Victoria, British Columbia April 12, 2025

After waking each morning, I stepped out onto the balcony off my bedroom to breathe in the fresh air and to admire the moon as it progressed towards being full. I was lucky enough to catch seeing it before it slipped lower to then be hidden by the trees. This morning, a day before being full, it beamed brightly! This was the time to capture photos of it. I was not able to get as clear a photo as I otherwise can. My photos also showed a very thin reddish line around the bottom, not sure if that is a thing, or if it's my camera.   

With a bit of time to pass before saying good-bye to Victoria, I went for a five klick walk in the sunshine to see some sights.  The view as I walked from my home away from home to the Inner Harbour always brought a smile and a sigh, and it did this morning but the smile was not as wide yet the sigh was deeper.  If only I had a couple more days here!  

the Harbour beginning to wake up

a few final views

This get-away afforded me everything I was in search of! I got my fill of fresh fish, I saw the ocean and breathed in the salt air but most of all I got to see, smell and touch the cherry blossoms.  It is still on my mind that I would like an extended stay in Victoria.  I will look into this at a later date.  


 

Victoria, British Columbia April 11, 2025,

I left the city today for a trek through a rainforest in East Sooke with a beach front location as the final destination.  While the beach location was what I was truly looking forward to being at, the hike through the rainforest to get there was quite amazing. 

The damp cold reminded me of the east coast where it can chill you to the bone. The little gloves and light hat brought added comfort for the very slow saunter.  There was much to get up close to for better examination of what Mother Nature created.  

It was at this point where I wanted to quicken my pace!  

Down a short, steep, rooty trail lead to this small beach.

my lunch time view

With a good zoom and lots of patience, I came away with numerous crashing wave photos.  

Also with a good zoom and lots of patience, I captured these two Bald Eagles overhead.

 oh the sights & sounds 

Patio dining was a must do on this beautiful day in Victoria!  After arriving back in the city and freshening up, I then found the perfect location outside to enjoy a beer and fish tacos. I like seeing the view in my beer!

The Harbour was hoping while I dined. 

It was one boat after another arriving that provided me entertainment.  

Not quite ready to head back to my home away from home, I settled in to savour more sights and sounds.  I could see across to where I just had dinner, centre building with the yellow umbrellas.

 

Victoria, British Columbia April 10, 2025

I am only on page 40 of my new 220 page book called “Birding for Boomers”.  I can resonate already with lots of what is written.  I like the illustrations just as much as the stories. Today was Beacon Hill Park day, time to focus on birding and that’s it.  The Park is mainly woods.  I do most of all my birding in woods so I cannot say it is the worst, I enjoy being in the woods to begin with. 

After a hop, skip and a jump from my home away from home, I arrived at the entrance!

The first thing I heard baffled me, then I saw what the racket was coming from!  A Pacific Great Blue Heron, in fact there were dozens of them, all making a racket, fighting, collecting branches, building nests.  I came upon a sign stating this is their nesting habitat. I chatted with a local birder, he told me there are 70 to 80 of them. 

The songs of the little birds still filled the air and distracted me from the Herons’ racket.  Some songs I could identify, yet some birds I could identify by what I saw.  There were a few species in the same area all at once doing their thing.  It was sensory overload!  Focus, I told myself, focus on one at a time.  

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Spotted Towhee

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anna’s Hummingbird 

Dark-eyed Junco

Peacock 

Brown Creeper

Bushtit 

Chestnut-backed Chickadee 

Pacific Great Blue Heron

Even though I was focused on the birds, I did take a minute here and there to admire other sights which of course cherry blossoms was one.

the turtles and two ducks basking in the sunshine

a squirrel taking a sip of water 

I can only imagine how busy Beacon Hill Park will get over the next month or so as more and more species arrive for the summer and then the babies begin to be born. Today it was busy with birders, all looking to be just as enthralled as I was.  

Victoria, British Columbia. April 9, 2025

That’s water out there and it’s calling my name!  I had a plan of covering roughly fifteen kilometres today where I could see a list of sights.  I made a conscious effort to make a quick trip through Beacon Hill Park to get to Dallas Road.  Spending time at Beacon Hill Park itself is planned for another day.  I always enjoy walking the long stretch of walkway along Dallas Road where water is always in sight.  

After crossing the road to the walkway, I stopped to take in this initial sight. 

I stopped many times to take in many sights.

I made it to Clover Point and Mile Zero of the Trans Canada Trail running west to east.

I’m always curious about this place since having an amazing experience staying in the lower level for a week back in October of 2019.  Every now and then I check to see is they still offer it for rent but it is never listed.  

I took a detour off the Dallas Road walkway and strolled along Moss Street when I saw many cherry blossoms in that direction.  It was a beautiful sight seeing canopy after canopy of white, pink and green.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

After taking in Dallas Road and lots of the sights that area offered up, I aimed for Fisherman’s Wharf for a feast.  A feast of fish and chips is available at that white building with the red circles and blue back.

sights while strolling the Wharf

my feast of fish & chips

sights while walking the path back to my home away from home 

After being back at my suite long enough to rejuvenate, I headed back out for a couple more hours.  It was a gorgeous time of very early evening to be out and about.  I added an additional seven kms onto the fifteen kms.  A few times along the way, the thought of living here popped into my head.  I wondered would I like it! A week here does not feel like enough time but full time would be too much given how I enjoy winter in Calgary so much.  Something to think about!