Spring-like weather finally arrived on the Sunshine Coast in the latter half of April and the birds certainly appreciated it – or does the good weather induce people to spend more time outdoors and therefore be aware of the presence of the nature all around us? The warm sunny weather finally encouraged the first butterflies of the year to take flight. At the other end of the scale, a grey whale has been reliably present and visible off the Roberts Creek pier. On land the black bears are out of hibernation and I saw a sow with two yearling cubs in the vicinity of Kinnikinnick Park in Sechelt.
By May 1 many of our summering birds have arrived back on in our area. Seven of our eight breeding warblers are now present and their varied songs dominate any walk in low- to mid-elevation mixed forest. The best way to be aware of these birds is to know their songs; easier said than done, of course!
Smuggler’s Cove Provincial Park is a great birding location at this time of the year and its varied habitats – including forest, wetlands and ocean – will produce a long list of birds. In the last two weeks it has been inundated with hordes of yellow-rumped warblers, easily identified by … their yellow rumps! Another excellent location for seeing and hearing the warblers is to walk along the Hydro powerline where the “edge effect” prevails. Many bird species are drawn to “edges” where different habitat types are adjacent and the powerline brings together forest and the brushy habitat, full of seed- and berry-producing shrubs that birds love. The powerline habitat is a favourite of MacGillivray’s warbler, a good singer, but also a notorious skulker in the bushes. Of the eight summering warblers we still await the yellow warbler, which arrives in numbers in the second and third weeks of May.
In the next few days expect two of the gaudiest of our summer visitors, the black, white and yellow western tanager, and the similarly coloured black-headed grosbeak. The tanager is a second growth forest bird while the grosbeak often appears at feeders.
Many people have commented on the abundance recently of dark-eyed juncos in their gardens and at feeders. These birds are migrating through our area and numbers diminish rapidly as they move northwards and upwards into the mountains where they breed. We are also in a peak migration window in early May for white-crowned and golden-crowned sparrows. These birds often travel together. One of their favourite foods is the new pea shoots in your garden, so beware!
As part of the Global Big Day, Aldo Cogrossi is hosting a bird walk departing at 9 a.m. from the parking lot at the Ruby Lake Resort on Saturday, May 5. Yours truly will lead this bird walk. See you there. Contact me with your sightings, questions at [email protected] or 604-885-5539.
