Dawn Chorus Update #10: Noticing Changes at Deming Homestead Eagle Park

[Stephen Chase]

Hi Whatcom Birders,

This morning I visited Deming Homestead Eagle Park for my weekly dawn chorus walk. I was on site at 4:36, three minutes before first light and right in the thick of the dawn chorus. Immediately after stepping out of the car, I snagged a soundscape of the dawn chorus, so that you can hear what happened in Whatcom County this very morning at such an early hour. Here's a second audio clip with a more diverse menagerie just a few minutes later.

Once upon a time, the Nooksack River's main channel flowed right next to the park, but times have changed. Now the main riverbed is almost 1/3 of a mile south of the parking lot. Whatcom County Parks and Rec maintains picnic tables and an accessible short trail through the woods and to a loop around a field. But the best birding takes place on a social trail that starts just south of the parking lot, developed by fishermen looking for river access, with some lesser-developed trails of unknown provenance (human? coyote? deer?) cutting through as well.

Several birders have reported American Redstarts on site in the past few days, and I was hoping to see and hear them myself as part of the dawn chorus. American Redstarts were once only found in Whatcom County at a series of gravel pits west of Newhalem, known by birders as the Newhalem Agg Ponds. But times have changed! In the now-dry river channels of Deming Eagle Park, deciduous trees have established, and even a few conifers are growing. Wooded river groves, especially in second-growth bottomland forest with thick, shrubby understories, are perfect habitat, and this site checks all those boxes! In the past three years since the colony was discovered, several birders, myself included, have conducted extensive citizen science surveys of the colony, and have confirmed multiple singing males, evidence of territorial behavior, and fledglings! This morning I heard two singing males, a great sign that American Redstarts are back again for a fourth season of nesting at Deming Eagle Park! Zoom in on this map to see all American Redstart reports in the county, and find the Deming Homestead Eagle Park pin to browse a massive collection of reports at this hotspot. You'll likely need to be logged in to an eBird account to access this link. (Pro tip: on the right side, select "Show points sooner" for an easier-to-navigate list.)

Experiencing and documenting changes like this new colony is for me one of the most fascinating aspects of birding. Terry Wahl's 1995 book Birds of Whatcom County: Status and Distribution notes a single record of American Redstart in the Whatcom lowlands, plus some hints of the now-well-understood colony near Newhalem. Since then, a number of American Redstarts have been found along the Highway 9 corridor, and in 2023, this colony was discovered and studied by birders. Just like with Deming Eagle Park, things have changed in how we as citizen scientists study and discuss birds. Today, the best information can usually be found from perusing through eBird checklist of citizen scientists engaged in birding the area; especially those who put in the time and effort to provide documentation (written descriptions, drawings, audio files, pictures) to confirm the reports and add to the local knowledge of our county birds. 

Wahl's book provides a fascinating look at the status of birds in the county in the 20th Century. Things certainly have changed in the past 30 years. Like our aforementioned restarts, sometimes this means new species establishing in the area. Those new species are usually vagrants, but occasionally we gain new nesting species. In Wahl's 1995, Anna's Hummingbird had not yet been confirmed as a nesting species in the county. Today Anna's Hummingbird is common throughout the county, especially in established neighborhoods. California Scrub-Jays, Gray Catbirds, American Kestrels, American White Pelicans, and Double-crested Cormorants are other examples of birds whose status has increased in the county in the past 50 years, obviously some more than others.

No doubt things can also change for our loss. We've certainly lost a number of species that once were found in the county either sporadically or regularly. Wahl lists Yellow-bellied Cuckoo, Veery, and Western Bluebird as once-upon-a-time county nesters. I'm sure the vast majority of us are familiar with the story of the Spotted Owl, once a common county nesting bird. The 2025 State of the Birds report lists dozens of species that are declining, some rapidly: Rufous Hummingbird, Black Swift, Marbled Murrelets, and more. The reasons for their demise? We can start with the loss of extensive bird habitat to human development, a dramatic decrease in insect populations, window strikes, pesticides, changing climate patterns, free-roaming cats, competition with invasive species, and more. The list goes on, and it is sobering.

But if I may be so bold: all is not lost! One of my goals with this series has been to excite my readers about what we have in the county, in the name of raising awareness, of showing what's working, and of encouraging enthusiasm and optimism about what we value. Just like an urban dweller living several degrees of separation from an issue can become ignorant or indifferent, folks might not be fully aware of the phenomenon of the dawn chorus - how it works, when and why it happens, and what it actually sounds like. They might not even be aware that yes, it is still happening in our county - at least for now. And it's rich and vibrant and exciting! If you're a member of this forum, you're likely already excited by our local avifauna, so I encourage you: spread that joy! Hopefully by doing so, you'll inspire someone else to notice a bird, to understand better how interconnected the natural world is, and to find ways to steward our planet. 

I do bemoan this change: the month of May, my favorite of the year, is over in a week. We're now less than a month away from summer, and the end of the dawn chorus for 2026. For that reason, I'll be out in the woods (or marshes, or riparian corridors...) during the wee hours of the morning as often as I can before the seasons change.

As always, here's my eBird checklist from today's walk. 39 species - and almost every one of them showing evidence of breeding behavior. Let's hope that never changes!

In Everson,

Stephen Chase

[Andrea Warner]

Another great report.  Thanks Stephen for your continued spring series and insights.