Esquimalt Lagoon: Coffee, Birds, and a Brief Ceasefire in the Rain
Esquimalt Lagoon Bridge
Esquimalt Lagoon is one of my go-to flight spots. It’s close to home, it’s absolutely gorgeous on even the most average day, and most importantly, there’s a Tim Hortons drive-thru on the way.
That last part matters more than it probably should, but let’s be honest — no good drone decision has ever been made without coffee.
Like most of Vancouver Island this fall and winter, we’ve been dealing with rain. Not normal rain. Not “grab a jacket” rain. I’m talking biblical, ark-building, forty-days-and-forty-nights rain. The kind where you start wondering if the ground is ever going to dry out again, or if this is just how things are now.
They’re calling them atmospheric rivers. I used to roll my eyes at that term and joke that it was just a fancy new way of saying “it’s raining hard.” But after this year… yeah. It’s a thing. A very wet, very real thing.
So when a break shows up — even a small one — you notice.
Lately, my first indicator isn’t the weather app. It’s the birds.
When the rain eases off, the trees around my house absolutely explode with noise. Birds everywhere, losing their minds, like someone rang a bell and announced a surprise party. I’ve started treating it as my unofficial “maybe you can fly a drone now” alarm.
I looked out the window.
No sideways rain.
Wind wasn’t terrible.
Birds were partying.
That was good enough for me.
I grabbed a coffee, tossed the drone in the truck, and headed down to Esquimalt Lagoon mid-afternoon. Not a golden sunrise shoot. Not cinematic perfection. Just a window — and sometimes that’s all you get.
The lagoon was doing what it always does: calm water on both sides of the road, subtle color shifts under the surface, and that quiet, wide-open feeling that makes you slow down whether you want to or not. It’s one of those places that doesn’t need big light or dramatic skies to work. It just is.
Below is a short film from that afternoon — a quiet flight over the lagoon and nearby shoreline, captured during one of those rare breaks between storms.
I got up, took my time, and grabbed a handful of shots I’ve been wanting for a while.
And right on cue — as I was landing — the rain came back.
Not a drizzle. Not a warning sprinkle. Full send. As if the weather itself was saying, “Alright, that’s enough joy for one afternoon.”
By the time I packed up and got back in the truck, it was already back to absurd, relentless rain. The kind that makes you laugh because getting mad about it feels pointless.
That’s Esquimalt Lagoon for me.
Close to home.
Easy to reach.
Reliable when the weather gives you even the smallest chance.
It’s not a destination shoot. It’s not a once-a-year trip. It’s my backyard escape — the place I go when the birds start screaming and the rain finally gives me a break.
And yes, the Tim Hortons on the way definitely helps.
More flights from Esquimalt Lagoon — and other favorite spots around Victoria and the Westshore — coming soon.
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