Snow Geese!

We were at my sister's house, close to the dyke in Steveston, looking out her front windows watching the rain fall, when the noise began. Birds of North America Online refers to it as "the distant sound of baying hounds". Soon the sky filled with hundreds and hundreds of snow geese. We were awestruck. The geese circled several times before landing across the road in fallow agricultural fields.

Snow Geese. Photo by James Ritchie.

After watching the geese through binoculars until we thought we were sated with the experience, we decided to brave the elements and walk to the coffee shop down the road for lunch. Half way there, the snow geese lifted from the fields. We stood in the rain, looking up, mesmerized by the hundreds (or more - some flocks reach one thousand) of gorgeous white geese with black wing tips circling overhead, just above us. Wow.

It's possible that these geese, having migrated from their arctic breeding grounds, are wintering in the Fraser Valley. A small group do, while others head much farther south. But wherever they are going, I am thrilled they happened to stop here while we were visiting. It was a sight I will never forget.

Birds & Windows: A Dangerous Combination

Have you ever heard the dull thud of a bird flying into one of your windows?
I have, and I hate it.



Pine siskin, stunned after hitting our glass patio door. I put the chairs over top of him
to provide a little shelter and protection while he recovered on his own.

Most sources say that between 100 million and one billion birds die in North America every year in collisions with windows and other human-built structures. Even those that manage to recover and fly away often die later of their injuries or because they’ve become much easier prey.

You can minimize window strikes by reducing the reflectivity and transparency of the glass with a product such as CollidEscape film. Or with decals that adhere to the glass placed very closely together on the outside of the window or strips of tape on the outside of the window or long strips of material hanging in front of the window, on the outside, no more than 10” apart. Or, just in time for Christmas, fake snow!

Here are a few other simple, cost-effective strategies:

• cover windows with taut netting 2-3” from the glass so that birds bounce off
• keep blinds or curtains partly closed whenever possible – especially if two windows face each other, creating an apparent ‘flyway’
• do not place inside plants close to the window

Preventing as many window strikes as possible is, of course, a responsibility of anyone who feeds wild birds. The links below offer more information:

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/learn/top10/windowstrikes.php

www.flap.org/new/prevent.htm

www.sialis.org/windowstrikes.htm

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1184

If you have a sure-fire way of minimizing window strikes, something that's worked for you here on Gabriola, plesae tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

Bald Eagle rescued; now recuperating in Errington

GROWLS got the call on November 1 just before dusk. An eagle had been spotted hopping along North Road near Bertha dragging a wing. A rescue team was organized.


Our feisty healthy bald eagle. Photo by Carmel B.

Since GROWLS rescuers most often see eagles when they are sick or injured, they were surprised by the feistiness of the big, healthy five year old male with a broken wing. The cause of the injury has not been determined.

Ready for transport. Photo by Carmel B.

After capture he was taken to Twin Cedars Veterinary Clinic for the night before being transported the next day to Island Veterinary Hospital in Nanaimo where he was assessed and surgery was performed. Later the eagle was taken to North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre in Errington where he will recuperate in their 42.5 metre long rehabilitative flight cage - which I happened to see last weekend on my first visit to NIWRC.

Check it out here: www.niwra.org

During my visit, there were several eagles in the flight cage, a safe environment that gives a recuperating bald eagle the opportunity to regain strength and practice flying until it is healthy again before being returned (usually) to the location where it was found. Our feisty Gabriola eagle is just one of approximately 60 eagles admitted to the Centre each year, mostly with gun shot wounds, lead shot poisoning, injuries from car collisions, or suffering from starvation. He will - if all goes well - be returned to Gabriola in the future for release back to the wild near the spot where he was found.

In addition to the rehab flight cage for eagles, NIWRC runs the Museum of Nature (a fascinating educational museum), the Vancouver Island Black Bear Rehab Program, and a treatment centre. There is also a large public viewing area where non-releasable wildlife are cared for. They also offer a year round education program for schools and community groups and have a lovely Gift Shop where I found some great Christmas presents. 

NIWRC is definitely worth the trip. And if you go soon, please say hello to our eagle and wish him well!

Snowy Owl Sighting!

Two islanders reported seeing a Snowy Owl in the Twin Beaches area today! These unusual owls, which breed in the far North, move south in search of food (rodents, small waterfowl, marine birds) as the temperatures in the Arctic plummet.

Snowy Owl*

The male is almost pure white, with just a little dark flecking. The female, shown here, has dark barring on its upper parts and breast. If your binoculars are strong enough you may be able to make out the owl's yellow eyes and black bill.

Although the Snowy owl is generally quiet on its wintering grounds, you may hear deep hoots or harsh clicking, and sometimes it makes a loud hammering sound. You can listen here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Owl/sounds

I'd love to know if you see our rare visitor!

*Creative Commons License Photo

Top Ten 2010

Are you ready? Project FeederWatch begins Saturday. If you haven't already signed up, there's still time to do so on-line through the Bird Studies Canada website.

Why participate? Because it's an enjoyable way to contribute to our growing understanding of the lives of birds, especially as climate change continues to affect populations in both devastating and sometimes surprising ways. The data submitted by feeder-watchers tells the scientists at BSC and Cornell about irruptive migrations, range shifts, invasive species, and population trends. Citizen Science data from the 2010-2011 Project FeederWatch program identified, for example, the "Top Ten Birds" in the Pacific Northwest last year. Care to hazard a guess?

If you guessed, in this order: Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Flicker, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, American Robin, Downy Woodpecker, Song Sparrow, Pine Siskin, and Steller's Jay - you were right!

Dark-eyed Junco: Numero Uno

Northern Flicker: Number 2

House Finch: Number 4

How does this list compare with your backyard bird population? One difference will certainly be that Black-capped Chickadees, which reside mainly on Vancouver Island and the coast, will be replaced by the Chestnut-backed Chickadees that live here on Gabriola. In our back yard these fearless chattering little bundles of energy are second in number only to Dark-eyed Juncos.

Chestnut-backed Chickadee - common on the Gulf Islands: Number 15!

Speaking of Feeders!
As winter seems to be truly settling in to stay (and many Gabriolans are following the birds that have already migrated to Mexico and other climes south of the border) those of us who are staying put (like the Dark-eyed Juncos and Chestnut-backed Chickadees and even a few Anna's Hummingbirds) need to be vigilant about keeping our feeders CLEAN. Moldy seed and contaminated bird poop can cause disease and death. So clean out the feeders regularly. A solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water will do the job. Just be sure to RINSE well.

Keep your feeders clean!

Happy birding!

Birds, Steve Martin, and BC scenery: it's a go!

I'd been looking forward to The Big Year, a movie based on a book of the same title by Mark Obasmick, and starring Steve Martin, for close to a year. I had read and thoroughly enjoyed the book, a humorous tale of three wildly competitive birders obsessed with winning a 'big year'. What's a 'big year'? Basically it's a year (Jan 1 - Dec 31) spent travelling all over a continent hunting for as many species of birds as you can find - and keeping track. The goal is to see or hear more species than any other 'big year' competitor.    

Obasmick's book chronicles the true story of three men who competed in the 1998 Big Year in North America - which has over 700 different species, many of which inhabit one particular region or coast. Birders (with money!) have been known to hop on a plane at a moment's notice ('hot lines' play a role here) in order to see a specific bird on the other side of the continent. And to traipse through sleet and snow seeking an elusive species; and to get up in the middle of the night to track down a particular rare owl; and to stand around a garbage dump for hours waiting for the next 'missing bird'. Not my cup of tea. But it was a lot of fun to read about.

When I learned that The Big Year was being shot in BC I was even more eager to see it. It opened about two weeks ago in Vancouver, and it happened that (as luck would have it) I was going to be in Vancouver the following week. Yes!! But my excitement was short-lived as reviews started showing up in the bird blogs. A lot of birders were not impressed. There were, of course, the inevitable complaints about ornithiological inaccuracies. And criticisms of Fox Studios for their lack of support for 'the birding community'. But many said it was just a dud, in spite of the subject matter.

Nevertheless I went. And took my friend Mary (who is definitely not a birder) with me - after warning her about the reviews. She said she'd already heard from friends who'd seen it that, in spite of Steve Martin, the movie wasn't worth seeing in a theatre. ("Wait for the video, if you must see it" seemed to be the consensus.) Still, off we went!

I thoroughly enjoyed it. To all the people who said it wasn't funny, I can only shake my head. I thought it was hilarious. Maybe that's because I could identify just a little with the wacky things obsessed birders do. But it was more than funny. The relationship between one of the birders and his father was touching. And I liked that there was, in Mary's words, a "villain" - the guy who "wins" also loses. And of course, there were a lot of birds! Yes, some of them, apparently, were computer-generated images. But I couldn't tell. And really I don't care.

No, it won't win an Academy Award. Or any awards. Yes, it had a lot of cliche moments. This is not a movie for intellectuals or film buffs. But it is, in my opinion, worth seeing - and even on the big screen. And my non-birder friend, Mary, thinks so too. It's playing in Nanaimo now. If you see it, I'd love to know what you thought.

Yes we have an Anna's ...

If you are seeing a hummingbird in your yard these days, it is almost certainly an Anna's. (The rufous have left for the warmer climes of Central America, along with large numbers of Gabriolans.)



Male Anna's humminbird. Photo by Lee Karney*

Someone asked me yesterday how to tell the difference between our common rufous hummers (which arrive in March to breed and stay for the summer) and an Anna's. Other than the sure-fire solution - if it's here now it's an Anna's! - you can tell by its colouring. The male Anna's has an iridescent rose red bib covering its head and throat, and an emerald green back. There is no rufous (brownish) colouring anywhere. The female Anna's has a small rose red throat patch only and a green head. Again, no rufous colouring anywhere. Both have a partial white eye ring. The Anna's female now visiting the fuschia in our backyard (and our feeder, from time to time) seems a little longer (taller?) than the rufous hummers we're used to seeing.

A Tail with a Song
The male Anna's "sings" complex songs, especially during mating season. During it's courtship diving display (who could resist?) it "sings" a special tune with it's TAIL. Read all about it here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1011

Are you feeding Anna's this winter?
Feeding the Anna's in winter is a more serious responsibility than feeding the rufous in the spring and summer when natural food sources are plentiful. When the temperature falls close to freezing, be sure to bring your feeder in after dark (so that it doesn't freeze then crack, and to warm up the nectar a little) and put it back out early in the morning for the Anna's to breakfast on. (Anna's also feed on small insects and spiders when they're available.) And be sure to keep your feeder clean - as always.

*Photo courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service. Thank you.