Vancouver Island's pristine scenic regions are rich with wildlife

The eagles have landed at Goldstream Provincial Park on Vancouver Island, and for good reason -- their fall and winter feast has arrived.

For the rest of this month, bald eagles flock to parts of the Goldstream River -- just 12 miles north of Victoria -- to feast on the dead and dying carcasses of thousands of chum, coho and chinook salmon that return to spawn each year from mid-October until the end of December. One Canadian naturalist predicted 30,000 chum salmon would make the migration this year.

The salmon enter the river via the Finlayson Arm, a conduit from the Pacific on the west side of Vancouver Island. The province closed the estuary portion of the river to the public years ago to entice the eagles and natural predators back to the region. The closure worked.

One of the most remarkable parts about the rugged, pristine park with a rain-forest character and distinct vegetation zones is how accessible it is. Just north of Victoria, the turnoff to the day-use part of the park is off heavily traveled Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway). Slow down, and watch carefully for the signs. (Don't take the turnoff to the campground part of the park, as I did. The day-use entrance is on the east side of the highway beyond the campground entrance.)

A heavily wooded nature trail flanks the river, with plenty of vantage points for visitors and their cameras. Visitors should be aware that, without jumping into the river with the salmon (which is off-limits), it's difficult at best to photograph spawning salmon, even with sophisticated digital cameras and fast lenses. The fish move fast and blend in with the rocks, leaves and rushing water.

JEFF LARSEN / P-I

Trying to get a photograph of fast-moving spawning salmon is tricky, but this young man gives it a shot.

To learn about the salmon spawn -- one of nature's greatest and most unusual adventures -- visit the Goldstream Park Visitor Center, open daily, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Weekend activities include salmon slide shows, videos and interpretive programs hosted by dedicated volunteers. Lots of students tour the park on weekdays. I heard plenty of oohs and ahhhs from a grade school group lined up along the river to watch the salmon battle their way upstream to spawn.

Birders, listen up: South of Goldstream Park, on my way to Fort Rod Hill National Historic Park, I stumbled across one of the most amazing and most accessible bird-watching vantage points in all of my travels. If you follow the signs from Highway 1 to Fort Rod Hill in Colwood, drive past the park entrance, down the hill to Lagoon Road, which crosses a sand spit between the saltwater Esquimalt Lagoon and Royal Roads Bay. You will be amazed.

There are only a few bird species on the Royal Roads Bay side of the road -- the usual seagulls and a cormorant or two. But on the Esquimalt Lagoon side, which is officially designated one of Canada's Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, local bird photographer Suzanne Huot and I -- in an hour or so -- counted more than 20 species, including white pelicans, blackbirds, western grebe, kingfisher, great blue heron, swan, pintails, buffleheads, black oystercatcher, and the biggest surprise of all, the tiny, long-legged shore feeder, greater yellowlegs.

JEFF LARSEN / P-I

A spawning salmon finds it rough going in a small stream in Goldstream Provincial Park.

While I was there, several local, warmly dressed bird photographers and bird-watchers were positioned up and down the lagoon to watch and photograph the remarkable spectacle. Plenty of off-road parking is available along the milelong spit. Restrooms are on the west side of the spit. In the mornings, Colwood locals swarm to the Royal Roads Bay side of what's officially called Coburg Peninsula to walk their dogs and take in the scenery of the expansive bay and driftwood-lined shore.

Make a day of it and ask any of the bird-watchers or photographers at the lagoon to direct you to other exciting bird-watching locations on the southern part of the island, like Witty's Lagoon near the Metchosin Golf Course and King's Pond east of Colwood.

On a whim, since I was in the region, I decided to revisit the Sooke Potholes -- a geologically rich environment west of Colwood near the fishing village of Sooke. Large basins have been carved out of rock by the Sooke River over millions of years. The potholes -- as they have been labeled -- are deep enough for swimmers during the summer, and provide a respite for spawning salmon during the fall and winter.

As on the Goldstream River, this time of year thousands of chum salmon spawn in the outfalls of the giant Sooke River potholes. The scene is majestic.

JEFF LARSEN / P-I

A giant piece of driftwood becomes a jungle gym for kids at French Beach, just north of Sooke on Vancouver Island.

To be honest, the wooded area around the potholes over the years had become a bit trashy. Litter and acres of junk strewn throughout the acreage started to degrade the tourist value of the region. At face value, the potholes are viewed as one of the most environmentally special places on the West Coast, but they were in desperate need of protection and supervision.

Several years ago, along came a planner for the Capital Regional District Parks named Lynn Wilson. She was convinced that with diligence, political savvy and help from the Land Conservancy of British Columbia, the potholes could be saved from human encroachment. She worked tirelessly on the project that finally became a reality in March when the park district and the Land Conservancy partnered to purchase the 3 1/2-mile-long stretch of heavily wooded property that flanks the potholes.

On June 26, the Sooke Potholes were reopened with revitalized road access to two new 75-car parking areas complete with explanatory kiosks and new restrooms. Trails to the river from the new parking areas have been groomed and restructured for safe access to the potholes. All the junk was removed and recycled -- a monumental task. Then the trashed-out areas were groomed and replanted.

Wilson said eventually the Capital Regional District Parks plans to build a visitors center and improve the campground farther up the road. She called the Sooke Potholes a "Vancouver Island treasure," which, coupled with the Galloping Goose Trail that runs parallel to it, should be a well-managed tourist attraction for years to come.

If you go

• Goldstream Provincial Park -- 2930 Trans-Canada Highway; 250-478-9414; www.goldstreampark.com
• Capital Regional District Parks (Sooke Potholes) -- 490 Atkins Ave., Victoria; 250-478-3344; www.crd.bc.ca/parks/ sookepotholes/index.htm
• Esquimalt Lagoon -- www.esquimaltlagoon.com (check out the blurry webcam).

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