In the last few days the Arctic front that dominated our weather throughout February and early March has been well and truly defeated as abnormally warm air from the south has prevailed. Arriving with the warm air were the first swallows of the year and both tree swallows (16th March) and violet-greens (18th) were observed in a traditionally good location on Heritage Road in West Porpoise Bay, Sechelt. Swallows prefer the open habitat of fields for their insectivorous lifestyle and the provision of nest boxes at this location attracts the birds every year.
If you live in an area with fields or other open terrain, attaching nest boxes to fence posts will really help the swallows. And they do need help as all of the birds known as the “aerial insectivores” have been identified as species of conservation concern. It is thought that worldwide insect populations are both declining (herbicides, pesticides, intensive agriculture, urban expansion, etc.) and changing their flight periods (climate change) and this has negative consequences for bird species that are entirely dependent upon insects as their food supply.
The summery weather motivated some species to begin singing and the tiny ruby-crowned kinglets are now in full voice with their long, exuberant warbling. On Inlet Avenue in Sechelt I heard my first white-crowned sparrow song of the year on the 18th. This is one of our commonest summer birds and the somewhat mournful song will be heard everywhere at sea-level for the next few months. A few white-crowned sparrows winter with us but hordes of the birds will arrive to summer starting in late March.
A few migratory bird movements have been noted to date. The first turkey vulture of the year was reported in Gibsons on 1st March and there have been two reports of trumpeter swans moving north (Ruby Lake on the 3rd and Mission Point on the 17th). Watch for flocks of these birds in the next few days. In my neighbourhood on Redrooffs Road I have heard the noisy return of merlins (“kik, kik, kik”). Michael Jackson reports the return of common loons to Garden Bay Lake on the 19th, “the latest arrival date in 13 years and over two weeks later than in 2015, 2016 and 2017.”
On the afternoon of the 16th John Hodges and myself were on Heritage Road looking for swallows (see above) when we observed two plump whitish, finch-sized birds flying overhead. Eventually we located one of the birds on the ground and John photographed a snow bunting, a rare species on the Sunshine Coast. It was ironic that we were looking for the iconic birds of summer (swallows) and located what is normally a harbinger of winter (snow bunting).
By the time this is published I expect the first rufous hummingbird of the spring will have been reported! To report your sightings or questions contact [email protected] or 885-5539. Good Birding.
