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Winter resident birds arriving

Good Birding

The wintertime sound track of the Sunshine Coast is establishing itself as the birds of summer have departed or gone silent while the winter residents move on to new territories for the coming months. No longer do we hear the complex breeding season songs of warblers and vireos as most winter residents confine themselves to mundane single notes and other undistinguished calls. 

Within the past week a number of people have commented on the sudden appearance in their neighbourhoods and gardens of dark-eyed juncos. This member of the sparrow family is one of our commonest and most familiar birds as it spends the winter at sea-level and is an abundant visitor to bird feeders. The juncos are returning from a summer spent upslope in the mountain forests where they breed. Junco flocks can be quite animated as they communicate with each other with a series of twittering sounds. Another species returning to sea-level from the local mountains is the varied thrush. This relative of the robin is much less visible than the juncos as it generally stays out of sight in the forest. However, familiarity with its subdued call note, which the field guides describe as “a soft, low tschook” will reveal the presence of the bird. In the coming weeks it may often be found either singly or in flocks, consuming arbutus berries. Robins are now much in evidence as they form into flocks and descend on the bounty of various berry-producing trees and shrubs such as laurel, holly and crabapple. Robins become scarce on the Sunshine Coast by mid-winter in December and January but they are early migrants and will reappear again in large numbers in February and March. 

Other commonly heard wintertime vocalisations are the raucous calls of Steller’s jays, the “chup” calls of fox sparrows, the catlike mewing of spotted towhees, the high frequency calls of golden-crowned kinglets (outside the audible range for many people), the “je-ditt” of ruby-crowned kinglets, and the “reeeeeee” of Hutton’s vireos. All of these vocalisations are quite learnable, but the old adage of “practice, practice, practice” is apropos. 

In other news, bald eagles are beginning to return to the Sunshine Coast after a brief absence for most of September while they pursue salmon runs further north up the coast. For those living near forested areas, you may hear the dawn and dusk call of the pygmy owl, a well-spaced series of mellow “hoo” notes. To ask a question or report a sighting contact tony@whiskeyjacknaturetours.com or 604-885-5539. Good birding.