Birding

After going through school with grammar drummed into us well and truly, we were led to believe that the sole function of the word 'bird' was as a noun, describing a feathered flying thing. Oh, how wrong we were. Our vocabulary has been expanded to now include 'bird' as a verb. For example, one can go 'birding': usually involving a slow paced walk through forests and fields with binoculars (binos) in one hand and clipboard in the other, on the hunt for feathered flying things to scrawl down on your species hit list sheet. People who frequent such birding events more often than not end up becoming a fully fledged birder (see definition from last week).

Birding is a big part of what A Rocha does internationally, and A Rocha Canada is no exception. We introduced two keen birders to you last week. Colin 'Hawk-eye' Conroy and Stan 'Aves' Olson are the leaders of the weekly birding expeditions. At 8 am every Thursday (weather permitting) they lead a band of enthusiastic keen beans through one of four locations in the Little Campbell watershed: Redwood Park, the Little Campbell Hatchery, the Little Campbell Estuary or the Campbell Valley Regional Park. Over the next two hours we quietly meander through forest, field, bramble, mudflat, wetland... eyes peeled and ears sharpened for any signs of bird life. Each bird spotted and identified is recorded down on the bird survey sheet. An average of about 30 bird species is observed each week. All the data from the past 6 years has been collated together and will ultimately used by Colin to measure the environmental health of the Little Campbell Watershed. Colin was grateful to have Anna to take over the helm of data entry, inputting the last 4 years of environmental data from the weekly bird walks in 2 days.

 Birding at the Hatchery

 

Colin scoping out some bird

 

On the bird walks you have the reliables: Chickadees (both Black-capped and Chestnut-backed), American Robins, Spotted Towhees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Mallard Ducks (native to Canada)... Less commonly sighted are the beautiful Purple Finches, the vibrant Varied Thrushes, the clambering Brown Creepers, the gargantuan Great Blue Herons and the majestic Red-tailed Hawks.

 A Red-tailed Hawk searching for breakfast

"How much wood, would a woodpecker wood, if a woodpecker could peck wood?" Ah, the great unknown. Thus far we have met five members of the woodpecker family: Mr Downy, Mr Hairy and Mr Pileated Woodpecker, along with the Northern Flicker and Red-breasted Sapsucker. These percussion experts can be heard all over place but can be a lot more difficult to spot in the dense thickets of wood.

A Downy Woodpecker hammering away at Redwood Park

Birding Speak:


"Oh, oh, over there I heard a Song Sparrow."
"Over where? Ah, I see. It's on the third tree in, partially obscured by the blackberry and behind that dead tree."

"Oh look, in the water it's an American Wigeon."
"Can't be. They don't migrate here for another two months."
"But it is. See that tiny stripe on its beak distinguishing it from all the rest of the ducks."
"Oh yeah".

"Did you see that?! I just counted 17 Black-capped Chickadees flying over."
"Never!  There were only 15."
"17!"
"Nevermind."

"Look there's a Spotted Towhee."
"Oh we've already seen that one, you can't count it again!"

"Goodness gracious everybody look over there!  It's a ....

... oh wait, it flew away."



Anna and I have been on two bird walks thus far. It's getting more exciting as we are able to recognise and name the birds we are spying on through our binos. In two weeks time we are heading to the Campbell Valley Regional Park where I hope to fulfill my dream of being the birdman; having birds land in my hands to feed. Apparently the birds are so tame there they think nothing of it. I have heard of one time when Maya (the eldest daughter Markku and Leah {the Canadian Team Leaders}) counted 192 birds coming for a feed from her hands, but before she could break the 200 mark she ran out of bird seed!
 
Colin is also part of Project FeederWatch. Twice a week he peers through the kitchen window, recording the maximum number of each bird species he sees at one time feeding or hanging around. With the birdseed tray, the hanging birdseed feeder, the two suet feeders, the ground seeds and two nectar stations, the centre is swarming with birds making the most of the free feast. The squirrels are also keen to get in on the act and would clean out the supplies if Colin was not there to shoo them away (to Marine's horror). My favourite feeder birds are the Steller's Jay and dainty humming birds.
 
By the end of this year I am pretty sure I will have joined the birding ranks; never leaving home without my binos.
 

And for Father, a joke:

 

Why did the Owl 'owl? 

Cause the Woodpecker wood-peck-er.