SLOWLY, the seasons come and go, bringing wonderful opportunities to enjoy what is often termed, the "miracle of migration."
One early sign of change is the gatherings of warblers, flycatchers, swallows, tanagers and sparrows, getting ready for their incredible journeys - some going all the way to South America.
Bushtits and chickadees have formed winter flocks - a sure sign of fall. Rufous hummingbird males depart earlier than young or females. When the Rufous are gone, it will leave our resident hummer, the Anna's, as our wintering species. We do not have welldocumented rufous winter records for the Metro Vancouver Checklist Area, nor are there accepted records for Allen's, which looks very similar to rufous. It is not impossible for Allen's or wintering rufous to occur, but any sightings need to be well documented.
Shorebirds are a big feature of September's birding, as they move through our area from their northern breeding grounds to as far away as South America.
At Maplewood Conservation Area the "mud" or tidal flats are the best habitats to watch for waders like pectoral, western, least sandpipers, greater yellowlegs and dowitchers. Watch the tides though - not high and not too low!
Raptors, like the peregrine falcon, follow and hunt migrating shorebirds often in a dramatic show.
Warblers, "butterflies of the bird world," are in fall plumage by September, making identification more challenging (fun!).
Certain places like Maplewood are important migration corridors for birds. With special weather conditions, "a fallout" can occur when there are lots of mixed species like Townsends, Wilson's yellow-rumped, and Nashville. In August of this year, birders were treated to rare sighting of a locally very rare American redstart at Maplewood.
Flocks of gulls, sometimes mixed with terns, can often be seen lounging on the mud flats. Interestingly, there's no such thing as a "sea gull," but in September you can watch for California, mew, ring-billed, and possibly Bonaparte's gulls. Rarities like the Franklin's gull should be watched for too.
A special treat is to see a jaeger chasing gulls or terns in order to make them give up their fish. Jaegers have been called "pirates" because they steal from other birds. A good spot to look for jaegers is the public pier at Ambleside Park.
September is great time to watch for butterflies and dragonflies. Dragonflies - with their fabulous colours of reds, blues and greens and wonderful names like darners, skimmers, and meadow hawks - are simply amazing.
Some fall butterflies include the painted lady, red admiral and woodland skipper. Check them out at the Maplewood Conservation Area - and bring your camera.
Al Grass is a naturalist with Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia, which sponsors free walks at Maplewood Flats Conservation Area on the second Saturday of every month. The next walk is Saturday, Sept. 10 where you can learn about the fall migration at Maplewood. Meet at 10 a.m. at Maplewood Flats, 2645 Dollarton Hwy. (two kilometres east of the Iron Workers Second Narrows Memorial Crossing). Walks go rain or shine. Website: www.wildbirdtrust.org.
