Vancouver and Vancouver, June 2022. Part 2.

If you look at this image and think the horizon line is leaning to the left, it's okay. Don't worry about the horizon. The horizon is still horizontal, no matter what's happening in this world. It's me who's been tilting like an old sailor standing on the deck of the ferry.

The Vancouver-Vancouver ferry is impressive. It was my first time crossing the water with my car, which was very useful and exciting! Great views and the sea breeze are all you need to clear your mind.

The first thing we did after landing at Swarts Bay was visit Butchart Gardens. I dropped my wife and her parents off and headed to another park near Island View Beach. According to eBird, it was supposed to be a good place to start. And it was!

A beautiful deserted seashore with the mixed coastal forest full of bird's calls.

I started from the seaside and was rewarded with a new alcid species, Rhinoceros Auklet. This bird family is absolutely mysterious for me, probably because I never lived close to the ocean. That's why every bird and every new species of this group was more than just a lifer.

5. Rhinoceros Auklet

I have also found another lifer at the beach:

6. Violet-green Swallow

Looks like a typical swallow but with the green back. 

The next lifer was waiting for me near my car:

7. Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Another interesting for me species, but not a new one, was a Bewick's Wren. It was the second time I met this bird in my life (first was in Texas in 2019). 

With three lifers in the pocket I picked up my family and headed South to the capital of British Columbia - city of Victoria.

We all fell in love with this city from the very first sight. It's calm, cozy, and very Canadian.

The Parliament.

The next day in Victoria was entirely dedicated to walking around the city. We spent a good part of it in a huge central park—Beacon Hill Park.

The park's potential was undisputed; however, from the first attempt, I didn't find anything really interesting. I needed the second, closer look, and I made it. After lunch, I returned there on my own and was rewarded for additional kilometres of hiking. Lots of birds and even three new species in the middle of the day!

There they are, Victoria lifers:

7. Anna's Hummingbird

8. Bushtit

9. Pigeon Guillemot

Another great find, another species of the alcid family! As it turned out lately, Pigeon Guillemots were the most common alcids here. As with the Rhinoceros Auklet, a black bird (but not a Cormorant) flew low above the water, fast and too far from the shore. With the help of the camera, I was able to identify it.

The pictures above are from the other day and a place where I could see them much closer.

It is worth mentioning another interesting sighting: a Barred Owl feeding a fledgling in one of the park's hidden corners.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the city. Again.

See you in part 3, where the most exciting is only beginning!