It is just into the fourth week of April as I write this and here on Denman we are
building toward the annual arrival of migrating birds. Birders all over the island are
busily recording their ‘first-of-the-year’ records of warblers, swallows, finches and
a whole host of land, shore, and water birds that we will host throughout the
coming summer and fall. An exciting time for both casual and serious birders.
I have been birding more or less seriously for at least sixty years. The past three
decades of that time has been spent here on this island where the birding is
marvellous. While I have been fortunate enough to have travelled to some of the
world’s more famous birding hot-spots, I wouldn’t trade this place for any of them.
Want majesty? Hard to beat a soaring Bald Eagle. Looking for something
gorgeous? Harlequin Ducks, Wood Ducks, Varied Thrushes, Cedar Waxwings,
Violet-green Swallows are only a few of our regular residents that should satisfy
any searcher for beauty.
For pure elegance I can’t think of anything more pleasing
than a Northern Pintail drake. If you are a fan of aerobatic skill, spend some time
watching any of our six species of swallows feeding on a swarm of flying insects.
Or, maybe even more impressive, catch a Bonaparte’s Gull demonstrating
incredible flying ability as it hunts either for small fish near the surface of the water
or for flying ants after a hatch.
For the music lovers out there now is the time of year when it is well worth it to get
up early enough to catch ‘dawn song’. This happens almost every morning shortly
before and after sunrise when the island is alive with dozens of species of birds
staking territories or courting or just expressing joy at greeting another day. I have
often listened to a dozen or more different species in beautiful chorus right from
our own garden. And here let me put in a plug for a smart phone app called
Merlin. Created by the Cornell Bird Laboratory it is a free app for both Apple or
Android phones and will allow you to identify hundreds of birds by sound. I find it
very valuable although I am cautious. Like all human creations it isn’t perfect and
does make an error now and then. Mostly however it is very good at
distinguishing between all of those twitterings and whistlings that are confusing
you. So, try a few early mornings. Get out into some of our natural areas and
enjoy the birds.
The DCA 24-Hour Birdathon is coming up on May 23rd-24th. This is a biennial
fundraiser for DCA and all the proceeds from birder pledges go to supporting
DCA’s going conservation work. All levels of birder are welcome to join in the fun!
You can find out more, learn about upcoming Bird walks, and download a pledge
form here: www.denmanconservancy.org/birdathon/.
The first of 3 Bird Walks is this Saturday, April 26th at 8am – Deep Listening with
Bird Song, with Jenna Rudolph. Central Park. Meet at the North Central Rd Swale
Trail Entrance.
