On any day in fall - sunny or cloudy - it's a glorious world of colour along the trails at the Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats with cottonwoods and maples putting on a wonderful show.
It's a great time for birding with waterfowl, like goldeneyes, buffleheads and scoters, arriving from their breeding areas to spend the winter here. And many ducks are colourful indeed, like the harlequin and long-tailed, with the rainbow coloured wood duck a resident on the North Shore. Fall is also a great time to watch and photograph ducks since they are at their best plumage, having gone through a recent post-breeding moult.
Numbers of green-winged teal, northern pintail, American wigeon and mallard have been building up in the past month in ponds like Ambleside's and Maplewood's. Keep watch for the handsome ring-necked duck. This diver is a real beauty but you may have some difficulty seeing the "ring around the neck" - a ring on its bill is easier to see. Many people feel it should be called the ring-billed duck, but there are official names for birds (American Ornithologists' Union Checklist) so ring-necked it shall be! Other waterfowl to be looked for in fall are cackling, white-fronted and snow geese. Look for the small cackling with Canada geese. If you are using an older field guide the cackling goose won't be shown as such (smaller species will be). The cackling is a result of a split (the opposite of lumping) of the Canada goose.
The best place to see snow geese (which recently arrived from the far north in the thousands), is the Fraser Delta (George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary). However, they have been seen flying over the North Shore, and from time to time, some have landed.
The rarer white-fronted goose gets its name from the light area at the base of its bill. Black spots on its belly gave it the old name of speckle-belly goose.
Fall is a great time to watch for raptors since the Lower Mainland is an important wintering area for these birds. Around bird feeders, Cooper's hawks, sharp-shinned hawks and sometimes the merlin (a small falcon) will appear. The former two are accipiters that specialize in catching birds. On pilings and dolphins offshore, watch for bald eagles, peregrine falcons and, if you are lucky, a gyrfalcon. Grain elevators are also good places to watch for these raptors - lots of pigeons to catch!
The ospreys at Maplewood have left for warmer places down south. Our hearts go with them and we will look forward to their return in the spring.
Small birds from bushtits to woodpeckers greet the visitors at the Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats along its trails. Bushtits, chickadees, and gold finches have now formed their winter flocks. Sparrows recently seen include song, fox, white-crowned, golden-crowned, spotted towhee and dark-eyed junco.
Sometimes sparrows are called LBJ's (little brown jobs), because they are difficult to identify (brownish!). Actually, sparrows are all very beautiful with distinctive field marks. Speaking of juncos, most seen on the North Shore are of the Oregon type, but every so often, a slate-colored (Eastern) appears, especially around bird feeders.
It's great to be outside in the crisp November air on Maplewood's trails. There are colourful trees, a spicy scent in the air, and wonderful birding.
Dress for the weather and keep safe.
Al Grass is a naturalist with Wild Bird Trust of British Columbia, which offers free walks at The Conservation Area at Maplewood Flats on the second Saturday of every month. The next walk will be Saturday, Nov. 14 starting at 10 a.m. Those in attendance will be looking and listening for birds that will be staying locally through the fall and winter. Meet at WBT's site office, 2645 Dollarton Hwy, North Vancouver. Walks go rain or shine. wildbirdtrust.org
