The other day, a woman in Beacon Hill Park was feeding peanuts to the crows, and we had a little chat about birds, and then she said to me: 鈥淚 love all the covids!鈥� (I think she meant corvids). I love malapropisms (remember Archie Bunker?).
Would you like to know more about birds, to recognize species other than pigeons, crows and robins? Do you know the difference between the Long Billed Dowitcher and a Greater Yellow Legs? (The word Dowitcher always reminds me of a dark Bronte novel 鈥� some mysterious conniving spinster, draped in black, lurking behind the grandfather clock in a great dim, cold stone hall.) I think I saw a dowager on the beach eating snails.
Do you know whose sound is whew-whew-whew, or tut tu tu? Or how about Kid Kid Kidick Kidick? Which local duck can reach a speed that approaches 鈥渢he velocity of a bullet,鈥� or how a Northern Flicker helps a Bufflehead?
Whether you are an armchair birder or an in-the-field birder, beginner or expert, or even have never considered learning about birds (now is the time 鈥� during corvid!), I have a few books I am sure you will enjoy.
Birds of the Raincoast, Habits and Habitats by Harvey Thommasen and Kevin Hutchings (Harbour Publishing, 2004) is very entertaining and informative with its appealing, distinctive chapter divisions, for example, Birds of the Estuary, Birds of Town, Birds of Winter, Birds of the Night (and others). The book is filled with spectacular coloured photographs, insightful text, observations and fascinating facts.
If you are new to learning about birds, or if it is too torrential and blustery to venture to a cliff-side with your binoculars, take the time to amble through this book. It one of those books that I will keep forever 鈥� I have a collection of books to read and re-read when I鈥檓 old and bedridden, when the CBC and reading while sipping a mild sherry with an old cat are among life鈥檚 greatest pleasures (well, most of the CBC, and the late-night broadcasts are excellent). This book will be in that collection of books to read again.
If you are new to birding, it鈥檚 a good idea to simply select three or four easily distinguishable birds to identify, such as the Hooded Merganser duck, recognized by their wonderful windswept hairstyles. The male鈥檚 pompadour plumage is a thick, white disc-shaped bouffant cap, whereas the female鈥檚 coif is more restrained, consisting of wispy rust-coloured tresses.
The second bird to easily spot is the somewhat comical Oyster Catcher with his long orange bill and pink legs, often hunched over pondering a delectable limpet and yes, they love oysters. It takes this clever, dexterous character less than two minutes to open the shell, according to Common Birds of Southwestern British Columbia by J. Duane Sept (Calypso Publishing, 2016).
This is a delightful little guidebook for all birders, full of information on our local birds.
My favourite duck is the lovely Harlequin (the Latin vocabulary is memorable 鈥� Histrionicus histrionicus!). There鈥檚 a small flock of them who visit during the winter along the Dallas Road waterfront, gently teeter-tottering in the choppy surf, and recognized by the male鈥檚 beautiful rich cinnamon-coloured sides and intricate white linear pattern. The first year I spotted them, I counted only six, but this year there were 12.
I look at these dear birds as friends, albeit distant friends, who give me great comfort, and a certain stability with their annual visits and daily ablutions. If I don鈥檛 see them, I slightly panic, and when I come across them on my beach walks, as the old poets would say, my 鈥渉eart leaps.鈥�
Best Places To Bird In British Columbia by Russell Cannings and Richard Cannings (Greystone Books, 2017) is a very useful resource, not only for birding, but for lovely strolls.
On Vancouver Island, the authors suggest not only the Victoria shoreline, but inconspicuous coastal spots up the Island. The little maps are accurate and the directions clear. Many of the areas include a loop of only one or two kilometres, with descriptions of what birds you might see (or hear) there.
The Englishman River Estuary (just south of Parksville) makes a fine perambulation. There are two routes that skirt the dark crimson shrubbery and tawny grasses that surround the nutrient-filled salt and fresh water mix, which, when I visited at twilight, was crowded with shore birds under a ghostly but serene veil of sea mist.
Anny Scoones lives in James Bay. Her latest book is Island Home, Out and About On Vancouver island (2019).
