This was one of the busiest, but most amazing days of the whole trip! We started with a quick at Boundary Bay Regional Park, this was scrubland park, that ran down to the tidal mudflats near the ferry port.
We walked the Raptor Trail from the visitor centre, and almost immediately saw Hummingbirds zipping about, spiralling up high and then rocketing back down to the bushes. We identified them as Anna’s Hummingbirds, and seeing them was really exciting and it was fun to spot as they zipped from bush to bush.
Continuing along the trail we saw Bald Eagles heading out to sea, Cedar Waxwings heading in the other direction, and Barn Swallows darting around the sky and swooping low over the grass.
As we were leaving, we spotted some activity deep in a hedge. We saw a smaller bird feeding a bigger bird… were identified the two birds as a Common Yellowthroat feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird. The Brown-headed Cowbird is a nest parasite, like the Cuckoo in the UK, and this means it lays its eggs in other bird’s nest so they rear the Cowbird’s chicks.
We also saw;
American Goldfinch
Bewick Wren
American Crow
Spotted Towhee
House Finch
Bushtit
Cottontail Rabbit
We then caught the ferry across to Vancouver Island, during which the wildlife spotting didn’t stop as we saw Pigeon Guillemots from the ferry, and passed through some amazing scenery. We arrived at Swartz Bay and drove to Victoria to catch our first Whale Watching tour of the adventure.
We were on the BC Orca Rib, which took us out on to the Salish Sea, making our way to the Pacific Ocean. The seas were calm, the weather was sunny close to Victoria, but as we headed out we were shrouded in sea fog which made the experience quite eerie.
On the way we saw rolling back of a Dall’s Porpoise in the water, it was black with a small fin with a flash of white.
We then spotted a blast of air and water vapour, which could only mean one thing… a Whale!
We approached slowly, and could see there were two Humpback Whales - a mother and her calf. Using the unique fluke patterns, we could identify the mother as Zephyr. The calf was playing a lot, wrapping itself in kelp, lunge feeding, spy hopping and spiralling through the water showing its pectoral fins. It was really playful and curious, and was incredible to watch. You really got a feel for the size of these whales, when you could see both the mother and calf together.
We then headed back to harbour, hugging the coastline looking for other wildlife.
The final part of our adventure on day 3 was a nighttime kayak tour on Brentwood Bay, part of the Saanich Inlet. This area is known for its bioluminescence, and our kayak tour took us out around sunset so we could see it.
As we left the pontoon, we were accompanied by a Harbour Seal, and then we gathered on the water to watch the Fireworks display across the water at Butchart Gardens. As it got darker we were able to watch the bioluminescence create its own fireworks under the water. Sometimes it sparkled around the paddle, sometimes it fired explosions of light through the water away from the disturbance.
The cause of this type of bioluminescance was a type of algae called Dinoflagellates. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego explain it below…
In coastal regions, the primary source of flow-agitated bioluminescence is dinoflagellates. These single-celled organisms are common members of the plankton—tiny marine plants, animals or bacteria that float on or near the ocean’s surface. Bioluminescent dinoflagellates range in size from about 30µm to 1 mm, and are found in all the world’s oceans. Occasionally they become very abundant, resulting in red tides, so called because the large number of organisms discolors the water. If the dinoflagellates are luminescent, there can be spectacular displays of bioluminescence at night.
Laboratory experiments have provided insight into the role that dinoflagellate bioluminescence plays in marine ecology. Dinoflagellate flashes cause a startle response in their predators, disrupting their feeding behavior and resulting in a decrease in grazing rate by reducing the number of dinoflagellates consumed. Dinoflagellate bioluminescence is also thought to act as a “burglar alarm” to attract a secondary predator that threatens to eat the primary predator. When handled by a predator, the dinoflagellate cell is triggered to flash by the imparted mechanical stress. But any mechanical stress of sufficient magnitude, such as the forces in waves, surge, or by swimming animals (including us) can also trigger the luminescence.
We stayed close to shore, paddling by moonlight, and headed back to the base.
What a magical but tiring day!
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