Spring is here!
The March 20 equinox – the first day the sun was above the horizon for 12 hours - heralded many bird migration movements and calls.
Tsawwassen’s Great Blue Heron rookery became very squawky last week when more than 200 herons arrived at their nests.
A male Rufous Hummingbird made first-of-year appearance at a Beach Grove feeder.
Local Anna’s Hummingbirds have flown off, while other Anna’s arrive from as far south as Mexico to nest here.
Overwintering birds, particularly ducks, geese and swans, head to their northern and inland breeding grounds. Others just pass through our Fraser River Delta, stopping briefly to refuel. This area is a vital region of the Pacific Flyway that stretches from Alaska to the southern tip of South America.
Trumpeter Swans honk away as if to say goodbye as they depart from Roberts Bank tidal foreshores and farm fields. American Wigeon squeak their departure, while Mallards quack in unison as they leave Southlands.
Swooping clouds of Delta’s winter shorebird, Dunlin, maneuver in calculated rhythm along shorelines. Massive flocks of peeping Western Sandpipers, newly arrived from South America, fuel up on tidal mudflats biofilm before the last 5,000 km leg of their journey to the Arctic tundra.
Large rafts of ocean diving ducks like Surf Scoters suddenly vanish. Colourful Harlequin Ducks fly inland to breed along mountain streams.
Cavity nesters like Wood Ducks, Barn Owls and Tree Swallows search for old trees to nest in. The Cascade Bird Box Team, dedicated local volunteers, builds supplementary nest boxes for select species.
Spring migration continues until June arrivals of warblers, vireos, and flycatchers - all insectivorous birds. To survive they require flowering trees and shrubs that attract bugs.
Last week I heard Tree Swallows chattering loudly above Deas Island Park in some sort of discussion. What bird will you hear or see this spring?
Editor’s note: Nature Notes is a monthly column presented by the Delta Naturalists and their community partners. For info on monthly meetings and more see: www.dncb.wordpress.com and www.facebook.com/DeltaNats/.
