Victoria Waterfront Birding Route

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Click HERE to view the birdfinding index This route has been a favourite for over 50 years. Although you can certainly have a quiet day, there is usually something worthwhile somewhere along the way. It's good all year, with a variety of habitats to explore: open ocean, sheltered bays, rocky shorelines, muddy beaches, Garry oak forest, riparian, rocky knolls, and touch of coastal prairie. It's best to go from west to east to take advantage of the pullouts and parking on your right. You should be able to find 40-50 species almost any day of the year.
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Wandering Tattler on the hunt. Sanderling on the blocks.	-	STOP 1 - OGDEN POINT At the mouth of Victoria Harbour is a breakwater nearly one kilometre in length. Most people walk on the smooth concrete surface atop the jetty, but if the tide is not too high, you can make your way along the granite blocks at the water's edge. Extreme caution is required as the blocks can be very slippery, and surf and wake from boats can potentially sweep you away. Ogden Point is at its peak from late September through mid-December. Gulls, terns, jaegers, rock-frequenting shorebirds and alcids are good bets at that time.	-	View near the tip of the Ogden Point breakwater. The large granite blocks are favourite haunts of shorebirds such as Black Turnstone, Surfbird and Wandering Tattler.

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BETWEEN STOPS - FORESHORE WALK OR SCRAMBLE If you have time (extra two hours or so), you can walk about three kilometres (one way) along a cliff top path, or scramble along the shore (a somewhat treacherous workout). Birding is unpredictable, but many a rarity has turned up in this stretch. Harlequin Ducks, Black Oystercatchers, Black Turnstones, Surfbirds, Anna's Hummingbirds, Bushtits and Bewick's Wrens are frequently encountered.
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Victoria waterfront from the air. Clover Point is in the foreground.
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STOP 3 - BEACON HILL PARK PONDS
A popular spot for duck feeding, this is an excellent spot to get nearly-guaranteed close-up views of Eurasian Wigeon (mid-October to early April). The preferred locations are the ponds across from the children's zoo. Several pairs of Anna's Hummingbirds now reside in the park. Upslope and south of the zoo, the Garry oak parkland is the year round home of California Quail and Bewick's Wrens.

Juvenile Anna's Hummingbird

STOP 4 - CLOVER POINT
Clover Point is probably Victoria's most famous birding spot. Activity at the point ranges from nil to absolutely thrilling! Sometimes you require a good scope to see birds, but at other times many species are laid out at close range right before your eyes. On a stormy November day, you can even get the occasional Sooty Shearwaters flying right along the shore. Rock-frequenting shorebirds seem to be drawn to the point. In season, you may find Black Oystercatchers, Black-bellied Plovers, Rock Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, Black Turnstones, Surfbirds. The lawns attract golden-plovers and a wonderful assortment of gulls. Offshore, especially from late October through mid-December, large flights of mixed seabirds can be seen. Over the years there have been occasional movements of thousands of Red and Red-necked Phalaropes, Ancient Murrelets, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklets, Brandt's Cormorants, Thayer's Gulls, Bonaparte's Gulls .... During the winter, Clover Point is one of the best places in North America to get totally confused trying to sort out gull hybrids! From August through early May, this is a reasonably reliable location for Harlequin Ducks.

Male Harlequin Ducks just offshore at Clover Point

STOP 5 - MCNEILL BAY The rocks at either end of the bay are excellent places to find Black Oystercatchers year round. In the winter, flocks of 15 or more individuals are often conspicuous. Park at the pullout at the southeast end of the bay, and walk out on the little peninsula. Harlequin Ducks are here much of the year, and out in Enterprise Channel, sea-watching can be productive. In the summer (late May though August), you might see a Tufted Puffin if you wait long enough. Be careful not to mistake a Surf Scoter for this species. Within scope range are the Trial Islands. Bald Eagles often sit out there, and in winter you may spot a Peregrine Falcon or Snowy Owl.	-	- Limpet dinner for a Black Oystercatcher
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Marbled Godwit and Whimbrel on the Victoria Golf Course	-	STOP 6 - VICTORIA GOLF COURSE Just around the corner to the east is the Victoria Golf Course, beautifully set along the seacoast. During spring (late April to mid-May) and fall (late July to mid-October), the fairways attract an assortment of shorebirds. The number of individuals is small but many rarities have turned up here. Watch for Whimbrel in late April and May, Marbled Godwit August to October, Buff-breasted Sandpiper in late August, Pectoral Sandpiper mid-August to mid-October and Baird's Sandpiper August and September. Note: the golf course is private property.
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Greater Yellowlegs at Queen's Park

STOP 7 - TURKEY HEAD AND VICINITY (OAK BAY MARINA, QUEEN'S PARK)
Beyond the golf course, Beach Drive takes you inland for a few blocks. When you re-emerge at the seacoast, you'll see the Chain Islets offshore and the Oak Bay Marina parking lot ahead. Pull into the lot and scan the ocean. The Chain Islets are an ecological reserve hosting about 1500 breeding pairs of Glaucous-winged Gulls, 20 pairs of Pigeon Guillemots, and sometimes Pelagic or Double-crested Cormorants. Between Turkey Head and Chain, most of our regular alcids can be observed in season. Marbled Murrelet is a good bet, although they have been scarce as of late. From late October through mid-December, schooling fish are often take shelter among the marina fingers. They are followed by piscivorous birds. You may get excellent views of Red-throated Loons, Horned and Red-necked Grebes, Common Murres and Rhinoceros Auklets at that time of year. To the north and adjacent to the marina is tiny Queen's Park. Park along the road and walk near the shore. Great views of a surprising number of shorebird species can be had at this location - definitely worth at least a 10 minute stop.-

STOP 8 - MOUTH OF BOWKER CREEK A few more blocks along Beach Drive turn right and park towards the end of Bowker Avenue - watch for parking restrictions. On the beach, shorebirds frequent the rocks, sandy beaches and mudflats in front of you and around the corner to the right. It's an excellent spot to view loafing gulls. Watching waders is best from late July through mid-October, with lower tides optimal.	-	- Immature Mew Gull at Bowker Creek
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- "Sooty" Fox Sparrow.	-	STOP 9 - CATTLE POINT Just inside the Upland gates is the Cattle Point loop. Here is a tiny remnant of the coastal prairie - it does attract some open country birds in the fall - worth a check for Horned Larks, American Pipits and Lapland Longspurs, particularly in September and early October. "Sooty" Fox Sparrows inhabit the adjacent forest patch late September to late May. Offshore can be found the usual suspects - alcids, seaducks, cormorants....
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STOP 10 - MT. TOLMIE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA
A short inland jaunt will take you to Mt. Tolmie, a Garry oak hilltop with great views of the Victoria area. This is a great spring migrant spot, particularly from late April to late May. It's not too bad during the early fall migration either (August through mid-September). Local birders head up here just about every morning in spring to find vagrant warblers and other passerines. Lazuli Buntings turn up almost every spring. Outside of migration, the avifauna is somewhat limited. However, at least five pairs of Anna's Hummingbirds reside here, as do a number of Bewick's Wrens. Wintering Golden-crowned Sparrows frequent the hill from late September through early May. Downslope to the north is the University of Victoria. The gardens on the southwest side (closest to Mt. Tolmie) are another good spot to find Anna's Hummingbirds. A spring walk through the woods can be quite productive. Hutton's Vireos are resident on the eastern edge of the campus bordering Mystic Vale. They can be difficult to extract from the forest. Usually heard well before seen - best times of year are March though June, then late August through mid-October.

Golden-crowned Sparrow.

View from Ten Mile Point looking toward the Chatham Islands and Olympic Peninsula WA

STOP 11 - TEN MILE POINT
One of the best spots to do a sea watch in the Victoria area. Great for alcids, seaducks, cormorants, gulls and terns. Best from June through mid-January. Make your way to the end of Baynes Road or White Rock Street and scan the oceanfront. In June and July, considerable numbers of Rhinoceros Auklets mix with Glaucous-winged Gulls in feeding frenzies in schools of sandlance. With a scope, you can sometimes spot a Tufted Puffin or Cassin's Auklet in the crowd. Heermann's Gulls appear in late June and are conspicuous over most of the summer. In September, watch a continuous parade of southbound migrants: gulls, terns, jaegers, etc. Occasional migrant flocks of Turkey Vultures may drift over as well. November often brings spectacular flights of Ancient Murrelets. Rarely quiet here!

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STOP 2 - HARRISON YACHT POND This shallow pond near the foot of Government Street is designed for model boat recreationists. If there are too many boats, there will be too few birds. Some years it's a good spot for Eurasian Wigeon. Golden-crowned Sparrows are normally present October through early May.
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