My husband and I are nature enthusiasts living in James Bay. This area of Victoria is bounded by the Parliament Buildings, the Inner Harbour, Beacon Hill Park and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Our friends wonder how we can stand living in an almost downtown environment. But there is plenty of nature in James Bay! In our daily walks looping from our house, up Michigan Street, through the park, and returning along the Dallas Road waterfront, we encounter many of our common species of birds and sometimes a real rarity like the Fork-Tailed Storm Petrel we spotted in late February, huddled in the lee of the Ogden Point Breakwater.

Let me take you on one of our morning constitutionals and show you what I mean.

We leave the house about 7:00 a.m. in late February. The Glaucous-Winged Gulls are already starting their incessant squawking on the roof of the apartment building behind our townhouse, making an alarm clock unnecessary. Have you noticed that at this time of year the necks of the adult gulls change from a dirty white to a beautiful snowy white? They truly look elegant in their subtle blue-grey and white breeding plumage. As soon as we step out of the door we hear the House Sparrows (those damned English Sparrows, as my grandfather used to call them), cheeping in the hedge beside the driveway. Going up Michigan Street we add Northwestern Crow and Dark-Eyed Junco to our morning list while we lament the loss of the large Weeping Birch at the side of the little park at the corner of Menzies and Michigan. In past years, a Cooper’s Hawk nested in the upper branches of this tree, likely choosing this spot because of the smorgasbord of Rock Pigeons in nearby James Bay Square. Unfortunately, the tree was damaged last year and we haven’t seen or heard the Cooper’s Hawk in that spot since – although they still nest in Beacon Hill Park. We comfort ourselves with a sniff of the Witch Hazel bush and check out the development of the Red Currant bush – it too will soon be in bloom.

Continuing up Michigan we hear, but don’t see, Canada Geese honking as they fly overhead. Passing South Park School and its playground opposite we check out a dozen or so gulls walking the field looking for worms. They are mostly Glaucous-Winged Gulls but also a few of the smaller Mew Gulls, a new species for the morning list. Crossing Douglas Street and entering the park we walk up the road towards the stone bridge over Goodacre Lake. This is a great area to look for sparrows scratching under the Rhododendrons and we are rewarded with good looks at both Fox Sparrow and up in the Garry Oak, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers. At the top of the bridge we lift our binoculars to check out the heronry. Sure enough, perched on top of a large Douglas Fir is a Great Blue Heron, silhouetted against the apartment buildings lining Douglas Street. We hear the unmistakable, nasal “yank-yank-yank” of a Red-Breasted Nuthatch and look to see one high on the trunk of the Redwood at the base of the bridge. A survey of the ponds on either side of the bridge reveals four species of paddlers: American Widgeon; Hooded Merganser; and Lesser Scaup are mixed in with the usual Mallards. As we pass under a Bald Eagle’s nest we hear the high pitched song of a Golden-Crowned Kinglet.

We carry on past the cricket fields to the path through Lover’s Lane. Alan likes the smell of the oak-leaf compost decomposing in the maintenance yard but I’m not so fussy about it, so when we come out past the world’s tallest totem pole, I take a deep breath of the fresh scrubbed morning air coming in off the water. It’s a fine morning and the view of the Olympic Mountains is spectacular. A fresh dusting of snow shows up the steep valleys and peaks. We cross Dallas Road and take the path through the dogs’ off-leash area. This little stretch reminds us of a country lane like the one to our summer cabin in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. This morning American Robins and Golden-Crowned Sparrows fly up off the path as we approach but quickly settle back down, heads turned to listen for insects moving in the layer of chips.

We greet a few dogs (and owners) as we pass. My favourite breed is the Border Collie; they have their masters and mistresses well-trained with a special ball-throwing stick thingy that whips the ball much farther than a little-leaguer can throw. I’m glad I don’t have to exercise them – they never tire. The Collies are usually too busy to say hello, but the Labrador Retrievers usually come up for a sniff and a pat or scratch on the head.

We join up with the paved walkway and continue on toward Mile 0. This little patch of woods to our right is home to a number of two-footed creatures – some of them wearing clothes and some feathered. Alan is delighted to hear the song of a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, a sure sign that spring is on the way. These little fellows winter here and then go to more northern woods to breed, so we only get to hear them for a little while this time of year as they practise their courtship songs. The Anna’s Hummingbird on the other side of the path is breeding here, though. His current brood may already be hatched in the nearby bushes.

At this point in the walk, our focus changes to mostly water birds. As we carry on the path we will see many sea ducks: the Harlequin Duck with his outlandish stripes looking like he had a run-in with a loaded paintbrush; the black and white Bufflehead; both Common and Red-Breasted Mergansers; and the Common Goldeneye. North America’s least populous shorebird, the Black Oystercatcher, is patrolling the lower tiers of the Ogden Point Breakwater. This dark fellow has a striking long orange bill and a yellow eye, also ringed with orange. He doesn’t get many oysters here, but seems happy to settle for limpets. These rocky steps provide good forage for other shorebirds and today we see a group of Sanderlings with their bills tucked under their wings. As we round the light at the end of the breakwater, a group of Sea Lions, uncharacteristically quiet, passes by, heading toward Trial Island. I have heard of people seeing Orcas from here and someday I hope to be that lucky.

We close the loop back to our house going past the James Bay Community Gardens and James Bay Athletic Association. One memorable morning we heard a commotion of crows and looked up to see a harassed Barred Owl roosting in one of the Blue-Atlas Cedars lining the rugby fields. This morning we settle for a flock of house finches at a feeder.

At home, we tally up our daily list of bird species and find we are at forty. This is a good number for an hour’s walk anywhere. For an urban area it is remarkable. We can hardly complain of being nature-deprived living here in James Bay!