Spring Birding Around the Village

Joe Meche is president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and also serves the chapter as newsletter editor and birding programs coordinator. He has been watching birds for over 50 years and photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years.

It’s difficult to imagine a more capricious run of weather than what we’ve experienced in the Northwest over the past several months. Dating back to the heavy lowland snows in December and the widespread flooding in January, it seems in retrospect that March decided to come in and go out as a lion and just forego the lamb part of that old adage altogether.

By the first of April, many of us are usually ready for the annual ritual of trading in long pants for shorts and getting into the swing of spring birding for a couple of months. The long pants will remain in place for a while, it seems, and this year’s weather has produced more wannabe snowbirds than I can ever remember. And I’ll be the first to admit that I was one of them. Whether it’s the thinner blood due to the aging process or the just plain nasty weather, many of us wanted to head south until we became uncomfortably warm. What a luxury that might have been! Alas, we can always dream.

Nonetheless, as I begin this column on April 2, it’s 35 degrees and raining hard. Still, I’m in need of more time in the outdoors to shake the sluggishness that creeps in when you allow the weather to dictate your movements. Yesterday, Paul Woodcock and I went up into the tower at Tennant Lake to scope the water and see what we might. As Paul was setting up the scope, I felt we were being watched. As I looked around the corner, not 15 feet away and at the same level where we were standing on the tower, was a juvenile bald eagle. We hardly needed any optics at all to study this bird!

The eagle appeared to be utilizing the tower as a windbreak and even tolerated our gawking. After standing outside the tower, it wasn’t long before we realized the bird’s wisdom and retreated inside to avoid the cold, horizontal rain. Quite a few birds were on the water and swarms of swallows were flying just above the lake, feeding on the wing. As cold, windy and wet as it was, I can only wonder what the swallows might have been finding in the way of flying insects. I also pondered whether or not they were wondering if they had come north a bit early. Such is the power of weather.

But, weather notwithstanding, the cherry blossoms along the Boulevard tell me that spring really is here and with spring comes the excitement of the birds that are on the way. The downtown house finches are in full voice this past week and the distinctive song of Bewick’s wrens seems to be evident on most of the trails I’ve been on recently. Can vireos and flycatchers be far behind? And right on schedule, the ubiquitous gulls are getting noisier by the day as the nesting season approaches.

If your nesting boxes have been stored in the garage or basement since you took them down for cleaning back in October, it’s time to get them out for hanging. At least two of our swallow species are here and actively feeding in their traditional pre-nesting gatherings. This is the time of year that cavity nesters are scouting for potential nesting sites, so hang it and they will come. Our downtown violet-green swallow boxes will be in place by mid-April. In the past, I’ve put them up as late as the first of May and still attracted nesting pairs.

If the urge to get outdoors borders on a bothersome itch, the options are plentiful. From mid-April to mid-May, the seasonal overlap of departures and arrivals can be pretty dramatic. The sometimes massive flocks of waterfowl that have spent the winter in local waters will be moving north and east to their traditional nesting grounds. The migrants will be here soon to begin their quest for the perfect site to raise this year’s young.

Great blue herons have already begun their nest building at the rookery at Post Point on Bellingham’s Southside, and they provide a unique wildlife-viewing opportunity right here within the city limits. Keep in mind, however, that the director of Bellingham Parks and Recreation has closed the wooded area where the herons nest to minimize disturbance to the birds. There are viewing spots where you can enjoy the birds while maintaining a respectful distance.

If you’re thinking of where to go to enjoy spring birding, the first thing to consider is your mode of transportation. While the George Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary is always a great place to spend a birding day, you have to deal with two border crossings with the probability of long lines, and then there’s the cost of fuel. What to do? Stay home! There are many places to explore within the city and most can be accessed on foot, on your bike, on the bus or on a short drive in your fuel-efficient vehicle — think green birding. Connect the dots around town and you’ll see lots of good birds.

Aside from the herons at Post Point, the area along the water on Southside provides ample opportunities to view other birds. You can observe some of the lingering birds on the bay and then take the trail from Padden Lagoon upstream along Padden Creek to Fairhaven Park. An array of birdsong will fill the air along the creek and you can keep an eye out for nesting green herons along the entire route. A natural add-on to your walk along the creek would be to connect with the Interurban Trail off the Old Fairhaven Parkway.

For the more adventurous, stay on the interurban and head south toward the bird-friendly environs of Chuckanut Mountain. While this might be a bit of a trek if you’re on foot, save this one for your bike or even a short hop in your car to the Clayton Beach parking lot at Larrabee State Park. Numerous passerine species frequent this area in spring and summer, as documented for the past decade by George Heleker. George speaks often of the fantastic observations he’s made from … the parking lot! Trails lead up to higher elevations and more birds.

Back in town, birds are waiting for you in our incredible system of city parks. Now and then, even long-time Bellinghamsters take our wonderful parks and trails for granted. Drop by the Bellingham Parks and Recreation office at Cornwall Park and pick up a copy of the city’s parks and trails guide. Local birdwatchers know where the hotspots are and they’re all easily accessible. If you’re new to the area, you’re in for a real treat. Our little village itself is a birding hotspot!

I recently conducted an informal and unofficial poll with a cross-section of people who are familiar with the birding potential in the city. The number one favorite in the poll was Whatcom Falls Park. The centerpiece of this incredible park is the bird-rich riparian corridor of Whatcom Creek. On the upstream section of the park is Scudder Pond, which is proving itself as an urban birding hotspot with nesting bushtits, wood ducks, Virginia rails, Bullock’s orioles and the ever-popular red-winged blackbirds, to name but a few.

As you follow the creek through the park, you’re likely to forget that you’re right in the middle of town and maybe think you’re farther east in the foothills of the Cascades. Woodland species are common throughout the park and as you approach Bayview Cemetery, keep a sharp eye out for owls. Great horned, barred, western screech and northern pygmy owls have all been observed in the park and on the cemetery grounds. In my mind and possibly from reading too many novels when I was young, owls and cemeteries seem to go together for some reason.

A very close second place in the poll was Lake Padden Park, which offers an expanse of open water for waterfowl and the added bonus of nesting belted kingfishers, ospreys and bald eagles. The wooded slopes above the lake abound with passerine species in the spring and early morning bird walks will often be highlighted by the barred owls which nest there on a regular basis. This is another area that George Heleker knows quite well, so perhaps we should have an in-depth interview with George sometime soon.

After you’ve exhausted all the possibilities of the poll’s Top Two, try other places like Cornwall Park and the Connelly Creek Nature Area. There are owls in Cornwall Park and you can follow Squalicum Creek downstream to the waterfront or upstream to Bug Lake. Connelly Creek is another mini-hotspot in an urban setting that often hosts good numbers of nesting passerines, including red-eyed and warbling vireos. In the coming weeks, plan to do some spring birding in the village we call home and find out first-hand how fortunate we are to live so close to nature. §