In the first week of February, not many Canadians are thinking that spring is imminent, but Sunshine Coasters may be forgiven for feeling smug as an exception as we are only days away from the first signs of spring in the bird world. In fact, Feb. 1 was a warm sunny afternoon and a visit to Sargeants Bay Provincial Park yielded the vocalisations of the male red-winged blackbirds already performing spring songs for the benefit of their intended mates.
As I walked in the warm sunshine I was hoping to hear the spring song of Hutton’s vireo. This bird is unknown to most people, partly because it fulfills all the attributes of the anonymous LBJ (“little brown job”) that confounds beginning birders. It is small and brown with few distinguishing field marks and also looks remarkably similar to the much more abundant ruby-crowned kinglet. However, especially in the springtime, it is quite vocal, and should you hear a monotonous series of “zu-weep, zu-weep” ad infinitum, you are hearing a Hutton’s vireo. The birds are usually heard from the canopy of second growth Douglas fir forests, a common habitat at low elevations. On Feb. 1, I did not hear the bird but a warm, sunny day in the next few days will surely produce this bird.
In the middle of February we expect to hear Pacific wrens (formerly known as winter wren) singing from the forest under-storey and song sparrows vocalizing around wetlands. Robins will be arriving back on the Sunshine Coast and often sing a distinctive song at dusk among their numerous other chatterings. Another infallible sign of spring will be the various woodpecker species tapping their drum rolls on sounding boards such as chimneys, flashing and dead snags.
Anna’s hummingbirds, ubiquitous all winter around hummingbird feeders, remarkably, are the earliest birds to nest on the Sunshine Coast and they will be sitting on eggs during February. Our other hummer, the rufous, will begin returning to the Sunshine Coast in mid-March, only five or six weeks away.
To report your sightings or questions, contact [email protected] or 604-885-5539.
