Marsh Wren -- singing for all he's worth

Marsh Wren -- singing for all he's worth
Originally uploaded by Calypso Orchid

New camera lens -- a 150 - 500 mm. I've been out photographing birds, and this little fellow captured my heart. Here he is, staking out his territory in the bull rushes along the shore of Swan Lake. He flits to the top of the rush and starts belting out his song. At this juncture he is probably warning all other male Marsh Wrens not to come any where close or he'll be forced to do something drastic.

I love the boldly pushed out chest, the ruffled feathers, and the full throated cry. I spent several engrossing hours watching him patrol his territory. He returned to this rush about once every 15 minutes and sang for about 5. Then he would rotate on to another perch and repeat the same process.

I may have found this a lazy afternoon at Swan Lake, but not so for this Wren. He and his compatriots were deeply involved in a tightly choreographed ballet. While this fellow was moving thought his territory at regular intervals, the same thing, on the same interval, was happening with male Marsh Wrens all up and down the verge of Swan Lake.

Amazing what one can observe when one simply sits still and looks.

More images from Swan Lake, Victoria BC

   

Rambling in the South Island: The Wonder Trail to Thunderbird and Mt. Manuel Quimper

For many of us in the Victoria area, the land in the Sooke Hills around Mt. Manuel Quimper, the Thunderbird Cliffs and Ragged Mountain has become a regular feature for weekend rambles. The area has a lot to offer – interesting and unofficial “trails” that require a bit of map reading skill, amazing shows of spring and summer flowers, and some of the best views in the Victoria and Sooke region.


This summer Mike and I were busy showing Tom, a Victoria newcomer, the local hiking scene (yes, we've had him out on an ACCVI adventure to Lomas Lake – hopefully he’ll join!). We quickly powered through some of the old favourites and on June 27 we decided it was time to try something with bigger views and some scrambly bits.

Taking advantage of the long daylight we started our walk at a “civilized” hour. We pulled into the car park at Harbour View Road and were on our way by 9:30 am. Our route took us to the top of the Thunderbird Cliffs, back down, and over to Manuel Quimper. Here we went up the north east side and came down the “Mary Trail” -- named after yours truly -- on Quimper's western flank. Then we followed the Harbour Road trail back to the car.

The distance was not long – 14 km in total. We took an enjoyable and leisurely 8 hours to complete the trip. But, the hike does go up and down a bit, and, of course, bushwhacking is a given! Especially in the gully between Thunderbird and Quimper and the last 20 minutes on the western-facing “Mary Trail”. There are other trails that involve less bushwacking, particularly on Quimper. But the western flank is little travelled, especially by mountain bikers, making it prime for flower viewing in spring and summer.

The highlight of this trip is the scramble up the Thunderbird Cliffs, truly one of the premier view hikes in the area. For newcomers especially, this trip lets hikers get the lay of the land around the Victoria/Sooke Basin area.

The Sea to Sea Regional Park Reserve, and the bigger Sea to Sea Blue Green Belt is not particularly “tamed” -- not a lot of maintained trails, published trail maps, or sign posts. Mike and I, along with many of our friends, have spent time wandering around in this area using a combination of topo and compass, very old maps, 20 year old hiking books, and now GPS. We've been inventive in hunting down information too -- once I even phoned a real estate agent and inquired into the purchase of Ragged Mountain, asking for a map so we could "see for ourselves" (hey, I'd buy it if I had a spare million!). We've bushwhacked and barged our way through low spots and blow down, followed promising flagging to nowhere, pussy-footed through delicate Garry Oak habitat, and scrambled up the rocky bits-- always happy to get out and explore, and always looking for "lifers" (new places to hike).

Our first success on putting together Thunderbird with Quimper happened some ten years ago when we first gained the top of Quimper and discovered a map posted in the fire lookout. It pointed us to the Wonder Trail -- a connecting route through the area between Harbour View and Glinz Lake. Stitching together bits of trail, overgrown logging roads, and using the old water main pipe that threads through this area, the Wonder Trail makes a great entry point for Thunderbird especially. If you haven’t been in already, why not tug on the hiking boots and give it a try?

If you know more about the history of the Wonder Trail, or of any other route in the Quimper/Thunderbird/Ragged area, please get in touch -- msanseve@gmail.com -- I'd love to learn more about this wilderness area so close to Victoria.

More photos at Calpyso Orchid on Flickr.

Mary Sanseverino


View Thunderbird and Quimper: June 27, 2009 in a larger map

Why I Love Mountains: Part 2

The Summit of Arrowsmith looking South
Originally uploaded by Calypso Orchid

I am a sucker for a view -- I'll spend hours bushwacking to get to the top of the humps on Southern Vancouver Island so I can get a 360 degree peek at the place where I live. Within moments of getting to the top of whatever chunk of rock is the day's goal, out comes the dog-eared topo map. Then the great (and traditional) "What mountain is that?" discussion starts. Bearings are taken, GPS waypoints are marked, notes are made -- but me and the Usual Suspects (Jan, Alan, and Mike) are slow learners. No matter how many times we head up the old familiar routes to Empress, Thunderbird, Quimper, McDonald, Braden, Sugarloaf, Jocelyn, etc. at the top one of us will be sure to say "Now which one is Mcguire?" or "That must be Warburton Pike" -- and the rush to demonstrate who possesses the most fulsome local knowledge is on.

We have not yet come to blows, but the discussion often ends with a demonstration of navigational prowess -- we all have to align our walking sticks and poles along the ground towards True North. Then Alan hauls out a beautiful sterling silver compass and the winner is decided. Of course, this is considerably more challenging on an overcast day hunkered down under a rock outcrop.

Even though we don't have Jan and Alan for our summer rambles, we still carry on the tradition of going for the big views and discussing the possibility that yes, that could be Mt. Ranier on the horizon, and not just some cloud formation. Doesn't matter who we hike with, or what type of local knowledge they posses, tradition demands we engage in the "What mountain" discussion.

The picture here is from the summit of one of the largest chunks of basalt on Southern Vancouver Island -- Mt. Arrowsmith. It rises 1817 metres (5962 feet) over Port Alberni. The view here is looking south along the ridge of the massif. A huge, steep gully separates the us on the summit from the next hump along. Past that, the mountains extend off into the distance.

I bet on a clear day we could see the Olympic mountains in Washington. There was a great deal of pollution and haze in the air (a heat wave and no wind = ground level ozone and haze), so no crisp views.

Mike and I, along with Tom (relatively new resident of Vancouver Island) and Rod (old friend from St. John's Newfoundland) went up the twists and turns of the Judge's Route. The trail is badly eroded in places and it was often easier to scramble up the adjacent rock faces then stay in the ruts of the trail.

This is a fairly steep hike -- ascending 1 km of altitude in 3 km of trail. No need for ropes, but a helmet might be a safe idea. The views from the summit are worth every grunt and groan. On a clear day you can see right across Vancouver Island from east to west.

I think Mike and I will try to get back this year for a winter hike. Maybe a bit chilly, but the air should be crystal-clear and surely we'll be able to hold a really detailed discussion on "Which mountain is that".

      


Check out our route on Google Maps:
The Judge's Route .

More pictures from our tramp up Mt. Arrowsmith: Our pics on Flickr .

Why I Love Mountains -- Part 1

Mt. Regan from the top of Albert Edward
Originally uploaded by Mary Sanseverino

I returned last week from a few days rambling in the mountains. I have been working on the pictures I made ever since and I'm reminded why I like mountains -- they always have so much to give -- you just have to be in a receptive frame of mind!

Mike and I, along with friends Lisa and John, backpacked in to Strathcona Park, on Vancouver Island. We were only in for a few days, but we did a hike up to the top of Mt. Albert Edward. The weather on summit day was not great -- it rained when we got to the first steep bit. Then wind, mist, and fog dogged us all the way to the top. We spent an hour at the peak waiting for views. And, even though they were not the spectacular vistas I know Strathcona can produce, I found myself deeply satisfied with what we did see.


Mountains in mist and cloud can be so majestic -- especially when the weather gods are teasing you with wispy views. That was certainly the case with Mt. Regan, little brother to Albert Edward. When the day is fine you don't even notice poor squat and lumpy Regan -- but on a day of thready cloud Regan can be the only ghost peak to float into existence.


When you can see them, mountain colours on a grey day can be deep and rich -- all the more so because nothing else competes. On Albert Edward the burnt oranges and dark crusts of basalt seemed to show us a bit of their birthright, formed in heart of volcanoes as they are. Pale pink granite-diorite helped put depth in the view when the mist parted. Flowers were bright spots of colour, covered with jewels of condensed mist. I could surely spend days in this place.

           

A Two-Dip Summer Day in BC

Buttle Lake at Myra Falls
Originally uploaded by Calypso Orchid

Summer 2009 has been hot, hot, hot on Vancouver Island. Mike and I, along with Rod, our friend from St. John's NL, decided to try one of the Island's premier backcountry adventures -- the Golden Hinde Traverse. This mountaineering trip takes about 7 days and crosses through the heart of Strathcona Park, in the centre of Vancouver Island. Midway along the traverse sits the Golden Hinde -- at 2200 metres it is the Island's highest peak.

I'm sorry to report that we didn't make the trip -- Rod and Mike were ill with a cold and the last thing I wanted was to be banging around in the backcountry with two old "wheezers"! We only did the first day of the planned hike -- Buttle Lake to Arnica Lake.

In all honesty, I was almost glad we had to cancel. It was so hot I could barely make it to Arnica Lake, and that part of the hike was all in the shade (although an uphill grind). Still, we did enjoy two wonderful dips that day. The first was a skinny dip in Arnica Lake under a bowl of clear blue sky. The second was in the green and cool pool below Myra Falls.

Arnica Lake is a classic sub-alpine pool -- clear water, meadows down to the shore, straight firs reaching for the sky. This one certainly didn't disappoint. After three hours of steady uphill hiking it was a welcome sight. We jumped in almost at once and stayed until I wrinkled.

On our way back to Victoria that evening we decided to make it a two-dip day by hiking down to the bottom of Myra Canyon and taking a dip in the grotto where Myra Falls enters Buttle Lake. The pool here has a definite elvish feel -- like we dropped into a scene from the Lord of the Rings. We had the place to ourselves and plunged in off the limestone cliffs. It was BC-summer-perfect!

There is nothing like spending time floating on your back gazing up at a sunshine-blue sky. Those moments make me sigh, flap my toes, and say "Ain't life grand"!!

More pictures from Arnica Lake

          
Check out the full set of pictures at my flickr site: Strathcona Park Hiking, July 26 - 27, 2009

Native Summer Wildflowers

It's true -- spring DOES give a better wildflower show down on southern Vancouver Island than summer. But July and August are not without their beauty on low and mid-elevation cliff, meadow, and forest.

These images showcase a few of the native summer blooms found in and around the wilderness areas close to Victoria BC.



St. John's Wort
Hypericum scouleri ssp. scouler . A lovely grouping of St. John's Wort on the western slopes of Jocelyn Hill.



Harvest Brodiaea
Brodiaea coronaria ssp. coronaria is common on southern Vancouver Island. I love seeing it peek out from the golden grasses. Ants seem to love it.




Oceanspray
Holodiscus discolor is in full bloom at this time of the year. The flowers on this graceful shrub become lacy seed pods in the late summer and fall. They can be seen right through the winter, until the spring brings new growth.



Manzanita
Not a flower at this stage, but Arctostaphylos columbiana berries are still interesting to examine. These tiny fruits look like small apples. The word manzanita is the Spanish diminutive of manzana (apple). A literal translation would be "little apple".



Tiger Lily
Lilium columbianum looks so bright and perky in the dark green forests of Vancouver Island. I enjoy seeing their flashy spots of colour on our summer hikes.

The Usual Suspects

Jan, Mike, and Alan: The Usual Suspects
Originally uploaded by Mary Sanseverino

Saturday, May 23, 2009: A perfect late spring day, and I'm spending it the way I like best -- bashing around the Vancouver Island back country through bush and rock. That I am out with Mike, Jan, and Alan (a.k.a. the Usual Suspects) is an extra bonus.

On this day we decided to try a new route through the Sooke Hills Wilderness area. We took off from our usual spot on Sooke Road (up the road from the mailbox pull-off), hiked in and crossed Veitch Creek. We didn't stay on the usual route. Mike had sighted some new ribbons a few weeks previously and wanted to see where they led.

The route turned out to be an excellent one. We got some fine views from a height of land we had never been to before, and some excellent flower sightings. Ah, yes, nothing is so sweet as experiencing another Sooke Hills "lifer" (doing a new route for the first time).

The highlight of the day -- aside from finding and photographing the extremely rare Prairie Lupine, was the final ascent up to Secundus (the 2nd of the MacDonald "Bumps"). The views opened out over the Sooke Hills and the Juan de Fuca Strait as soon as we got out of the valley. And the sky -- a perfect jewel of blue overhead.

The day was warm, so we stopped under the spreading branches of a huge arbutus tree and took lunch and a breather. Alan went down to his skivvies, but the rest of us demurred.

Even though the day was glorious we saw nary another soul for the entire outing. The Sooke Hills Wilderness is really a gem -- I am surprised that more people don't simply disregard the ridiculous "keep out" signs erected by the Capital Regional District. The Usual Suspects gave those signs a big raspberry some years ago and, frankly, I couldn't be happier!

          

PS. I hope to once again become your faithful photo-correspondent. For the past two months I have let things slide as I got back into the swing of my university gig. I am all caught up now and can post a bit more frequently (at least until Sept).