Chickadees, wren, pipers and jays have entertained you on the walk down the road to the bridge crossing the lagoon. The tide is out and several gulls, terns and killdeer rest on the exposed gravel bars. Mergansers fish along the far shore, while a flock of Brant geese lift off, honking their disapproval at your appearance. A bald eagle circles overhead, while starlings flitter back and forth under the bridge. The chance to see such a variety of birds has drawn you to this lagoon, one of the best spots on Vancouver Island for bird watching. You wander back up the road to Fort Rodd Historic Site and Fisgard Lighthouse. You pick a spot to sit and have lunch, all the while being watched by a couple of loons floating a few feet offshore.

The following day you find yourself at Somenos Marsh, a waterfowl sanctuary north of Duncan. A dozen Canada geese, ignorant of the adjacent highway traffic in their search for food, have commandeered one large pond. Brushing through the grasses, you continue deeper into the marsh, your passage disturbing families of mallard ducks, and the odd sandpiper. Just around the bend, a heron stands perfectly still in the shallows, waiting for an unsuspecting fish to swim by. Quietly, you ready your camera, focus your telephoto lens and then wait. Suddenly, the heron plunges its head into the water. Your patience is rewarded. Squirming within the heron's bill is a small fish and you quickly snap the picture. It's an award-winning shot.

Later that week, now up-island, you hop aboard a charter boat for the quick trip to Mitlenatch Island near Campbell River. This large rock in the Strait of Georgia is one huge nesting site for all types of gulls, cormorants and guillemots. A provincial park, the island attracts thousands of birds, who nest among the wildflowers and cacti.
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