Spring Is on the Way

Joe Meche is vice president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and is in his 10th year as editor of the chapter newsletter. Joe is also a member of the board of directors of the Washington Brant Foundation. He has been photographing birds and landscapes for over 30 years and has been watching birds for more than 50 years.

With apologies to Alexander Pope and employing a bit of poetic license, I’ve always said that spring bears hope eternal. The return of the premier season brings with it a promise of better weather ahead. And, unless you’re a diehard snow bunny, spring provides the opportunity to till the soil in your garden and dream of summer’s bounty, wearing less clothing than you have for the past six months! Of course, there’s always the problem of what to do with that pale skin that hasn’t seen light of day since sometime before October.

After a winter that seems to have been much wetter than usual and sometimes never-ending, can spring really be far behind? Strong winds on the first weekend of February combined with a high winter tide left behind an assortment of debris along the South Bay Trail through Boulevard Park. Calm returned by Monday and we surveyed the storm’s aftermath along the way on our morning walk. Despite the weather, random blossoms provided hints of the seasonal change. But it was the spirited singing of a lone Bewick’s wren and several black-capped chickadees that left no doubt that the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel was more than just an oncoming train.

In addition to our own observations, recent reports from several locations in western Washington have heralded the apparent, early arrival of spring with the first sightings of swallows. Our winter visitors—the swans, snowy owls and rough-legged hawks, to name a few—are still with us for a while longer. With sunshine in the forecast and the arrival of the first harbingers of spring, however, the winter doldrums will be on the run before you know it and our wintering birds will move on.

It seems that all of western Washington is ready for the winter of 2005-2006 to fade into history. We live for the longer daylight hours and the ability to spend more time outdoors in pursuit of those winged wonders, and maybe even rid ourselves of a couple of layers of winter clothing. While the major migrants we think of are the ones we notice the most, like swallows and especially robins, keep in mind that there are other migrants that have come into the area recently for the purpose of feeding, foraging and resting prior to migration.

A perfect example of this was the gathering of as many as 2,000 loons just off the tip of the Semiahmoo Spit on February 8. In the brilliant sunshine and with a stiff northwest wind, the loons were diving into what was likely a large movement of fish into the area. Approximately 95 percent of the loons were Pacific, with lesser numbers of common and red-throated. The loons were joined in the veritable feeding frenzy by long-tailed ducks, red-breasted mergansers, western and red-necked grebes, and double-crested and pelagic cormorants. It was a spectacle to behold and much closer to the spit than I had ever seen them.

The majority of these birds will remain in local waters through March and well into April before heading to their respective breeding grounds to the north and east. The area of Semiahmoo Bay and Drayton is one of the premier winter birdwatching sites in the state and its significance is noted with the designation of the area as one of 53 Important Bird Areas in Washington state. The Important Bird Areas program is an international effort to identify and protect sites that are critical to maintaining healthy and sustainable bird populations.

Brant are also beginning to show up in all the traditional sites to begin their own feeding and foraging prior to heading north. Brant are habitat specific and can be found locally at Birch Bay State Park and on the bay side of the Semiahmoo Spit, where there are still significant gravel beaches and the eelgrass beds that provide the primary staple of their diets. Further destruction of this sensitive habitat could ensure that brant no longer stop by to visit local waters in the winter and early spring.

Our wintering birds will move on as the vanguard of the greatest show on Earth – spring migration. More obvious and possibly more anticipated than the fall migration, which tends to be more scattered, the spring movement of birds is an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon that affects humans in myriad ways. For centuries, people have been aware of the changing seasons and the coincidental movements of birds, which have been cause for celebration in many cultures. The annual northbound migration of birds that winter in the neotropics brings with it the promise of longer and warmer days, as well as the music of birdsong that will soon fill our backyards and gardens.

Humans have long observed and endeavored to understand the complexities of migration. We monitor bird populations constantly, but within this complex subject are the simple beauty of nature and the natural order of things. The movements of birds have always inspired humans and the understanding of their movements does nothing to diminish the feeling of awe that comes with a morning sky filled with migrating waterfowl or an ocean beach literally covered by shorebirds.

Despite our awe and even reverence of birds, humans have interfered with the movement of birds in a variety of ways, from over hunting to habitat destruction. Some birds are becoming species of concern and laws have been enacted to protect migratory birds throughout their ranges. Through education and enforcement, along with habitat conservation and restoration, there has been some improvement in the way we view this incredible resource. Spring is the time to get to know the birds and learn to appreciate their importance in our lives

Long before the advent of calendars and assorted devices to keep track of time, we set our internal and external clocks by tracking the sun and being aware of the world around us. Of all the seasons, spring has always been the season of promise and, if you will, rebirth. Whether it’s a bed of crocuses in the front yard or the singing birds in the garden, spring provides subtle hints that it will be here soon. And always keep in mind that “hope springs eternal.” §

Hope springs eternal in the human breast

Man never is, but always to be blest.

The soul, uneasy and confined from home

Rests and expiates in a life to come.