Dawn Chorus Update #1: Early Signs at Flynn Road Retention Pond

[Stephen Chase]

Hello Whatcom Birds,

This Spring, I'm hoping to put together a dawn chorus feature for you folks here on the Whatcom Birds listserv. If I can maintain stamina (and if the weather cooperates), I hope to make this either a weekly or bi-weekly feature this Spring.

The dawn chorus is a magical time, and one of my favorite reasons for birding. Here in Whatcom County, it peaks between the third week of May into mid-June, Primetime runs from first light to sunrise - about a half-hour of wonderful, varied birdsong! As Spring migration progresses, different birds join the chorus, adding to the dynamic soundscape of breeding birds in our area.

Since it's February, we're a bit premature for a dawn chorus, but there are some early signs that it's coming soon! This morning, I visited Flynn Road Retention Pond, a popular eBird hotspot south of Lynden. I arrived well before first light at 5:53am. I made one loop around the pond in near-darkness, relying purely on my ears to identify birds. Lots of waterfowl on the pond making all sorts of noise, but no spring birdsong. By the time I began my second lap, it was 6:20 - first light! We're obviously quite early in the season, so I wasn't expecting much. My first singing bird was a Marsh Wren, buzzing away with its unique series of songs and calls. A second responded from across the pond. Three Virginia Rails yakked from different corners of the marshes, but none sang. Then an American Bittern began its "song" - a guttural throat gurgle. How cool! Evidently he is still warming up his vocal chords, for both times he called he ended rather abruptly.

After my second loop around the pond, I walked south on Flynn Road toward the bridge over Fishtrap Creek. Here's where the passerine action really picked up! I heard my first Spotted Towhee song of the year (not quite the memorable "Drink your TEAAA" of Eastern Towhees), along with Black-capped Chickadee's fee-bee, American Robins, Song Sparrows, and a Bewick's Wren. Ruby-crowned Kinglets were also singing, but they're not nesting birds in the area; they'll take their chattery song elsewhere as the spring rolls along. I also found not a flock but a pair of Bushtits - another indication of Spring. In the winter, Bushtips forage in large family units of 8-20, but by spring, adult males and females separate into pairs to prepare for nesting.

With my write-ups, I hope to include an audio of the soundscapes I'm hearing, so that you can hear them too. I'll give more information in a future write-up about how to record and process quality audio clips using smartphones. Flynn Pond isn't a great spot for audio though, as the road noise from the Guide Meridian too often interrupts the sounds of nature.

If you'd like to experience the dawn chorus yourself, make a point to be on site by first light (technically civil twilight). Right now that's a fairly reasonable 6:25am; on June 21 (summer solstice) it will be as early as 4:30am. Choose a location away from urban noise. My favorite locations include Silver Lake, Tennant Lake (despite I5 and train traffic), Point Whitehorn, Lake Terrell, the Interurban Trail in the Fairhaven area, Deming Homestead Eagle Park, and the Bay to Baker Trail in Maple Falls. I'd love to hear your favorites!

Here's a link to my complete eBird checklist for this morning's walk at Flynn Pond.

Here's to Spring!

Stephen Chase

[John Bower]

Fabulous!  Not too early in the season for a dawn chorus at all - in my Alabama Hill neighborhood this (lovely) pre-dawn the singers included robins, song sparrows, black-capped chickadees,  towhees, Bewick’s wren, juncos, and the prized performance of a varied thrush.  Might have forgotten one or two.  The trouble in NW WA is that many of these birds will be reducing their pre-dawn singing as nesting gets underway just when the migrants show up and start adding their voices to the dawn chorus.  And, the migrants stagger their returns quite a bit out here (and there aren’t that many of them compared to the east coast!) with the big three (western tanager, black-headed grosbeak, Swainson’s thrush arriving mid-May, well after most other species.  So, the dawn chorus is kind of a steady state out here compared to the NE where there is an explosion of song in late April and early/mid May.  At least that is how I have always heard it to be.

Best,

 

John

 

 

Dr. John Bower (he, him, his) Professor of Biology Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies Western Washington University 516 High St. Bellingham, WA 98225-9118   Office: 360-650-7217

 

Office hour sign up google doc: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cbsf3wgHqJ-Qei2A5BbX_v7AnYtwT4lDCIAjRmI2GgQ/edit#

 

 

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