SIGNS of spring are all about the North Shore, from the golden blooms of skunk cabbage, or swamp lantern, to the delicate pink of salmonberry flowers, and the hot pink of redflowering currant.
All are right on time to greet the spring arrival of rufous hummingbirds to the North Shore. This tiny mite of a bird winters in Mexico, with some migrating as far north as Alaska - a remarkable feat for a bird weighing only a few grams.
Rufous hummers now join with the resident Anna's and, on rare occasions in spring and summer, the calliope. Watch for rufous hummers doing their courtship flights (loops) and flashing their throat patches (gorgets) like signal mirrors.
Courtship, territory and mating are serious business for tiny hummers who often engage in real territorial disputes.
A real treat for the naturally bent is to be in a spot like Maplewood Conservation Area, and experience the dramatically beautiful dawn chorus. Some birds, like the robin, and song sparrow, start early, well before sunrise. Birds like the house finch, purple finch and spotted towhee are familiar voices, but others will be songs that haven't been heard since last spring.
These are the new voices of neo-tropical migrants like warblers, tanagers, flycatchers and vireos. And surely, one of the sweetest songs of all must be the lovely "tea time" of the black-capped chickadee.
Some say it's saying "sweetie" or even "cheeseburger." It's your choice. The black-capped chickadee is an example of a name sayer (chick-a-dee-deedee), one of its calls, "tea-time" is its song. Songs and calls are different: the former is used to establish and defend territory; the latter has many functions like warning of danger.
Ducks are at their finest plumage in spring, and why not? It's breeding season.
Resident species like the mallard, wood duck and common merganser keep busy courting and seeking nest sites. Some ducks like bufflehead, scoters, goldeneyes and the harlequin duck depart the North Shore for breeding areas elsewhere.
Two waterfowl species, the cinnamon teal and bluewinged teal, migrate north to British Columbia from southern latitudes, arriving here sometime in April to breed.
Common loons have been gradually changing from winter plumage to their beautiful breeding colours - some are even yodeling.
Swallows like the violetgreen, tree, and barn have been back locally for some time now from their South American wintering grounds. And now we await the return of the purple martin, a beautiful swallow species, to the breeding colony at Maplewood Conservation Area.
Spring is also the time to watch for migrating shorebirds like western, least and pectoral sandpipers. Habitats like Maplewood's tidal (mud) flats are critical for migrating shorebirds (waders).
These birds undertake incredible journeys from South America, some going as far as Alaska and the Arctic. Birds rest and refuel by feeding on a nutritious biofilm on the surface of the mud. Shorebird watching takes some planning because you'll need to watch the tides carefully - not too high, not too low. And a good scope helps too for shorebird watching, and other birds too (like hawks).
Birds, butterflies, bumblebees and wildflowers - all part of the wonderful season we call spring. So many sights, sounds and colours to tantalize our senses.
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, April 14 you can learn more about the returning of the spring birds of 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. Info: www.wildbirdtrust.org
