Seasonal Swings

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 more than 50 years and photographing birds and landscapes for more than 30 years. He has written more than 100 articles for Whatcom Watch.

When September rolled in and one last hint of summer tried in vain to gain a foothold, I took time to pause and reflect on one of the more interesting years to date of the thirty-five that I’ve lived in Bellingham. And we still have three months to go. As we looked to the calendar as a guide, the weather kept us guessing as to exactly which month it really was. In the grand scheme, however, we in the Northwest spent a lot of time being thankful for our weather, especially when we considered what the rest of the country was experiencing.

Tornados in the Midwest, record heat with accompanying drought and wildfires in Texas, and hurricanes and flooding along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts made the headlines. While all this was happening, here in the Fourth Corner we patiently waited for summer to arrive. Nevertheless, there has been a special feeling about this year that’s difficult to describe. It’s certainly been a dynamic birding year for me, even though the birds that I enjoyed along the way seemed at the time to be slightly out of sorts. I believe the concept of climate change garnered more than a passing interest this year, and maybe even a few converts.

As it happens every year, winter lasted just long enough to have us looking for a break and a bit of color to complement the new green that was sprouting everywhere. The reliable Neotropical migrants did their part to brighten our days, sporting their finest breeding plumage and filling the days with their songs. Local birding, especially at Scudder Pond and in Whatcom Falls Park, was so good that it was tough to tear myself away for our annual spring visit to eastern Washington.

On several trips over the Cascades to the other side of Washington, the birding was equally intense in a few favorite and newly-discovered locations. Once more, it was the weather that mystified us as we encountered unseasonably cool and wet conditions in those places we always count on for warmer, drier temps. Old campsites were washed away and unusable and wildflowers bloomed profusely on unexpectedly green hillsides. The temperature was absolutely ideal, during the day and at night.

Snow covered the passes longer than usual this year. In fact, the snow was so deep at the end of the Mt. Baker Highway that a decision was made to cancel the annual plowing and clearing of the road to Artist Point. On a bright, sunny day in early July, we strapped on snowshoes above the ski area for a unique Independence Day celebration. All around Heather Meadows, good numbers of male sooty grouse were booming away on deep snow packs that had everyone talking about the late arrival of summer. As it turned out, we never did see a real summer this year and opinions remain mixed. Since I list myself as a fan of cooler weather, I had no problem. Those of us who love where we live do not live here for the heat.

After the excitement of spring and early summer birding in pursuit of numerous species up and down Whatcom Creek, we entered into a zone of quiet in late July and August. This is the time of year that I always refer to as the dog days of birding. Spring birding is exciting when nesting is a day-in-day-out activity and when bird song fills the air. Summer comes in and young birds are seemingly around every bend. And then, some time in August and early September, the trails become quiet and dusty.

The small hint of summer that I referred to earlier was here and gone before we knew it, and now it’s cool once more. Water stress is beginning to show on lawns around town and leaves began to turn as fall arrived unofficially in mid-September. All of the creeks that are still flowing are flowing slowly and quietly. Himalayan blackberries — the bane of many homeowners — are everywhere and provide nice, juicy snacks as I meander the trails on Whatcom Creek, often searching for the now five month-old, juvenile Barred Owls.

Before I create the image of a forlorn bird watcher, I’m using this month’s Beaks and Bills as a platform to spread the word that good birding is about to return to our neighborhood. The slow time of year for watching birds is behind us and happy days are upon us once again. In many locations, fall migrants are beginning to arrive, including hundreds of black-bellied plovers and western sandpipers sharing the cobble beaches at Semiahmoo Spit. Some of these migrants are merely passing through, but many will remain to entertain us into the colder months.

The waters inside Drayton Harbor, for example, have been quiet throughout the summer, except for the resident cormorants, gulls, and great blue herons. Now, common loons, three species of grebes, surf scoters, and greater scaup are returning to saltier environs from their inland breeding grounds. Before long, familiar places for local bird watchers will be filled with avian activity that will continue through the winter and into next spring when the cycle begins once more.

So it’s time once again to start gearing up for the great days of fallwinterspring ­— the season that many of us consider the best time of year for birds and bird watching. As you read this in mid October, thousands of shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors, and passerine species will already have left on the southward journey to their wintering grounds. The slower and quieter days in the field will soon be replaced by excitement and a flurry of activity as the winter replacements arrive.

Two great things about those winter replacements are their individual size and the sheer numbers of the sizable flocks that we encounter. Except for the colonial nesters, many birds seek a little privacy during the nesting season. In winter, however, birds gather in large numbers in many accessible locations in the county. While I do enjoy the passerines and other smaller species, there’s a special appeal for me with waterfowl, and they’re so much easier to see!

It’s time to put those shorts away, so get an early start and check out all of your foul-weather/winter clothing and prepare to get back into the hunt. The big seasonal pendulum has swung, and some of the best birding of the year is on the way. And keep in mind that the birds will be out there waiting for us!

The Bellingham Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will take place this year on Sunday, December 18. If you’re interested in participating, contact me by e-mail at mechejmch@aol.com or by phone at 739-5383. §