May 11 – Victoria Natural History Society

2017 May 11

Aziza Cooper sends a picture of a fly, Epalpus signifer, on a Chocolate Lily in Uplands Park, May 9. Jeremy Tatum writes: The fly lays its eggs on… oh, I don’t think the rest of that is suitable for all viewers. Going to more pleasant matters, the flower is also known as the Chocolate Fritillary, and I don’t know whether the flower is named after the butterfly, or the butterfly is named after the flower. They both have (slightly) similar chequered patterns. I believe the flower got its name first, but it could be the other way round.

B Fly Uplands Pk 1.JPG

Epalpus signifer (Dip.: Tachinidae) Aziza Cooper

The first spraying for supposed Lymantria dispar in the Elk Lake/Bear Hill area has been postponed until Monday May 15, 5:00 – 7:30 am.

September 2024

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Monthly Butterfly Walk
Monthly Butterfly Walk

September 1, 2024 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2)

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.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

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.

See more details

Saturday Birding: Birding the Victoria Waterfront
Saturday Birding: Birding the Victoria Waterfront

September 7, 2024 @ 7:30 am - 10:30 am
Victoria Region

FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1)

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.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

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.

See more details
Natural History Night (in-person and Zoom)
Natural History Night (in-person and Zoom)

September 10, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Bilston Conservation Corridor Project

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.

Zoom participants, please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81916375688?pwd=zCSdfTSGwJB6JmOu0XNHSqh0wkAN12.1

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

See more details

Saturday Birding: Birding Jordan River
Saturday Birding: Birding Jordan River

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.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

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.

See more details
Botany Night
Botany Night

September 17, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

Presentation to be determined

Please check the online calendar for up-to-date information http://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?page_id=1518

Zoom participants, please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87824095556?pwd=LYGCaL4O99dsXGoSINzvf9uEozVfZf.1

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

See more details

Saturday Birding
Saturday Birding

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.

See more details

Tuesday Birding
Tuesday Birding

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.

See more details

Birders’ Night (in-person and Zoom)
Birders’ Night (in-person and Zoom)

September 25, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

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.

Zoom participants, please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87923516299?pwd=UOBWinvsupWkY9MaKBnsfTseN79VGu.1

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

See more details

Saturday Birding
Saturday Birding

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.

See more details

Marine Night (in-person and Zoom)
Marine Night (in-person and Zoom)

September 30, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

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.

Zoom participants, please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89760784321?pwd=UVFLQeu5aUN75IJ3AI7i8T55SAbTCx.1

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

See more details

	September 2024
Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 Monthly Butterfly Walk Monthly Butterfly Walk September 1, 2024 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 2) 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. See more details •	2	3 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding 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. See more details •	4	5	6	7 Saturday Birding: Birding the Victoria Waterfront Saturday Birding: Birding the Victoria Waterfront September 7, 2024 @ 7:30 am - 10:30 am Victoria Region FIELD TRIP (LEVEL 1) 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. See more details •
8	9	10 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding 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. See more details Natural History Night (in-person and Zoom) Natural History Night (in-person and Zoom) September 10, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Bilston Conservation Corridor Project 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. Zoom participants, please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81916375688?pwd=zCSdfTSGwJB6JmOu0XNHSqh0wkAN12.1 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See more details • •	11	12	13	14 Saturday Birding: Birding Jordan River Saturday Birding: Birding Jordan River 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. See more details •
15	16	17 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding 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. See more details Botany Night Botany Night September 17, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Presentation to be determined Please check the online calendar for up-to-date information http://www.vicnhs.bc.ca/?page_id=1518 Zoom participants, please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87824095556?pwd=LYGCaL4O99dsXGoSINzvf9uEozVfZf.1 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See more details • •	18	19	20	21 Saturday Birding Saturday Birding 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. See more details •
22	23	24 Tuesday Birding Tuesday Birding 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. See more details •	25 Birders’ Night (in-person and Zoom) Birders’ Night (in-person and Zoom) September 25, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm 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. Zoom participants, please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87923516299?pwd=UOBWinvsupWkY9MaKBnsfTseN79VGu.1 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See more details •	26	27	28 Saturday Birding Saturday Birding 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. See more details •
29	30 Marine Night (in-person and Zoom) Marine Night (in-person and Zoom) September 30, 2024 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm 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. Zoom participants, please register in advance for this meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89760784321?pwd=UVFLQeu5aUN75IJ3AI7i8T55SAbTCx.1 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See more details •