A20 - North Shore News - Wednesday, November 23, 2011
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Lower Mainland a popular wintering ground
Wild About Birds Al Grass
photo John Lowman
EACH year, snow geese like this pair pass over the North Shore, travelling from their wintering grounds in the Fraser River delta to their breeding grounds on Wrangle Island, Russia.
IT’S a fact that southwestern B.C. is a major wintering area for birds, and is not only of provincial, but national and world importance.
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October saw the last of our summering neo-tropical species like vireos, warblers, tanagers and orioles leave the North Shore, or pass through on migration. Waterfowl arrive on the North Shore from distant places; some, like the longtailed duck, breed as far away as the Arctic. Snow geese, which winter on the Fraser Delta, pass over the North Shore from breeding grounds on Wrangle Island, Russia. Once in a while a few have dropped in to visit with us at Ambleside Park or Maplewood Consecration Area. Other wintering geese to watch for include whitefronted and cackling. The cackling goose was created by scientists splitting the Canada goose into two species, with the smaller darker races of the Canada called the cackler. Ducks divide themselves neatly into the “divers” and “dabblers.” Dabblers include the familiar mallard, along with the green-winged teal, northern pintail, and American wigeon. Birders are always on the lookout for rarities like the Eurasian wigeon and the Europeans race of the greenwinged teal (Common teal in Europe). Excellent spots of the North Shore to view dabbling ducks are Ambleside Park (including the pond) and Maplewood Conservation Area’s tidal flats and the west pond. Check here too for the resident rainbow-coloured wood duck. Divers, another major group of ducks, are usually
found in deeper water, including scoters, (three species), goldeneyes (two species), and mergansers (three species). Quiet ponds like Maplewood’s are places to look for the gorgeous hooded merganser, as well as the lesser scaup and ringnecked duck. The wonderful harlequin duck breeds on fast flowing mountain streams and winters in marine habitats like off Maplewood’s salt marsh where they feed on invertebrates like small crabs. November is a good month to watch for raptors like Cooper’s hawk, goshawk, red-tailed hawk, roughlegged hawk, and peregrine falcon (good recent sightings at Maplewood). Small birds to watch for include evening grosbeak, purple finch, and goldencrowned sparrow. A rare but apparently regular North Shore wintering bird is the whitethroated sparrow. It is usually seen with crowned sparrows, especially at bird feeders. And there was a wonderful report of western meadowlarks at Ambleside Park — a bird usually associated with grassy meadows. Al Grass is a naturalist with Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia, which sponsors free walks at Maplewood Flats Conservation Area on the second Saturday of every month. Meet at 10 a.m. at Maplewood Flats, 2645 Dollarton Highway (two kilometres east of the Iron Workers Second Narrows Memorial Crossing). Walks go rain or shine. Website: www. wildbirdtrust.org.
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