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As part of a family visit, I had the opportunity to revisit the Whiffen Spit, a favourite birding location when I am in Sooke on Vancouver Island. This 3/4 mile long sand spit separates Sooke Harbour from the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the state of Washington. See map. |
| The spit is a favorite place for an early morning walk on a beautiful day for local birders and other nature lovers (and their dogs, which seem to totally ignore the birds...). The seaward side of the spit is home to many ocean-going birds. The rough surf seems to be particularly popular in the winter with Harlequin Ducks who usually can be spotted tumbling in the waves. The calmer harbour side attracts diving and dabbling ducks along with shorebirds, geese and herons. And who knows what might be lurking in the trees around Harbour House (with one of the 10 best restaurants in Canada, according to Gourmet magazine - check it out only if you're not a budget birder). | 
Harbour House |
| Sooke is the home of a large raptor migration in the spring and fall, with large kettles of turkey vultures and hawks passing overhead. Bald Eagles are year-round residents. |
Black Oystercatcher with Wigeons |
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| My bird list from a two hour stint at
the spit included: Pigeon Guillemot, American Wigeons, Black Oystercatcher,
Surf Scoters, Harlequin Ducks, Brant, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted
Merganser, Common and Pacific Loons, Canada Geese, Mallards,
Common Goldeneye, Northwestern Crows, Herring and Mew Gulls, and Great Blue Heron. |
| While we were in Sooke, we stayed at a great bed and breakfast, the Whiffen Spit Lodge, about 30 minutes from Victoria. Our British hosts, Al and Sheila Carter, although not birders themselves, were incredibly helpful in providing maps and directions to the other local birding "hotspots", including Witty's Lagoon, Esquimault Lagoon, and the Hawk Watch site in East Sooke Park. Whiffen Spit is only a 10 minute walk away from the B&B! They also arranged a fishing trip for us, so we feasted on fresh crab (and froze the two salmon) as well as enjoying the full English breakfasts. | 
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| On the way back to our temporary base
in Duncan, we stopped off at Art Mann Park, and saw these beautiful birds...
All right... I know they are an introduced species, but I welcome all immigrants to Canada, including the avian variety. Besides, I thought this was a nice picture! All in all, a great day or two of birding! |
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