The first half of September is a transitional phase in the annual birdlife of the Sunshine Coast. During these two weeks we see the last of the summer visitors, which are generally land birds, and the first of the winter visitors, generally waterbirds.
On the land and in the woods the last of the warblers and vireos are recorded as they make their way south to warmer climes for the winter, a migration dictated by the necessities of an insectivorous diet. The warblers, so colourful in the springtime in their breeding plumage, are now drab and undistinguished, and when they arrived in the spring they sang a variety of complex songs but are now reduced to subdued single syllables. We shall see them again, beginning in exactly six months when the first yellow-rumped warblers arrive in mid-March.
As the warblers depart for Mexico and south, two of our wintering species are starting to arrive. Fox sparrows and golden-crowned sparrows breed in the high mountains and high latitudes of B.C. but return to the benign climate of coastal B.C. to winter. Sparrows are seed-eaters and naturally they find an abundance of sustenance in the blackberry tangles of the Sunshine Coast. As seed eaters they also make happy use of the many local bird feeders. Fox and golden-crowned sparrows will stay with us for the winter, but two sparrows, Lincoln’s and savannah, both common right now, will pass right on through our area to points south.
One local bird that generally disappears from the lowlands for the summer is now reappearing in noisy flocks. Steller’s jays are familiar to almost everyone on the Sunshine Coast (even if they are often referred to as “blue jays”). The jays move upslope in the mountains for the summer but winter at sea-level. Arnold Skei reported a loose flock of 63 jays on Sept. 10.
On the water, the common birds of winter are reappearing with large flocks of horned, red-necked and western grebes reported along with small flocks of common loons. In various bays and estuaries ducks such as pintail, teal and wigeon have returned, and the first large flocks of surf scoters have been reported in the strait.
Other abundant wintering ducks such as goldeneyes and buffleheads will appear in late October when the interior lakes begin to freeze over.
Off the north end of Thormanby Island there was a huge aggregation of common murres on Sept. 3 with hundreds of birds present. This is a regular location for this species, for reasons that are unknown.
To report your sightings or questions, contact [email protected] or 604-885-5539.
