS: To reach Island View Beach, go north on the Pat Bay Highway, turn right at the lights at Island View Road (Michell’s Market) and follow that road to a left on Homathko Drive, which leads to the parking lot. Meet at the north end of the parking lot.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

February 18, 2025 @ 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 Sheringham Point
Birding Sheringham Point

February 22, 2025 @ 6:00 am - 1:00 pm
Victoria Region

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 3)

Meet at 6:00 a.m. at Helmcken Road Park & Ride or 7:00 at the Sheringham Point parking lot. Carpooling is recommended.

Sheringham Point is an easily accessible headland for seawatch on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There is a small parking lot with a short steep trail downhill to the lighthouse. As the site is volunteer run and maintained, admission to the site is by donation ($5 per person suggested).

Afterwards, we can warm up with a visit to Shirley Delicious. If time permits, Jordan River is not much further along the road and we can head there for a look too.

DIRECTIONS: Take Highway 14 beyond downtown Sooke. After you see the Shirley Fire Hall on the left, Sheringham Point Road will be the next left (by the Shirley Delicious cafe). Travel approximately 1.7 kilometres down Sheringham Point Road to the parking lot, following the Lighthouse signs.

See more details

Marine Night: Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research in British Columbia
Marine Night: Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research in British Columbia

February 24, 2025 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Michelle Paleczny and Dr Sarah Dudas, biologists in the Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Program at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, will share highlights of their research, which contributes to monitoring and protecting biodiversity in nearshore and intertidal ecosystems coast-wide. Stories will range from using underwater cameras to study animals in coastal inlets to potential microplastic pollution in our coastal marine communities. Register for Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtcOGsrj4rHNSk7DBRjcYP4-Fw40D_MsL-

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

February 25, 2025 @ 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

Birders’ Night: California Condors - Back from the Brink
Birders’ Night: California Condors - Back from the Brink

February 26, 2025 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Join Maria Montag of the Friends of California Condors Wild and Free for an introduction to this magnificent, critically endangered species including a brief overview of the California Condor Recovery Program.

This presentation will include natural history details about the critically endangered California condor from their emergence during the Pleistocene through their decline and their eventual status as “extinct in the wild”. The Condor Recovery Program, which has successfully reintroduced California Condors into the wild, will be discussed including captive breeding efforts, how the wild flock is managed, and ongoing threats.

While the speaker will be joining us on Zoom, members and visitors are welcome to join us in-person at Berwick Royal Oak to watch the presentation together. Register for the Zoom presentation at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84383582567?pwd=P8ipYmYL3F3uJGMD1CorEa510kaoVq.1

See more details

	February 2025
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
						1 Birding Cowichan Bay Birding Cowichan Bay February 1, 2025 @ 7:30 am - 1:00 pm Victoria Region FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1) Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Helmcken Road Park & Ride or 8:30 at the parking area near the west end of Westcan Terminal Road. Carpooling from the Park & Ride is recommended. The mostly open flats of the Cowichan Bay area offer excellent winter birding. We can expect to see hundreds or thousands of ducks (both dabblers and bay ducks), Trumpeter and Mute Swans, Northern Harrier, a wide variety of passerines, and much more. We’ll bird in at least two locations in the area, and time allowing, make one or two other stops in the Cowichan Valley. DIRECTIONS: The Helmcken Road Park & Ride is located at the Helmcken Interchange with Highway 1. Westcan Terminal Road is near the south end of Tzouhalem Road. See more details •
2	3	4 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding February 4, 2025 @ 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 •	5	6	7	8 Birding Copley Park and Panama Flats Birding Copley Park and Panama Flats February 8, 2025 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am Victoria Region FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2) Meet: 8:30 a.m. at Copley Park. From Copley Park, we’ll take the Colquitz Trail toward Panama Hill Park, checking the edge habitats near the houses for birds. After crossing Roy Road, we’ll do a loop around Panama Hill Park and scan the north end of Panama Flats for ducks and raptors. On the way back, we’ll stop by a field at Northridge Elementary School before returning to Copley Park. The route is relatively flat but waterproof hiking boots are recommended due to wet areas. DIRECTIONS: From McKenzie Avenue, turn right onto Glanford Avenue and continue for approximately 1 kilometre. Turn left onto Vanalman Avenue, drive 500 metres, then take a right onto Parkridge Street. Park in the Copley West Park parking lot. See more details •
9	10	11 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding February 11, 2025 @ 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 •	12	13	14	15 Birding Island View Beach Birding Island View Beach February 15, 2025 @ 8:30 am - 11:30 am Victoria Region FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1.5) Meet: 8:30 a.m. Island View Beach is the only local location that offers relatively undisturbed beach, dune, wetland, and shrub ecosystems, and is home to numerous resident and migratory bird species. At this time of year, Haro Strait continues to host large numbers of diving ducks, loons, grebes, cormorants, and gulls. A few Brant Geese have been observed at Island View this month; throughout March and April, many more will stop here to rest and refuel on their northbound migration. Northern Harrier and Northern Shrike are among the possibilities in the fields. A spotting scope will be helpful to see distant birds offshore and up on the ridge. DIRECTIONS: To reach Island View Beach, go north on the Pat Bay Highway, turn right at the lights at Island View Road (Michell’s Market) and follow that road to a left on Homathko Drive, which leads to the parking lot. Meet at the north end of the parking lot. See more details •
16	17	18 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding February 18, 2025 @ 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 •	19	20	21	22 Birding Sheringham Point Birding Sheringham Point February 22, 2025 @ 6:00 am - 1:00 pm Victoria Region FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 3) Meet at 6:00 a.m. at Helmcken Road Park & Ride or 7:00 at the Sheringham Point parking lot. Carpooling is recommended. Sheringham Point is an easily accessible headland for seawatch on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There is a small parking lot with a short steep trail downhill to the lighthouse. As the site is volunteer run and maintained, admission to the site is by donation ($5 per person suggested). Afterwards, we can warm up with a visit to Shirley Delicious. If time permits, Jordan River is not much further along the road and we can head there for a look too. DIRECTIONS: Take Highway 14 beyond downtown Sooke. After you see the Shirley Fire Hall on the left, Sheringham Point Road will be the next left (by the Shirley Delicious cafe). Travel approximately 1.7 kilometres down Sheringham Point Road to the parking lot, following the Lighthouse signs. See more details •
23	24 Marine Night: Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research in British Columbia Marine Night: Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research in British Columbia February 24, 2025 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Michelle Paleczny and Dr Sarah Dudas, biologists in the Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Program at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, will share highlights of their research, which contributes to monitoring and protecting biodiversity in nearshore and intertidal ecosystems coast-wide. Stories will range from using underwater cameras to study animals in coastal inlets to potential microplastic pollution in our coastal marine communities. Register for Zoom at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtcOGsrj4rHNSk7DBRjcYP4-Fw40D_MsL- See more details •	25 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding February 25, 2025 @ 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 •	26 Birders’ Night: California Condors - Back from the Brink Birders’ Night: California Condors - Back from the Brink February 26, 2025 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Join Maria Montag of the Friends of California Condors Wild and Free for an introduction to this magnificent, critically endangered species including a brief overview of the California Condor Recovery Program. This presentation will include natural history details about the critically endangered California condor from their emergence during the Pleistocene through their decline and their eventual status as “extinct in the wild”. The Condor Recovery Program, which has successfully reintroduced California Condors into the wild, will be discussed including captive breeding efforts, how the wild flock is managed, and ongoing threats. While the speaker will be joining us on Zoom, members and visitors are welcome to join us in-person at Berwick Royal Oak to watch the presentation together. Register for the Zoom presentation at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84383582567?pwd=P8ipYmYL3F3uJGMD1CorEa510kaoVq.1 See more details •	27	28