Spring birding

- 3 mins read
trees in the rain

Jericho Beach Park completely changed this weekend. Spring fell with the rain. Frog song transformed the park, flooding it with birds, covering the trees in leaves that seemed absent a week ago.

Most birders stay home when it’s raining, but I encourage you to rethink that. My days of rainy birding are often some of my favourite. I don’t take my camera, so I don’t get caught up with getting the shot and instead spend much more time actually observing birds, paying attention to their behaviour and details that I otherwise skim over.

Get yourself some waterproof gear and get out – most birds have no choice but to get on with their day, and with fewer people around you’ll most likely see more birds.

feet in mud

Wear appropriate footwear

I can tell you from experience that not many dog owners pay attention to this sign.

no dogs

No dogs!

The view from one of my favourite isolated spots at Jericho. When the tide is in you can’t get too far, and you’ll need to be mindful – the waves are eroding the cliff-face. There’s an occasional collapse…

If you look carefully on some of the more isolated parts of the beach, you’ll often find footprints left by various birds. These fantastic feet belong to a Cormorant (probably a Double-crested Cormorant).

Cormorant footprints

Cormorant footprints

The reproductive shoot of Equisetum arvense aka Field Horsetail. This is an old lineage of plant that uses spores for reproduction. The genus Equisetum has a fossil record that dates back to the Carboniferous300 million years ago.

Notice how this reproductive shoot is pale yellow? Since these structures are only temporarily used to get spores out, they contain no chlorophyll.

A Coprinus comatus aka Shaggy Mane mushroom beginning to deliquesce (a fancy word for melt) – a strange and unique method of spore dispersal.

Coprinus comatus

Coprinus comatus

And a few bird photos from the last month or so…

An adult Bald Eagle perched low in the branches.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

A Horned Grebe fully molted into alternate plumage.

Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe

Bonaparte’s Gull. I absolutely adore these gulls and I’m so happy when they arrive every year.

Bonaparte's Gull

Bonaparte's Gull

An Olympic Gull (hybrid Glaucous-winged x Western).

Olympic Gull

Olympic Gull

A Pelagic Cormorant. These birds often stay quite far out in the water, so I’m always excited when one comes close to shore.

Pelagic Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

And lastly, some birders I know keep track of all the Anna’s Hummingbird nests they can find in the park, noting if and how many of the chicks fledge from the nest.

Here’s a mediocre photo showing two little Anna’s snug in their nest.

Anna's Hummingbird chicks in nest

Anna's Hummingbird chicks in nest