Breakwater Cafe

This is the Breakwater Cafe, perched at the junction of the Ogden Point Breakwater and Dallas Road. It's a busy place year round with good food at reasonable prices, and, (below) a great view of Holland Point.

Holland Point

Late this afternoon I went for a brief drive along Dallas Road and stopped to enjoy one of my favorite coastal scenes, Holland Point. I've photographed it many times but it's always different.

Kiteboarding

On sunny days if there is any wind at all you can almost always find kiteboarders in the bay that lies off Dallas Road between Clover and Finlayson Points.

Holland Point

Saturday was warm and bright so I took a ride along Dallas Road and stopped to enjoy Holland Point though it was rather windy.

Victoria International Kite Festival

Above is Clover Point, the always windy venue for the Victoria International Kite Festival. I took the photo last evening when they were just setting up for the festival which will be very active today. However, there were a few kites flying, the one below being the most interesting. I plan to check out the festival in more detail later today since I am always amazed at how the pros can make those flimsy things dance and swoop so gracefully..

Dog's Eye View

In the spring the grass is left to grow on the bluffs overlooking the beach along Dallas Road and is a riot of green, purple and yellow thanks to the grass, camas, and buttercups. I figure this is maybe a idea of what our four legged friends see. - Fern

Dallas Road

A classic; you can't go wrong with this stretch of coast on a beautiful sunset night. - Fern

On the Beach

I don't know whether it was the stormy weather we've had lately or just old age but this barge looks like it was lucky to make it to the beach between Clover Point and Finlayson Point. A work crew was busy this morning - looks like they were pumping it out so maybe it has sprung a leak.

Tangle

I keep promising myself that I'm going to take some pictures of all the Christmas lights but I find myself time and time again standing under the trees enjoying the natural light pouring through the branches instead. - Fern

Eclipse

For those of you who might have missed it last night, here is what the eclipse of the moon looked like over Victoria. I took this photo down on Dallas Road overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca and there were thousands of people out to see the moon.

Not what I planned, but....

I went down to Dallas Road hoping to capture one of those cycle race photos with burly riders shoulder to shoulder pumping at breakneck speed as they lean into a curve, but...above is what I got. No reflection on the two riders here - it's a 140 km. race and I shouldn't have expected that adrenaline charged rush on this part of the course. The race is called the Tour de Victoria and took place on Sunday.

Beacon HIll

I often post photos of Beacon Hill Park and photos taken from Beacon Hill but I don't think I have ever taken a photo of Beacon Hill itself, so here's one. It overlooks the strait and in days gone by it used to have a beacon on top to guide mariners. The purple flowers are Camas Lilies and these camas meadows on the slopes of Beacon Hill were harvested by native peoples long before Europeans ever came to these shores.

Kite-Surfers

A bright windy day brought kite-surfers out to the bay between Clover Point and Finlayson Point (just visible on the right). I took the photo from the walkway along Dallas Road above the beach.

Clover Point

Travelling east along Dallas Road from Holland Point, a next favorite spot is Clover Point. Sea Gulls and other marine birds are also fond of this spot. In the distance is the Trial Island Light.

Holland Point

I went for a ride along Dallas Road recently and realized I hadn't posted a photo of Holland Point recently. Since it's one of my favorite bits of coastline in the city, here it is. Autumn's rusty color palette is definitely taking over summer's vibrant green.

Dallas Road 2

When you first look at a series of photos you can so easily pass things by that on a second look, really stand out. This simple composition captures the wide open feeling of this sun drenched ocean vista. - Fern

Dallas Road

This is a excellent little beach just below Holland Point to enjoy the sun and sea and watch all the comings and goings from Ogden Point. While we were there for a few hours one cruise ship docked and two more appeared on the horizon. - Fern

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

I'm still new enough to birdwatching that I encounter species new to me fairly often and it is always a thrill no matter how common they may be. Above are a small group of Dunlin (Calidris alpina) who were trying to catch a snooze near the shore of Clover Point a few days ago. Like the Brant Goose I pictured on Friday, they are not uncommon but I had never noticed them before. As well as differences in appearance due to gender, many birds wear different plumage during breeding season. The bird on the far left of the above photo is wearing the rich brown Dunlin breeding plumage. The bird second from the right is just beginning to show breeding plumage. The others are not yet in the mood, I guess.

Kitesurfing

Birds are not the only thing in the waters off Clover Point these days. When the sun broke through on Friday the blustery winds attracted some kitesurfers, one of whom is pictured above. Now this looks like fun but this guy must have been cold. Despite the lovely aquamarine tinge of the water, the wind was icy. Kitesurfing is on the verge of becoming an Olympic sport. People have kitesurfed across the Atlantic.

Brant Goose

Here's another common bird species that I don't remember ever seeing before I took up birdwatching. This is a Brant goose (also known as Black Brant), Branta bernicla nigricans. I saw this one and a half-dozen others grazing in the sea lettuce near the shore at Clover Point. I've seen Brant there before but never so close to shore. While I was mentioning the differences in appearance between male and female birds the other day, I didn't mention another fairly common phenomenon - cases such as the Brant where there is little or no difference in appearance between the genders.