Victoria, BC - Part 3

 21 June, 2026

Cattle Point, Upland Park

     Jan had things to do, so she dropped Miriam and me off at a small park/beach that connects to Cattle Point and Upland Park. We walked along the beach, with an American Crow (Corvus brachyrynchus)  keeping a watchful eye on us - or more likely to see if we had arrived bearing food.

     A Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) was absorbed in seeking food in a more conventional style. 

     I was always grateful that the beaches - at least the ones we saw - were not manicured beyond recognition, but were left in at least a semi-natural state with marooned logs and the natural flotsam that lends authenticity to the shore, and provides habitat for wildlife.

     We climbed up to cross over to Cattle Point.

     Those of you familiar with only a domestic Rose-of-Sharon (Hypericum calycinum) are doubtless very impressed with the exuberant wild flower.

     A male Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) threw its whole body into its ardent song.

     A Buttercup (genus Ranunculus) turned its smiling face to us.

     American Robin (Turdus migratorius) was as common in Victoria as it is back home in Ontario.

     A California Gull (Larus californicus), on the other hand, would be a real rarity on the Great Lakes.

     A House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) steadfastly refused to turn to face us.

     A Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) did not assume its best pose, either.

     The enchanting Miriam, on the other hand, posed with this piece of modern sculpture.

     Broad-leaved Sweet Pea (Lathyrus latifolius) is almost as attractive!

     Mining Bees (genus Andrena) were hard at work.

     We found a bench overlooking a cove and sat for a while to be entertained by a Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba).

     Over the years it has become emblematic of the west coast for me.

     The guillemot seemed unperturbed by this human interloper in its realm.

     Southern Vancouver Island is truly a window on the Salish Sea, a magical place.

          White Stonecrop (Sedum album) is very attractive.

     It is always a pleasure to encounter a member of the Leafcutter, Mortar and Resin Bees (genus Megachile).

     This fruiting plant was completely unfamiliar to me.

     I believe it is Osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis).

     It's good to be constantly observant when enjoying nature. The most familiar objects, perhaps dismissed as being mundane, can display incredible beauty, as this Foxtail Barley (Hordeum jubatum) clearly demonstrates.

     I find this monument extraordinarily moving. It acknowledges that looking through the portal reveals "where longhouses stood and community gathered for thousands of years." 

     There seems to be an irony, however, that we erect monuments to celebrate the presence of Indigenous people in Canada, celebrating their knowledge, their wisdom, their experience and their values, their deep roots to their ancestral lands. In the meantime we have abducted and abused their children in residential schools, stripped away their identity and their language. We have seized their lands if they stood in the way of "progress." Their sacred forests are clear cut, the salmon streams that provide both food and a sense of identity are polluted from mining and resource extraction; dams cause rivers not to flow at all. Treaties and treaty rights are routinely ignored. Their very existence as a people is often threatened.

    But we are good at erecting monuments.

     We moved over to Upland Park, which is basically an extension of Cattle Point - or vice versa!

     A couple of Essex Skippers (Thymelicus lineola) were flitting from plant to plant.

     Spiny Leaf Gall Wasp (Diplolepis polita) vaguely reminds me of lychee fruit.

     Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus) is a perennial flowering plant in the grass family Poaceae, and very attractive, I think.

     A Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) greeted us in cheerful fashion.

     The Oregon Oaks (Quercus garryana) were absolutely magnificent.

     There was a sense of privilege just to be among them.

     The park is really quite beautiful and well maintained, permitting a synergistic arrangement whereby both natural space can thrive, and humans can participate without being intrusive and destructive.

     I don't think we ever got over our initial delight in the ubiquity of Spotted Towhees (Pipilo maculatus) with their loud, cheerful song.

     It quickly became a firm favourite.

     For an excellent account of Spotted Towhee and its sometimes tortuous history, you can do no better than read Rick Wright's well-researched account in Peterson's Sparrows of North America (2019).

     We took almost as much delight in Ocean Spray (Holodiscus discolor) as we did in the towhees!

     Chestnut-backed Chickadee (Poecile rufescens) replaced the familiar Black-capped Chickadee (P. atricapillus) we see at home, and could easily be identified by its antics alone.

     White Brodiaea (Triteleia hyacinthina) was a new species for us.

     I know you'll appreciate one more Spotted Towhee!

     It was a long walk home, but very enjoyable, passing through interesting neighbourhoods, and encountering Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) wandering in gardens as confidently as a pet dog. 

     They have made themselves at home in the suburbs.

     Chipping Sparrows (Spizella passerina) seem to have had a successful breeding season and we saw many young birds.

     They appear not to be subject to the intense cowbird nest parasitism we observe all too frequently at home.

     Our walk took us right along the shore of Oak Bay.

     Just before turning onto our street we spotted a couple of American Crows scouring the beach for food.

     The rumbling in our stomachs told us that we were ready for lunch too!