Urban Ecology Canada

Time for your Ogden Point Odyssey

2010-08-07T15:33:00.000-07:00

Ogden Point Odyssey: Breakwater, natural history, people and activities

Visit our introductory special page and get Ogden Point Odyssey for $14.95 including shipping and handling to anywhere in Canada.

Also available at other fine shops around Victoria including the Ogden Point Cafe, Niagara Grocery, Munro's Books, the Ogden Point Dive Centre, Sorensen Books, Trotac Marine, the University of Victoria Bookstore, Crown Publications, the Camosun College Bookstore, and Tanner's Books in Sidney.

Working on map of Ogden Point

2010-06-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

What do you think? http://bit.ly/ogdenpoint

Hear ye, hear ye! Community Action at Ogden Point

2010-01-12T16:57:00.000-08:00

Ogden Point is well-loved by many individuals in Victoria who are drawn to the wealth of experiences available here. Some of them have formed community groups to share the adventure or work together to beautify the location. Here are some of the groups and their achievements.

Ogden Point Enhancement Society

The Ogden Point Enhancement Society (OPES) was formed in 1996 to beautify the area around Ogden Point and to create a more welcoming public space. In addition to making the public port facility more aesthetically pleasing, the OPES seeks to improve the safety and security of the site. Major initiatives of the OPES include creating the ecological information kiosk at the foot of the breakwater and working to link Ogden Point with the Harbour Pathway Project.

Songhees and Esquimalt Artists: Land and Sea Mural

Darlene Gait of the Esquimalt Nation and Butch Dick of the Songhees Nation created the beautiful Land and Sea Mural along the side of the breakwater, along with 6 student artists-in-training. Commissioned by the Harbour Authority and blessed on September 24, 2009, the mural portrays the symbol of the wolf, which represents family unity for both Nations. The mural also portrays numerous images of animals from both land and sea, each with its own symbolic meaning. There is an interpretation sign on the west shore opposite the mural.

Victoria A.M. Association

The bronze statue of the Town Crier came to Ogden Point in 2009 as a result of the efforts of the Victoria A.M. Association. It was created by local artist Armando Barbon in the likeness of Tommy Mayne who has been with the Association for 19 years and is himself a town crier, heralding news, reading town proclamations and sometimes welcoming passengers from cruise ships as the arrive in port.

Reef Balls: Veins of Life Watershed Society

In the parking lot next to the dive shop are several reef balls. These hollow domes of concrete about one metre in diameter are part of a restoration effort that saw 92 of these balls submerged in the subtidal zone next to the breakwater to create new habitat. The reef balls were installed by the University of Victoria School of Environmental Studies and the Veins of Life Watershed Society and they will be monitored to document the sea life they support.

Amalgamated Conservation Society of Victoria

The Amalgamated Conservation Society of Victoria has a proposal to raise thousands of pink salmon fry in an open water pen next to Ogden point opposite the boat launch. This is not a fish farm though, it would be more like a pen in a salmon hatchery, providing protection for the fry as they grow larger before being released and hopefully return in two years as adults.

Sundial: BC 150 Celebrations

A number of partners, including the Provincial Capital Commission, Pioneer Builders Charitable Society, OPES, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Rogers' Chocolates, and W.B. (Red) & Fern McNulty, contributed to this intriguing stand-upon sundial on the walkway leading to the breakwater from Dallas Road. Try it on a sunny day--it tells you where to stand to increase accuracy of the reading.

Signs and gates at Ogden Point Breakwater

2009-12-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

Four signs warning of impending danger grace the entrance to the breakwater, along with a gate with a narrow entrance that can be padlocked. One sign along the outer side, above the granite blocks, has the surprising message that the breakwater is "NOT INTENDED FOR: FISHING OR SCUBA DIVING".

The ENTRY PROHIBITED sign on the far right indicates no dog, bikes, skateboards or rollerblades are allowed.

Does the breakwater need railings?

2009-12-20T06:27:00.000-08:00

One of the most thrilling things about Ogden Point Breakwater is its openness--there you are, right in the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca! It's also one of its challenges. I admit I tend to be a nervous person, but when we used to walk out there with our young kids, it did seem exceptionally nerve-wracking. Even now, there have been times--windy days, when waves are washing over the breakwater, when there are wall-to-wall people--when I turn around and opt for a walk along the Dallas Road waterfront instead.

Occasional injuries with dramatic rescues by the Victoria Marine Rescue Society, such as this one witnessed last September, don't allay anyone's concerns.

And this past week, the tragic discovery of a body in the water off the Breakwater has reopened debate about whether railings are necessary. Although the cause of death is still not known, in a letter to the Times-Colonist (Dec. 19/09), Redner Jones wrote: "Considering the possible presence of ice or gale winds, people do need to be able to do that popular walk in safety. We should show the cruise-ship tourists we care."

To that, others reply: "Who in their right mind would go out there in ice or gale winds?" And "They're dumbing us down again!" And some think letting the cruise ship industry determine what happens to our breakwater is letting the tail wag the dog.

What's your opinion? Do you think railings should be installed on the breakwater, or is signage (and the occasional padlocking of the entryway) enough?

In the vein of commonsense, here are some things people definitely should NOT do on the breakwater:

Go out at night--or even just before dusk. Darkness can fall very quickly in Victoria, making it difficult to see the edge, or any bumps--let's face it, it's not a smooth surface.
Go out in storms (or on the rare occasions when there's a tsunami warning). Yes, it's dramatic and it's tempting, but commonsense dictates that this is not a wise move. All you have to do to be convinced is see one wave splash against the side and go over the top.
Ride bicycles (yes, we've seen it).
Push large strollers.
Walk 3 or 4 abreast and not let others past or make room for oncoming walkers.
Bring out 4 or 5 large dogs (yes, we've seen it).
Walk backwards (yes, we've seen it).

Please share your thoughts! Is there anything else people should or shouldn't do? Are we being too cautious, or not enough?

Sidney Spit Summertime Scenes

2009-08-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

On July 26, 2009, in the middle of a rare heat wave, we took a field trip organized by the Victoria Natural History Society to Sidney Spit. The night before there was an unusual (for these parts) electrical storm which included even more unusual orange-coloured skies at sunset--probably resulting from the forest fires in the provincial interior. Still, we enjoyed the display as a backdrop to the lighthouse at the local Thrifty Foods.

After a short and pleasantly cool ferry ride among surf scoters and pigeon guillemots we landed at the dock at Sidney Island --part of Gulf Islands National Park--where there was a village of purple martin homes and we were treated to a fly-by from the residents. Here's one neighbourhood in the purple martin village.

And here's one of the vigilant parents resting a minute before setting out to forage some more:

Towards the middle of Sidney Spit, there were large flocks of gulls that appeared to be our common glaucous-winged. Some of the birders we were with had kindly brought spotting scopes and shared them everyone in the group. Closer examination of the flocks revealed many glaucous-winged, but also the presence of at least several unusual gulls: Heerman's, Caspian tern, mew gull and California gull were each spotted.

Numerous great blue herons--probably over for the day from Tsawout First Nation in Saanichton--dabbled near the shore, not seeming to mind human companionship.

We'd heard that Sidney Island was home to many fallow deer--these are not the native mule deer, and while quite picturesque in a North Pole kind of way with their spots and interesting antlers, they're known to damage native vegetation. We spotted a group of the deer at the edge of a field quite far away from us. Here's the best documentation we could get of one of them munching away on a tree:

We heard but didn't see the Pacific Slope Flycatcher (formerly Western Flycatcher)--it's GREAT going out with birders! The picnic area at the walk-in camping site is home to about a dozen barn swallow nests.

Another interesting feature of the island is a beach full of broken bricks dating from the early 1900s when the island was home to a brickworks. Hard to believe they've been there almost a century.

The little ferry to Sidney Island only operates during the summer so we're glad we finally made the time to go. Well worth it!

Restoration Walks video clips

2009-07-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Judy Somers of UVic Continuing Studies has posted video clips of Restoration Walks in February on the Gorge, in James Bay, and through Dockside Green.

http://owl.uvcs.uvic.ca/media/rns/jamesbay.mp4 - 4 seals dancing for herring at Fisherman's Wharf
http://owl.uvcs.uvic.ca/media/rns/dockside.mp4 - water water everywhere
http://owl.uvcs.uvic.ca/media/rns/gorge.mp4 - signs of hope on the Gorge Waterway

Celebrate and Support Biodiversity

2009-05-22T06:29:00.001-07:00

The United Nations has proclaimed 22 May 2009 International Day for Biological Diversity (AKA Biodiversity) to commemorate the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity and increase awareness and understanding of biodiversity issues. The term biodiversity was coined by E.O. Wilson and refers to "the variety of living things, including diversity within species (genetic diversity), diversity between species and diversity of ecosystems."

This year's theme is Invasive Alien Species, one of the most serious threats to biodiversity and one that is exacerbated by climate change. That link takes you to a slide show of some very familiar plants and animals, for example, Eastern grey squirrel, European honey bee, domestic cat and common pigeon. Depending on where you are in the world, these are probably not native species, but through competition, predation, pathogens and general ecosystem disruption, their very success threatens native flora and fauna.

Here in British Columbia, Biodiversity BC--a partnership of government including First Nations as well as not-for-profit agencies and academics--has produced a number of resources including Taking Nature's Pulse: The Status of Biodiversity in British Columbia as well as the BC Biodiversity Atlas. These resources document how BC's unique species and ecosystems are under serious threat, especially from habitat loss and disruption. For example, southeastern BC is home to almost all of the world's remaining mountain caribou. Below is a northern alligator lizard seen at Swan Lake Nature Sanctuary in Victoria.

In Metro Vancouver, formerly Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), efforts are also underway to monitor and preserve biodiversity. In July 2006, Val gave a presentation on improving biodiversity in the region. Metro Vancouver is home to 2073 species of vascular plants, 1086 species of vertebrates, 454 bird species, 450 fish species and 143 species of mammals.

Carbon and Biodiversity: A demonstration atlas (very large document) maps areas worldwide that have both high carbon and biodiversity, opening the door to conserving biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from land use change at the same time.

Point Ellice Shoreline Restoration: Invasive jungle to urban paradise

2009-05-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

Tucked away on Pleasant Street between Jutland and Rock Bay, wedged between necessary but unpleasant composting and steel recycling facilities, Point Ellice House sits quietly as a reminder of an earlier era. Satellite views show lots of green in an otherwise industrial area. Unfortunately, much of that green is (or was) ivy and other invasive plants.

View Larger Map

Point Ellice House is the oldest intact Victorian Style heritage home in Victoria. Starting in the 1860s, Magistrate and Gold Commissioner Peter O'Reilly hosted many of Victoria's elite in the house's welcoming interior and beautiful gardens. After the last surviving family member donated the property, restoration began on the house, followed more recently by restoration of the gardens, including the "wild garden" next to Gorge Waterway. The site is blessed with numerous large arbutus trees that are impressive not only for their size but their magnificent growth forms as well. They range in appearance from a perfectly shaped, very tall specimen, to one that is huge but half of its length is lying on the ground and is twisted in a way that defies imagination.

With project management and support from Jodi Watson of the Gorge Waterway Initiative, a dedicated group of volunteers (including UVic Environmental Studies students and June Pretzer from the Restoration of Natural Systems program) have removed more than 10 tonnes of debris and invasive plants from the site, revealing numerous interesting specimens and unique native plants, including special varieties. They are also beginning to replant the exposed ground with native vegetation. The restoration has also become somewhat of an archeological excavation as historical artifacts are exposed.

Victorians who offer to help with restoration projects are familiar with the "ivy pull", in which invasive English ivy is aggressively removed from trees and the ground. There was plenty of ivy at Point Ellice, including some vines with stems as thick as tree trunks. However Jodi reports that periwinkle (AKA Vinca major or minor--see photos below), was more tenacious and keeps resurfacing. It's one of those plants that seems innocuous enough. Some people think it's okay to plant it in a confined area (for example, surrounded by concrete walkways and the foundation of a house); however, we have to rethink that after hearing about how difficult it is to remove if it escapes. It spreads both by roots, creating massive mats of rhizomes, and runners above ground--i.e., spreading and rooting. No doubt its pretty blue flowers create seeds that are also spread by the omnipresent winds of Victoria. In fact, we've spent years trying to remove a small patch from our garden, only to find that we seem to be encouraging it.

So before buying some ivy or periwinkle at the Garden Centre, think about where it might end up, possibly somewhere in one of Victoria's rapidly disappearing natural places and consider a native plant instead, or at least something less invasive.

For more information about the Gorge Waterway, see the Capital Regional District's site. By the way, you can also have afternoon tea at Point Ellice House.

Cuddly critters

2009-05-11T19:43:00.000-07:00

This little fellow was dashing along the rocks at Ogden Point Breakwater on Saturday.

Mustela vison evagor Hall is the subspecies of American mink native to Vancouver Island, according to Ian McTaggart-Cowan and Charles J. Guiguet's classic BC Provincial Museum-published manual, The Mammals of British Columbia (1965). There's some debate about whether the mink that can be seen around Victoria are native or are descendants of some lucky critters released by a mink rancher in Saanich awhile back.

We're so used to seeing river otters there that it took us a minute to figure it out. Other strollers who were watching also thought it was a baby otter. Fortunately we were able to snap some photos and confirm his minkness (and it's probably a male, because of his size): He's a beautiful rich mink brown (surprise!), has a different shaped snout than an otter, is shorter, has more distinct ears and a shorter tail, moves really fast, etc.

Val's ER 312A (Field Skills I) class also saw a mink at Glendale Gardens and Woodland on a field trip a couple of weeks ago. That one had an unfortunate baby bunny in its mouth: Rabbits are a favourite food of mink. These feral European rabbits are definitely NOT native to the Victoria area: Irresponsible pet owners release them, often near the University of Victoria--where they're very cute but still do untold damage to plantings, including new plantings of native species on campus, and wreak havoc on the gardens of nearby residents. And of course they reproduce, having 5-7 litters a year, each having an average 4-5 babies. Native Cooper's Hawks (there's a photo below of one such taking out a starling) feast on them, keeping them somewhat under control. Some are born with lovely trees to hide in (such as the photo above showing a Bigleaf maple with 2 baby bunnies on the UVic campus).

An interesting side note about Dr. Ian McTaggart-Cowan: As of July 1, 2009, the University of Victoria School of Environmental Studies will have an endowed chair in Conservation Biology honouring Dr. McTaggart-Cowan and his contributions to conservation and ecological restoration in the province. Conservation biologist and community ecologist Brian Starzomski, who completed his doctorate at UBC and is currently on a post-doc at Dalhousie University in Halifax, will be filling that role.

"Parks and Nature Places" hits the bookstores

2009-05-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

Parks and Nature Places around Vancouver is a brand spanking new publication by Nature Vancouver (formerly the Vancouver Natural History Society). Val was editor of its predecessor--Nature in Vancouver--which was published in 1996.

Both books aim to show Vancouver-dwellers how easy it is to find nature in the city, using transit.

Val & Anny wrote the sections on Renfrew Ravine Park, Delta Nature Park (Burns Bog) and Byrne Creek Ravine Park and also contributed photos. Over 40 naturalists/members of Nature Vancouver contributed to descriptions of 61 sites accessible by public transit in Metro Vancouver. The book celebrates the 90th anniversary of VNHS/Nature Vancouver.

An excerpt about Renfrew Ravine can be found here.

The book can be ordered from Harbour. We also saw it at Costco on Government St. in Burnaby on Saturday (yes, we shop at Costco). It's also available at major bookstores including online at Chapters-Indigo and Amazon.ca .

The ephemeral cherry blossoms of spring

2009-04-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

Prunus subhirtella 'Rosea' (Higan Cherry), Ross Bay Cemetery, Victoria BC, April 9, 2009)

The subtleties of blossom-watching have raised it to an art form and favoured cultural pastime in Japan, where it's known as hanami. March and April are also time for Cherry Blossom Festivals in Vancouver and Washington, DC . While Victoria doesn't have an official festival, it's nonetheless an amazing place for blossoms, with thousands of Prunus (flowering cherry and plum) street trees and trees in private gardens in bloom--and the spring of 2009 is turning out to be a record year.

Varieties abound to confuse the casual observer, but also spread the enjoyment out over a longer period. Some autumn-flowering varieties can actually start blossoming around Christmas, but the real peak is in March and April. Kathy Voegtle has created a wonderful guide to Vancouver's flowering cherries. In Victoria, a classic book by Chaster, Ross and Warren (Trees of Greater Victoria: A Heritage, published by the Heritage Tree Book Society, 1988) provides some densely packed and tantalizing hints about this city's riches on pages 68-70.

Below, a March-flowering variety (unknown to me!) on Government Street next to a handsome Hornbeam, passers-by suitably brolly-ed up.
Moss Street in the Fairfield neighbourhood is known for the Art Gallery, the annual Paint-in in July of each year, and the Moss Street Farmers' Market. It is also home to an incredible vista of blossoms. The first flush, shown below in April, are probably 'Kwanzan'. The second flush (alternating trees) will likely be out in May.

Restoration 101

2009-04-10T09:19:00.001-07:00

There has been a lot of activity in James Bay and Ogden Point to restore natural habitat and improve ecosystem function. Here are just some of these efforts.

Fisherman’s Wharf

Shoreline Trail: Part of the revitalization of the downtown waterfront in Victoria involves constructing an attractive trial following the shoreline. In the past, armouring the bank up to its top would have been done with large boulders to protect the bank from erosion by the tides. At this site an area about 2-3 m wide was landscaped using native vegetation. Oregon grape, kinnikinnik, deer fern and red osier dogwood were chosen to vegetate this challenging site that would be exposed to both the harsh dry summer of this growing region and the occasional salt spray.

Salt Marsh: In one small pocket perhaps 15 m² in area, large boulders and sand were used to create a sandy bench that was planted with sea asparagus. Located just at the high tide line, this salt marsh recreated a small patch of what used to be a much more extensive habitat at this site.

Tidal Gate: There is a small inlet at Fisherman’s Wharf where a storm drain serving James Bay exits into the harbour. As part of the stormdrain upgrading for this area a tidal gate was installed to prevent saltwater from backing up into the system at high tide. The city installed a much larger stormdrain pipe in 2009 in an attempt to reducing flooding in the area which during heavy rain events saw some of its roads 30-60 cm underwater.

Seals: At the bottom of the ramp down to the docks are a few shops. Barb’s Fish and Chips is renowned and is a favourite destination for locals and tourists when it is open during from mid-March until the fall. Next to the fish and chip stand is a fish shop that sells fresh seafood. It also sells herring to feed seals that are always there to receive these gifts from avid adventurers. The seals reach way out of the water for the fish dangling from someone’s hand and they can be made to twirl as well.

Playing field

Vortex ceptor: Next to the parking lot for Fisherman’s Wharf is a playing field that sits on top of 5 m of loose fill brought in over the years from various construction sites around the city. The site is unsuitable for building. The city recently installed a large ceptor to capture sediment coming from the stormwater in drains before it empties into the ocean. This large concrete chamber about 5 m deep contains a vortex that slows water down and allows sediment to be collected in a trap that is regularly cleaned. This reduces turbidity in the receiving waters for the pipe.

Stream daylighting: In the past, streams and small waterways in natural areas were confined in culverts and covered with fill so development could occur overtop. More recently people have come to value these scarce open waterways in their community and look for opportunities to excavate the “lost streams” and daylight them again. There used to be six streams in this area of James Bay, one of which flowed under the playing field. The City of Victoria now plans to daylight this stream through the park. They will need to excavate down 5 m to the water so the banks of the stream will need to be very wide to avoid having a steep slope in the park. Along the road are several black locust trees. This tree is native to eastern Canada but it is not found naturally yet in the west. It is planted in cities because it is hardy and grows fast. Unfortunately, it is invasive and not very long-lived.

Dallas Road

Dallas Road: The Shoal Point condominium development has impressive landscaping. There is a rock face with a waterfall planted with many shrubs. In urban situations it is unusual to find running water on the surface, available to wildlife. Open water with shrubs supports many native bird species. James Bay is known for the Bewick’s Wren that sings often; its song is characteristic of a walk in the morning around the neighbourhood. More recently, though, a Winter Wren has also been in the area. Normally a woodland bird, it is at home in a landscape like that around Shoal Point.

Coast Guard: Across the street from Shoal Point are the offices of the Coast Guard. They also have a landscape planting that is valued by wildlife, in this case a large cluster of willow shrubs that are an attractive view for the people working in the building. Above the offices the roof of the Coast Guard building is planted with grasses and shrubs with a small plaza. This is in fact a green roof that helps to maintain water on the site rather than direct it into a stormdrain. On the road next to the Coast Guard are rows of street trees. These are primarily Wheatley elms. A large number of street trees in James Bay are elms that survived the Dutch elm disease that has laid waste to most elms in most other Canadian cities. The disease has not yet made it onto Vancouver Island. If and when it does it will devastate much of the urban forest of James Bay. The Wheatley elm is invasive and many of the rows of what appear to be shrubs along parking lots are actually the suckers of nearby elms.

Angler’s Boat Launch: The James Bay Anglers Association has a boat launch close to Ogden Point. Many nonprofit rod and gun clubs and other nongovernmental organizations such as environmental clubs like the Sooke Salmonid Enhancement Society play a major role in ecological restoration in urban areas. raising salmon fry or restoring stream habitat as an example. One of the largest organizations restoring wetlands in Canada and the United States is Ducks Unlimited. The Amalgamated Conservation Society of Victoria has a proposal to raise thousands of pink salmon fry in an open water pen next to Ogden point opposite the boat launch. This is not a fish farm though, it would be more like a pen in a salmon hatchery, providing protection for the fry as they grow larger before being released, hopefully to return in two years as adults.

Ogden Point

Ogden Point: Ogden Point extends about one kilometre out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Consisting of about 10,000 large granite blocks, it provides shelter for Victoria’s harbour. At the beginning of the breakwater is the Ogden Point Cafe with the dive shop underneath. In the parking lot next to the dive shop are several reef balls. These hollow domes of concrete about one metre in diameter will be part of a restoration effort that will see hundreds of these balls submerged in the subtidal zone next to the breakwater. This area is already a provincial underwater marine park rich with life and the reef balls will enhance this habitat. It is also part of a Victoria Harbour Bird Sanctuary, established in 1923, that extends along the shoreline all the way from Esquimalt to Ten Mile Point. In 2008, The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority installed an electronic noise device on the Ogden Point Pier Warehouse A roof to scare away gulls but was required by the Canadian Wildlife Service to remove it because it interfered with other birds protected by the sanctuary. The breakwater protects the harbour for Pilot Boats that move pilots as needed to and from ships passing through the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Beach Front: Large sections of the banks along the beach are covered with Scotch broom, a troublesome invasive shrub that was brought here by settlers in the 1800s and has been a serious problem in local habitat of Garry Oak Ecosystems. The plant is a legume and can fix nitrogen, enabling it to colonize disturbed soils. Once established, it keeps out local native vegetation by greatly increasing the nitrogen content of the soil (a situation hostile to many native species) and produces a chemical that suppresses the growth of other species (an allelopath). Erosion of the banks is a serious problem and a great deal of effort has been made to stabilize the bluffs. They cannot simply be armoured with large boulders or cement walls because the sand eroding from these sites is carried to beaches further along the coast – without some erosion here these distant beaches would disappear. The foot of the bluffs is a common place for squatters to set up camp, some of whom have been known to excavate into the banks, accelerating natural erosion. The top of the bank at Holland Point shows outlines of raised earth mounds that are associated with previous settlements of First Nations at this location thousands of years earlier. Found here are some burial sites and many artefacts associated with the middens at the settlements.

Beacon Hill Park

Beacon Hill Park: Invasive species control is a big issue at Beacon Hill Park. English ivy has long been an issue and many volunteers have worked many hundreds of hours trying to control this vine that covers the forest floor and climbs trees. More recently, in the last few years carpet burweed arrived in the off-leash area of the park. It first appeared in British Columbia in Ruckle Park on Saltspring Island in 1997 and has spread to campgrounds and recreation sites in other parts of the province. For 27 years Beacon Hill Park was also home to a large colony of Great Blue Herons. Usually such colonies only last about 10 years before the guano from the birds kills the trees. Victoria Parks actively maintained the trees though, protecting them from the damaging impacts of the guano. However, in 2008 the colony was devastated by transient Bald Eagles. A nesting pair of Bald Eagles lived by the colony but the male died and left the territory vacant. The undefended territory was entered by many other eagles who ate all of the Great Blue Heron young from the 2007 nesting season. Also, a number of Lawson cypress trees in the colony died from an infection of Phytophthora fungus that managed to survive the winter (possibly due to climate change). The opened-up canopy created by these dead trees exposed the nests of the herons to predation. The heron colony has since dispersed with smaller groups of birds aqppearing in various locations around the Saanich Peninsula.

LifeCycles

LifeCycles Garden: Straight up Menzies from Dallas Road and close to the parliament buildings is a small allotment garden in the corner of a parking lot. It is operated by the LifeCycles Project Society, founded in 1994. Allotment gardens play an interesting role in ecological restoration. They represent a form of ecological restoration known as the “working landscape.” This gained prominence in ecological restoration projects on pasture lands by various nature trusts – they worked with farmers to restore their land while at the same time retaining its role as pasture for livestock. An allotment garden in a city retains the people function while providing some wildlife habitat. The garden plots tend to be rich in flowers from ornamental plants and vegetables which support pollinators in the ecosystem. The healthy populations of pollinators such as butterflies, bees and hummingbirds benefit both native and non-native species. The LifeCycles Garden also contains a cob house made of mud that illustrates more eco-friendly building practices that may be appropriate in some situations.

People and Things at the Breakwater

2009-03-04T20:58:00.000-08:00

The kilometre-long breakwater is a place people go to relax, explore, take in nature or to reconnect with themselves. The lighthouse at the end of the breakwater is a popular destination. People often stop to admire the little lamp that plays such an important role in keeping ships away. The lighthouse itself frequently sports a fresh coat of paint, mainly to hide the latest graffiti that seems to appear regularly.

On a sunny day or if there is a special event the causeway can be packed! It was standing room only during the mock cannon battle held off the point during the Tall Ships Festival in June 2008.

There is usually something going on at the edge of the water or in the water. Usually someone is trying their luck with their favourite lure to pull something edible from the water. However, they are mainly after the fish and wisely leave the divers to themselves.

The breakwater can also be a place for quiet reflection. Shown here is one of a number of chalk epitaphs written in tribute after the sudden death of a young person in Victoria.

Sometimes Ogden Point serves as a staging area for special events. The large parking area used to be used to store lumber for export and now receives imports of pleasure boats, cars and thousands of tourists from cruise ships. It's also the daytime home of horses who pull carriages around James Bay (controversial to many who feel that horses and cars don't mix) and is also a good place for organizers to assemble a parade. A particularly fun event is the Island Equipment Operators Christmas truck parade when owners of dozens of large rigs deck them with lights and drive off along Dallas Road into the city and beyond to Langford. Be warned that taking pictures of these beautifully adorned vehicles is very tricky, especially if you don't know what you are doing, like we didn't (see the rather abstract impression below). Better portraits of the 'winners' can be found at http://www.ieoa.ca/lighted_truck_parade.htm .

Trains and Boats and Planes

2009-03-01T16:26:00.000-08:00

Victoria Harbour--including Ogden Point--is a busy place. During the summer season dozens of cruise ships visit, several a week and sometimes three at once. They're on their way to or from Alaska.

The regular vessels, though, are the two pilot boats that go out and meet the large freighters travelling through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to and from a Canadian port. The Pacific Pilot 2, shown here with the Wave Venture that also used to be a regular for years, braved all types of weather in its efforts to ensure safe passage of vessels through the Strait. Just last year, it was joined by the more modern Pacific Scout and the Pacific Pilot 1 was retired. The Wave Venture left to work on the University of Victoria's Neptune Project, helping to lay down the many kilometres of underwater cable that send images and other data from the ocean floor to labs at several universities for analysis.

Going by the tip of the breakwater each day are the MV Coho that connects Victoria to Port Angeles in Washington State, and the Victoria Clipper passenger catamaran that plies the waters of Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Victoria and Seattle. The Coho is part of the Blackball Line, which makes it sound like a pirate ship and adds a little excitement to the experience. The Clipper travels very fast and the weather in the Strait can make the crossing somewhat bumpy. The Clipper is not without its romance: We know of a couple who actually met several years ago on the Clipper when each was travelling to and from Seattle and Victoria on a regular basis to visit relatives.

Canada's Pacific Fleet is actually posted in Esquimalt, just around the tip of the peninsula across from Ogden Point to the west, so it's not uncommon to see some of our naval vessels in the waters.

Many sailboats also pass by, usually on a sunny day with just the right amount of wind. This one with red sails caught our eye, as did this flotilla of small boats being towed by a motorboat.

Finally, you may see something totally unusual such as this oil rig that came by mysteriously one day heading east to who knows where...

The skies over Ogden Point are also busy, with helicopters taking off and landing from the Helijet Terminal almost every hour. Float planes also fly by as they take off and land on the water in Victoria's Inner Harbour.

Oh, and about those trains. The single-car Malahat (formerly known as E&N or Esquimalt and Nanaimo) train leaves Victoria every morning up-island for Courtenay first thing in the morning, and returns about suppertime every evening. It delights in making its presence known by generously sounding its horn as it leaves or arrives at the station in downtown Victoria. It is easily heard from the Ogden Point breakwater. The E&N is the only train to enter Victoria, in contrast to Greater Vancouver, which has both passenger trains and frequent freight train traffic.

Viewing Fish from the Top of the Breakwater

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There's no shortage of spectacular fish awaiting those lucky enough to SCUBA dive at Ogden Point. Wolf eels, kelp greenling and rockfish alone are some of the wonders waiting among the 10,000 granite blocks and forests of bull kelp. But even for those just walking out to the point, there is much to see.

Chinook salmon go by many names, including spring salmon, king salmon or tyee if the specimen is over 14 kg (30 lbs). In a saltwater twist on the hatchery concept, a local group has proposed pens to rear fry of the much smaller pink salmon, which would be released and hopefully return in two years.

Peering into the water you may also see schools of fish making their way around the breakwater. Herring are not uncommon. There are usually many hundreds of young herring (as shown below), readily identified by the flash of silver made when one or more suddenly changes direction in the group.

Other schools of fish you may see include the Bay pipefish, a long pencil-thin fish, and the three-spine stickleback, which is interesting as it's also common in freshwater as well as along the shore in marine coastal habitats.

Seeing Seals..and other marine mammals at Ogden Point

2009-02-21T13:37:00.000-08:00

You're likely to see a harbour seal in the water any time you walk the Ogden Point breakwater. They are pretty tame and come close for a good look at you. The harbour seal is the common seal found around Victoria or Vancouver, the western counterpart to the harp seal in the east and the ringed seal in the north. They eat fish and cause some distress for people fishing for salmon from the breakwater. One time a seal was seen swimming along the harbour side of the breakwater with an octopus in its mouth. The pair in the photograph on the right were swirling around and chasing each other back and forth for several minutes - we supposed they were on a play date. At nearby Fisherman's Wharf, seals will jump up to grab seafood scraps that one of the seafood stores sells, making for some interesting photos for tourists to take home.

California sea lions are also a common sight by the breakwater, especially in early spring when they are following the herring north. Sea lions expel air very loudly when they surface, like a whale, which is one way to distinguish their behaviour from that of a harp seal. Another difference is that harbour seals tend to bob in and out of the water, slipping inconspicuously below the surface of the water when they dive, whereas sea lions will arch into a dive so you can see the crest of their back. They're also more likely to see a group of sea lions.

These handsome fellows were photographed from a boat on Steveston Jetty at the mouth of the Fraser River near Vancouver--they often hang out on the river in April and early May, following the herring and oolichans up towards New Westminster.

River otters create a lot of excitement when they show up. Many people think that they are sea otters because they are in the sea, but river otters will readily go into the ocean. Caught by surprise, visitors flip open their cell phones and try to catch a picture before the otter slips off the blocks into the water. There is often a group of river otters in the water off the point of Mayne Island that can be seen as the ferry to Vancouver from Victoria enters Active Pass.

On rare occasions people have seen whales from the tip of Ogden Point. Both killer whales and Minke whales have been observed. Usually, though, you just see the whale watching boats speed by during the tourist season on their way out to Haro Strait, Active Pass or wherever else the whales were known to be that day.

Alluring Algae

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Algae are an interesting group of organisms. They have typically been classified in the Kingdom Plantae but are now sometimes considered to be in the Kingdom Protista, better known for single-celled microscopic organisms. Algae occur in three general groups named after their colour - green, brown and red.

Shown above is some algae soup, actually a mixture of bull kelp, rockweed and surf-grass. Although it looks like an algae, surf-grass, found on rocky sites, is actually a vascular plant as is its mudflat counterpart, eelgrass.

Some green algae are single-celled and some green algae occur on land; you can see them on the sides of buildings or fences. Most algae are larger though and occur in freshwater and marine environments. Larger algae, especially the brown algae in oceans, are called kelp.

Floating on the surface of the water on either side of the breakwater is bull kelp. The ones on the exposed side of the breakwater are probably still attached to the bottom of the ocean and are part of an underwater forest that is teeming with life. The bull kelp on the harbour side of the breakwater have probably been torn away from their homes and were brought here by waves and currents. Bull kelp have a bulb-like floatation device that helps to keep the photosynthetic blades closer to the water's surface. Usually the long blades of the kelp that were attached to the bulb have been torn away. The blades look like leaves but every cell is pretty much the same as every other one so the blade looks more like a long sheet of paper. It is attached to a long stalk called a stipe and is anchored to a rocky bottom by a clump of tendrils called a holdfast. The holdfast, stipe and bulb are often seen washed up on the beach.

Here's a mat of bull-kelp that's surrounded a diving ball. Ogden Point is a popular diving spot in Victoria.

The brown alga Fucus or rockweed has an antler-like appearance and has air bladders as well. Children sometimes like to stomp on the air bladders and make them pop much like they would with plastic wrapping material that has air pockets.

At the far end of the breakwater around the lighthouse are mats of feather boa kelp. They are also usually anchored to rocks with a holdfast. These algae are true to their name and if you are up for a seaweed wrap experience, you can take one from the water and wrap it around your neck, as Anny is below (taken at Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew).

One of the more stunning algae can be seen about two-thirds the length down the breakwater on the harbour side deep in the water. You might see something that looks like the iridescent flash of the side of a fish with a suggestion of neon. This is actually a type of red algae called iridescent seaweed and it is best seen at low tide on a sunny day. Two other types of red algae that you might see washed up on the beach by the breakwater are branching coralline that is white when bleached in the sun (it looks like little bits of rubbery coral) and laver (also called porphyra) which in Japan is called "nori" - you've probably eaten some of it if you like Japanese cuisine.

Green algae algae you mights see on the rocks along the shore at low tide include sea hair (Enteromorpha) and sea lettuce (Ulva). You can identify the sea hair because some of them have been bleached white in the sun.

Ogden Point Breakwater: Starting with invertebrates

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Countless invertebrates float in the water or on the rocks of the breakwater. This time around we'll look at just a few of them. A guide book such as The Beachcomber's Guide to Seashore Life in the Pacific Northwest by J. Duane Sept (Harbour Publishing) can help a lot. Remember: Just look!

Often, moon jellyfish and lion's mane jellyfish (the spectacular fellow below) are swept into the harbour side of the breakwater.

If you see what looks like a gargantuan fried egg floating in the water, it's probably a Fried Egg Jellyfish (Phacellophora spp.).

Also floating in the water may be the exoskeletons of dungeness crabs (right). The skeletons of crabs and other arthropods need to be shed as they grow because they are on the outside of the body and most of the "dead" crabs seen on beaches ar actually just cast-off empty bodies.

The Moon snail is another oddity. Its shell is about the size of a coffee saucer and sports what looks like an eye in the middle of the spiral (when seen through a foot or two of water from the top of the breakwater) but its body is about the size of a soccer ball. It’s been spotted somersaulting in the calm inner bay.

Orange Sea cucumbers and long white anemones sprout from the rocks. Although they are plant-like in appearance, anemones are in the same group (Division or Phylum) as the jellyfish and have sting cells in their tentacles as well.

Chitons are prehistoric-looking critters that you can spot on the rocks. The most common is the Black Katy Chiton; sometimes there’s an aptly named Gumboot chiton (below) —about a foot of orange or pink amorphous-looking goop.

Commonly known as starfish, you can see various types of seastars including the purple seastar (which may be orange), the Sunflower seastar (the pink spiky thing in the middle of the picture, below) and the Sunstar, the giant pink star—all can be very large. Also leather stars and blood stars.

On the granite blocks of the breakwater are numerous barnacles. The gooseneck barnacle (below) is particularly striking with its leathery stalk Barnacles are crustaceans (related to crabs and shrimp) and can withstand the extreme conditions of driness and wave action high up in the intertidal.. When covered with water they can be seen filtering the water with their legs.

The hidden landscape: A bit about birds at the Ogden Point Breakwater

2009-02-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Most of the people who walk the kilometre or so out the Ogden Point Breakwater (seen here from The Coho ferry from Port Angeles, WA as it's entering the Inner Harbour of Victoria) in James Bay, Victoria, BC notice the boats, helicopters and view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic Peninsula from the point. They may not realize that a hidden landscape lies beneath them. All you have to do is stop awhile and stare down at the rocks and gigantic granite blocks edging both sides of breakwater, or scan the waters. And wait awhile.

If you’re lucky, you might spot an octopus, a mink or a river otter. Some have seen orcas this close to the Inner Harbour, as well as sea lions, not to mention all manner of invertebrates. Today though we'll just talk a bit about birds, one of our favourite subjects.

In the summer you might see the Rhinoceros Auklet—so-called because of the 'horn' on the base of the bill. She is easily spotted both by her silhouette and her behaviour as she floats along seemingly placidly then suddenly splays her wings and quickly ducks under the water in hot pursuit of a tasty fish. Here's a silhouette of one landing on the water--if you look closely you can see the little horn.

Great Blue Herons can be seen "floating" on flotsam and jetsam, from stray logs to bull kelp.

You might also see a Cormorant swimming under water on the calmer side, chasing her lunch.

In wintertime, Sanderlings scour the large rock blocks looking for snacks or sipping biofilm slurpees by the seaside as the tide laps onto them. Biofilm is a slimy layer of algae, bacteria, other microbes and other organic matter and is an ecological 'hotspot'.

With their raucous calls Black Oystercatchers are VERY noticeable even when you can't see them and even more so when you can with their bright red bills and eyes and pink feet.

Two Kingfishers gaze into one another's eyes on a post near the Pilot boats.

Birds in the 'hood

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Who doesn’t like to see birds in their backyard? Here in James Bay, Victoria, BC Canada, our “signature bird” may be the Bewick’s Wren. We're lucky to have her here because the Bewick's has practically disappeared back east, possibly due to an increased range, encouraged by nest boxes, of the House Wren, which often takes eggs out of cavity nests.

In Victoria and to the east of Vancouver at places like Reifel and Tynehead, you may encounter chestnut-backed chickadees. These guys are tinier and even less shy than their black-capped cousins who haven’t yet made it to Vancouver Island—they can persuade you to feed them black-oil sunflower seeds out of your hand. Both kinds of chickadees will let you know when the feeder needs refilling. Or perhaps that's just their curiosity: Aldo Leopold in A Sand County Almanac wrote that the third commandment among chickadees is "thou shalt investigate every loud noise. When we start chopping in our woods, the chicks at once appear and stay until the felled tree or riven log has exposed new insect eggs or pupae for their delectation."

You’ll probably also see lots of bushtits, travelling through in large noisy flocks. They’re quite tolerant of us humans when nesting and if you look hard enough you can often see their mossy socklike nests attached to trees in people’s front yards. They particularly like suet and it’s quite a site to see a block covered in the tiny birds.

In Montreal you may be graced with a vision in red—the Northern Cardinal has moved into the neighbourhood, ironically from more southerly latitudes. You may hear it before you see it.

Not so long ago, you might have seen a Crested Myna (descended from one or two original pairs from introduced from Hong Kong or Macao at the end of the 19th Century) in Vancouver neighbourhoods from Marpole to New Westminster to False Creek, but after a hundred years or so in residence, they’re now gone, apparently victims of competition from European Starlings as well as fewer crevices and ledges as buildings were replaced.

In the east, you’ll see traditional Blue Jays—beautiful, raucous, and aggressive. It's known as a nest predator. The West Coast has their cousins, the Steller’s Jay. The provincial bird of British Columbia, it is a beautiful slate blue, gregarious creature who may grace you with her presence.

The Pileated Woodpecker is now visible in backyards. He prefers larger trees, but habitat destruction has forced him to adapt to other settings.