Every fall millions of birds that breed and summer in Canada wing their way southward to more hospitable climes to spend the winter. The human equivalent is the “snowbird” of course.
On Oct. 2 there was a huge movement of snow geese over the Sunshine Coast as flock after flock of these birds could be seen and heard as they overflew our area on their way to the Fraser Delta. The entire population of western snow geese breeds on Wrangell Island in Siberia and winters on the Pacific coast from the Fraser Delta to the central valley of California. A flock of 20,000-plus snow geese can be viewed for the next few months in the fields of Westham Island, near the Reifel Bird Sanctuary, in the Fraser Delta. When this enormous flock of geese takes wing as a bald eagle flies over, it’s a spectacular sight, truly an avian blizzard.
The snow goose migration is easily observed by Sunshine Coast residents, but a largely unseen migration takes place in our local mountains. From mid-September to mid-October and later, there is a very identifiable movement of raptors along our coast.
Raptors are famous for their habit of utilizing the thermal currents that develop over mountain ridges during the heat of the day and they use these currents to lazily drift along to save energy rather than the more energy-intensive mode of flying in a straight line (like the geese). Since the 1980s Sunshine Coast birders have been aware of this movement and a great location to observe it is the large clearcut on the Wilson Creek forest road (just beyond the Dakota Bowl turnoff). A side benefit of this location is the absolutely stunning views of the coastline and mountains surrounding the Salish Sea.
On a gorgeous afternoon on Oct. 3, John Hodges and I spent three hours watching the raptor movement and we recorded eight different species as follows: turkey vulture (2), osprey (1), bald eagle (4), northern harrier (4+), sharp-shin hawk (6), red-tailed hawk (11), rough-legged hawk (1), merlin (1). Over the course of the migration period hundreds or perhaps thousands of birds must use this route. It is one of the avian highlights of the birding year.
To report your sightings or questions contact [email protected] or 604-885-5539.
