Royal Roads

If you were looking at yesterday's scene and turned 180 degrees you would see the scene pictured above. This is the Royal Roads anchorage, so called because it lies between Albert Head and Victoria, both named after members of the British royal family. I believe those large ships lying offshore are waiting for a chance to visit the Esquimalt graving docks that are capable of servicing such enormous craft. The cairn and plaque pictured below give a little history of Royal Roads.

Hatley Castle Fall Colours

Here's a shot of Hatley Castle from the southern side of Esquimalt Lagoon. The castle now houses part of the administration for Royal Roads University, some of whose buildings can be seen behind the castle.

Royal Roads

After I'd had a good look at these clouds and taken this photo you can bet that I was packing up and heading for home. This is the body of water known as Royal Roads. It is offshore of Esquimalt Lagoon. For those of you not familiar with "roads" as a nautical term, here is what Wikipedia has to say:

The term Roads (short for roadstead), as applied to a body of water, is "a partly sheltered area of water near a shore in which vessels may ride at anchor". Signifying the safety of a port, the word "roads" in the nautical terminology of the day meant "a place less sheltered than a harbor where ships may ride at anchor."

Esquimalt Lagoon

The old-growth forest pictured yesterday is situated on rising land above and slightly to the west of Esquimalt Lagoon and provided the above view of the lagoon. I like this view because it shows clearly the long narrow spit that separates the lagoon from the ocean. The Fisgard Lighthouse is also visible in this photo very close to the center. Though our weather continues quite warm, autumn colors are clearly beginning to seep into the palette.

Old-Growth Forest

We are lucky in Victoria to have some old-growth forest right on our doorstep, on the grounds of Royal Road University. Old-growth forest has been defined as that in which trees are older than 250 years and some of those in the photo above are probably twice that age. To walk among these forest giants is a humbling and refreshing experience.

Big Tree

So when Benjamin Madison told me about the big trees on the campus of Royal Roads University, I was intrigued. What an experience to turn off the very busy Sooke Road, and step into this other world. Out of the blazing sun and roaring traffic and in among this giant old trees. I highly recommend it. - Fern

Orchid Invader - Epipactis helleborine

While on my walk in the woods near Royal Roads University last week I noticed this little flowering plant. The flowers are very small, about the size of your little fingernail. When I stooped to look at it more closely I realized it was probably another of our local orchids and it is, although it is an invader from Europe, apparently arriving on this continent in 1879. This is Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine). Lewis J. Clark (Wildflowers of British Columbia), who rises to poetry in his descriptions of almost anything that comes out of the ground in this province, describes Helleborine as "...an invasive, almost weedy plant." But though it's quite modest in comparison with its more colorful and larger relatives, I was pleased to add another local wild orchid to my collection.

Purple Martin (Progne subis)

Sometimes it seems like ecological disaster is inevitable and within a generation or two life on this planet will be very unpleasant. So it's nice to see that some of our changes are working and it is possible to reverse some damage. I was pleased to mention a few weeks ago the recovery of the Osprey population whose numbers were declining until DDT was banned. The local population of today's featured bird, the Purple Martin (Progne subis), was also in decline and they had almost disappeared from this area thirty years ago. This was thought to be due to competition for suitable nest sites from invasive species such as European Starlings, and because of the removal by humans of favored natural nesting sites such as dead trees. The resurgence in their population is due to the provision of nesting boxes such as pictured to the right. These have been designed to be especially attractive to Purple Martins and less attractive to competing species. The wire netting over the top and sides at the front of the nest is to prevent seagulls from snacking on the fledglings when they take their first peeks out the doorway. Above on the left is a male Purple Martin with a female of the species on the right. This colony of Purple Martins resides on the north shore of Esquimalt Lagoon below Royal Roads University and Hatley Castle. There is an article about them HERE.

Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)

I recently went out to Royal Roads University to check out some of the forest trails that lie beside the Hatley Park National Historic Site. I've heard there are some huge old growth trees there as much as 500 years old. I had a splendid walk through the forest but did not see the trees.... Anyway, the trail I was on exited from the forest on the northern inland shore of Esquimalt Lagoon. While I often visit this lagoon, which is a bird sanctuary, I have not visited this shore of it before. I was rewarded by sighting two species new to me, the Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) pictured above and to the left, and some Purple Martins we'll see in a day or two. The Least Sandpiper is the smallest North American shorebird (just a little larger than a sparrow)and is almost indistinguishable from its other slightly larger relatives. Its distinguishing characteristic is its yellowish legs. The otherwise unremarkable photo to the left does have the virtue of clearly showing the yellowish legs on a couple of the birds.

Hatley Castle 3 - The Italian Garden

Hatley Park National Historic Site consists of the castle and the adjacent gardens. Directly beside the house is the Italian Garden, pictured above and below. It's a very formal garden with trees in tubs and immaculately trimmed and squared hedges, lawns and beds of flowers.

---

Click here to see what the castle looks like from across the lagoon, in the autumn.

Hatley Park

Overlooking Esquimalt Lagoon is Hatley Castle, built by James Dunsmuir as a residence about 100 years ago. James was the son of Robert Dunsmuir, who earlier built the city of Victoria landmark,Craigdarroch Castle. After James died, Hatley Castle became the home of Royal Roads Military College and in its most recent incarnation, it has become Royal Roads University.I actually went out there to see some of the province's largest trees, Douglas Firs that are over 250 years old. However, I got sidetracked by the castle's formal Italian, Rose and Japanese Gardens and between the heat and the floral overload I never made it to the forest. Next time! Below are a couple of shots from the Japanese Garden.

Below is a flower that was blooming in another Hatley Park Garden called the "Bog Garden." If anyone knows what this spectacularly colored flower is, kindly let me know.

Royal Roads

Within the Greater Victoria area, travelling along the coast south and west, one passes Esquimalt Harbour and then Esquimalt Lagoon. This photograph is taken from the spit that marks the outer edge of the lagoon looking towards Metchosin. Royal Roads was the name given to the anchorage to the left. The snowy mountains in the background are across the Strait of Juan de Fuca on the Olympic Peninsula, in neighbouring Washington State, USA.