Only 2 birders – Lidia and I – went on a short-notice outing to Victoria to see the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibit at the Royal British Columbia Museum and to do some birding in Beacon Hill Park and at Clover Point.
We took the 7am ferry over as foot passengers (free for seniors), Bus 70 ($5 day pass) and the 5pm ferry back. We were treated to a spectacular sunrise from the ferry. There was a nice selection of seabirds in both directions.
The photos in the exhibit are fabulous. In Beacon Hill Park we heard a noisy group of crows and thought that they might be mobbing an owl or a hawk. Sure enough, there was a Barred Owl sitting on the side of the Bandshell.
Other highlights in the park were Chestnut-backed Chickadees (the only chickadee species found on Vancouver Island), Golden-crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Peacocks and a Downy Woodpecker.
At Clover Point were Red-breasted Mergansers, Harlequin Ducks, Black Oystercatchers, Dunlin and a Black-bellied Plover.
Terry Carr
Photos on Flickr
Beacon Hill eBird checklist
Delta Naturalists Society 
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