Dawn Chorus Update #9: Maple Falls is Alive with Birdsong!

[Stephen Chase]

Hi Whatcom Birders,

Well, things are getting serious! First light is around 4:45 these days, and that means some early mornings!

Saturday morning I saw in the hourly forecast what appeared to be a break in the rain, just the right opportunity to visit my absolute favorite dawn chorus location: the Bay to Baker Trail in Maple Falls. But the birds did not get the memo that it wasn't raining - I suspect they sensed something with the atmospheric pressure that suggested the rain was not quite done yet. To say the least, the dawn chorus showing (hearing?) was meager. I got showered on here and there, although I fully enjoyed tramping along the Bay to Baker Trail, and still identified a respectable 42 species, including some fun recently-arrived neotropical migrants.

The Bay to Baker Trail has got some character, but I think it's a gem! The trail is part of a proposed 74-mile-long trail following long-abandoned rail tracks from Squalicum Harbor to Glacier. My property in Everson actually backs up to a section of the proposed trail, which has recently been sold off by BNSF to the adjacent landowners, so I'm not sure what the trail's current status is. But as of January, it appears to still be under consideration. At this point, the only completed sections are along Squalicum Creek Park in Bellingham, along Mission/Everson Roads in Everson, and in Maple Falls. The Maple Falls section feels all but abandoned in some areas, but then elsewhere is outfitted with freshly built pedestrian bridges and other infrastructure. As of this year, it also shares a short section with a logging access road - admittedly a bit odd for a Whatcom County Parks and Rec property. As I said, it's got character! It's heavily overgrown in some areas too, and with rain and heavy dew, can cause some soggy footwear. But for the birds - wow, what a fun trail! (If you'd like to know more about birding this trail, read about this hotspot with eBird's new "About the Hotspot" feature.)

Since Saturday morning's dawn chorus excursion didn't pan out quite as I had anticipated, I committed to returning first thing Sunday morning for Take 2. But I slept in (which, considering the time of day, isn't that hard to do). So this morning I set my alarm clock for early o'clock and snuck in a bird walk before work! The payoff was absolutely worth it: a vibrant, diverse, active dawn chorus - everything I was hoping for! Click here to listen to a full minute of stunning birdsong at 4:50 this morning, in the woods outside Maple Falls. At least six species are present in this audio; can you pick them out?

Enjoying the immersive experience of the dawn chorus, I meandered about two miles to the point where the trail crosses the Mount Baker Highway at Boulder Creek, then retraced my steps. By this time the dawn chorus had concluded, and the birds were exhibiting foraging and nesting behaviors, so I focused on collecting high-quality spectrograms of singing birds on breeding patches. Some turned out better than others, but I was able to develop a bunch of recordings. It certainly takes some work, and definitely a bit of luck too, especially in avoiding noisy logging trucks on the highway. You can browse through my recordings, which I've uploaded to today's eBird checklist. I was especially pleased with the diversity of warblers (Orange-crowned, MacGillivray's, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Northern Yellow, Wilson's, Common Yellowthroat) and the excellent numbers of Swainson's Thrushes whitting, burring, singing, and defending breeding patches. I picked out 50 species in total during this morning's walk, which just goes to show: the foothills are the place to be in mid-May!

Feeling content and sleep-deprived in Everson,

Stephen Chase