Spring is here and the migrants are starting to pour in, many new species have been recorded including Black-throated Gray, Orange-crowned and Townsends Warbler, Pacific-slope and Hammond’s Flycatcher. Brightly colored male American Goldfinch are starting to appear at feeders and the shorebirds are being seen in Cowichan Bay with good numbers of Greater Yellowlegs and the first groups of sandpipers coming through.
A pair of Osprey have set up shop on the old nest site in Cowichan Bay and two or three Purple Martins have been seen on nest boxes also in the bay.
Rufous Hummingbirds have already started nesting while the Anna’s Hummingbirds have got fledged young attending feeders.
Over the past two weeks large groups of Geese have gone through, White-fronted, Cackling and Canada Geese all going in a north-westerly direction and will continue for the next couple of weeks as they head way up north to start the new breeding season.
My garden has seen many species leave with just a few straggler sparrow species hanging in for the seed, a pair of Downy Woodpeckers must be nesting close by as they are at the suet block most days. Robins and Starlings along with House Sparrows have been grabbing any good nesting bits and bobs and carting them off, one busy House Sparrow was seen with a large dead grass stem about a foot and half long flying by the kitchen window without any problem.
Many duck species are starting to leave and the number of Green-winged Teal have built up in the bay with a nice male Eurasian Teal being seen on several occasions. Good numbers of Northern Shoveller were seen on our little field trip to Somenos Marsh and some Greater Yellowlegs showed themselves nicely with one in near breeding plumage. It was a cold morning on the walk and we did not see too many species, but if you don’t go and look you will never see anything.
Hopefully if the weather warms up a bit over the next couple of weeks we should see many new species arrive and it won’t be long until those with feeders see the arrival of those wonderful looking Black-headed Grosbeaks.
The Great Horned Owls have young now and at a westerly location in the valley young birds have been keeping a couple up at night as they call and cry begging for mum and dad to bring them some food.
The last two Trumpeter Swans that i saw were in Cowichan Bay, I did sneak around our route one day with the wife just to see if there were any more hanging around but none were found.
A pair of Red-tailed Hawks are displaying most days above Tzouhalem Road and will soon be nesting and a fly through Sharp-shinned Hawk made some slow moving House Finch bring up their breakfast at my feeder the other day.
The Tree Swallows have taken over most boxes around both Somenos and Cowichan Bay and Violet-green Swallows have found their old haunts around the sub-division, but I have not seen any signs of our other three species, Barn, Cliff or Rough-winged yet.
Our neighbor was walking down the road yesterday with his little boy and dog when a Turkey Vulture came down really low and cruised up the street, it was good to see the amazement in the little boys face as this monster bird came so close, of course i told them to keep moving just in case the vulture was a little hungry and hadn’t eaten for a while.
Well i think that’s about it, lot’s to see and hear at the moment, so get out and enjoy what nature has to offer.
Derrick
Cowichan Valley Naturalists
With Nature, For Nature.