Birds are arriving, albeit late

April has been cool, damp and grey and not particularly welcoming to the insectivores who visit us for the summer. However, by the middle of the month, the migrational imperative is strong and the birds are appearing, though perhaps in reduced numbers so far, compared to an average year. Many species, of course, are not insectivores and the weather is of little concern to them. One might say it has been lovely weather for ducks, and the ducks just might agree! The colourful wood duck has been reported on various woodland ponds including the Ruby Lake lagoon and at Smuggler’s Cove Provincial Park. At the latter location a cinnamon teal was present on the 15th, an early date for the species. At the head of Porpoise Bay a female ruddy duck has been present for three days (April 14 to 16). This species is surprisingly rare on the Sunshine Coast and is not recorded in most years. 

Townsend’s solitaire is a member of the thrush family and breeds over most of interior B.C. It does not breed on the Coast but does migrate coastally. Some years they are quite common during their mid-April migration window, and this year is one of those with numerous reports from April 9 to 15. Possibly the reason for the strong coastal showing this year is the heavy snowpacks still present in interior B.C. which makes a coastal route more attractive. John Hodges reported fur mountain bluebirds on the Roberts Creek beach on the 16th, and there was also a Say’s phoebe there at the same time. John also reported the first purple martins of the summer at the Wilson Creek estuary on the 13th. This was a miserable day of cold wind and rain and the birds were hunkered down in the nesting tubes trying to hide from the weather, perhaps wishing they were back in South America. For those who are out in the hills right now, listen for the low “hoop, hoop” calls of the sooty grouse. Also listen for the snow and Canada geese overhead as they migrate northwards along the strait. 

On the morning of April 11, John checked his bird feeder at his home in Roberts Creek and was surprised to see a finch that looked different from the usual red-coloured suspects (house and purple finches). He photographed it and close inspection proved it to be a Cassin’s finch, a rare visitor to coastal B.C. and a first record for the Sunshine Coast (it is common in the Okanagan).

To report your sightings or ask a question contact [email protected] or 604-885-5539.