The Birding Year in the Pacific Northwest

November: Consolidation and Nomadism

Written by Andy McCormick

Andy McCormick, Volunteer and Former Board President of Eastside Audubon

On an early November morning in 2020, I was leading a group of birders on a field trip by the Stillaguamish River in Stanwood, WA at a location called Eide Road. We stood on the berm at the Leque (pronounced Le-quay) Island Restoration Project site which provided us with an expansive view of the estuary. It was shortly after high tide and much of the area was flooded, but it was not the highest of high tides, and large sections of the mudflats were still open. Hundreds of birds spread out before us.

We estimated there were 550 Green-winged Teal swimming in the channels or wading at the edges. Probing the mud were about 50 Long-billed Dowitchers. Almost 40 Greater Yellowlegs waded in the shallow water picking at whatever flowed by. A flock of Ring-billed Gulls loafed on a grassy strip at the far side of the estuary. A Red-tailed Hawk perched in a tree at the south end of the slough, and a Bald Eagle made a high flyover causing a ripple among the ducks, but there was no panic as it moved off toward the waters of Puget Sound. As if to salute this abundance of birdlife, a flock of a few hundred Snow Geese flew overhead.

CONSOLIDATING ENERGY DURING WINTER

November is a time of consolidation in the birding year when birds are focused on recovery from the rigors of long-distance flights and raising young birds. They need a safe location where they can regain some of their lost weight and complete a feather molt in time for spring. Places like estuaries along Puget Sound and the Pacific coast offer advantages for such renewal. These tidal marshes and shorelines flourish with life and are able to sustain large populations of geese and ducks, shorebirds, and some hawks and eagles. By the end of November, most migrating birds have completed their journey. Those in this hospitable estuary will likely spend the winter here.

At the end of the berm where the gravel path meets the grassy bank of the Stillaguamish River, two sparrows foraged. One was a White-Crowned Sparrow and the other was a Golden-crowned Sparrow, both from the genus Zonotrichia, named from the Greek meaning banded thrush, referencing the stripes on the crowns of these sparrows. Actively foraging sparrows like these two become more prominent in early winter. They are less secretive after the nesting season and need to explore farther from safety for food. They also take advantage of mutual support in the search for food now that the aggressive urge to compete for nesting sites and food has subsided. Other sparrows and towhees may join them to form larger flocks of 25 or more foraging birds.

Chickadees, too, are active foragers. Black-capped Chickadees of the lowland, Chestnut-backed Chickadees of the forest, and Mountain Chickadees of the highlands will join in flocks and take a leadership role in mixed feeding flocks. Their communication with chick-a-dee notes takes on different inflections and their loud alarm calls of dee-dee-dee-dee are used by other birds as a connection and warning that a predator may be nearby. All the birds in the flock are wary of potential predators and the warning calls of chickadees provide a helpful service.

LEQUE ISLAND - A RESTORED HABITAT

Prior to the 1800s Leque Island was a wetland. European settlers changed this environment when they built dikes to hold back Puget Sound waters in order to create farmlands. The system worked well and produced productive land. However, by the 1970s it was clear that changes like this along the shores of Puget Sound and the placement of dams on rivers and streams had contributed to significant reduction in the number of salmon migrating upstream. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife began a process of purchasing the land. The goal was to restore the wetland habitat that serves as a transition zone for salmon fry as they move from the freshwater rivers and streams to the salt water of the ocean. Species of forage fish such as sand lance, smelt, and herring also use wetland and intertidal areas. The migratory runs of all species of salmon were dangerously low and studies of their migratory runs confirmed that the salmon populations were quickly becoming unsustainable.

The combination of overharvesting fish and destruction of habitat created the likelihood of a negative future for salmon which from time immemorial has been a defining species in the Pacific Northwest for tribal nations and, since colonization, the basis for commercial and sport fisheries. By 2013 the department owned the entire island and the restoration plan that was developed removed 2.4 miles of levee and restored 276 acres of tidal marsh to the tidal flow into the Stillaguamish River. The restored estuary has also provided excellent habitat for both resident and migratory birds.

NOMADIC BIRDS - UNPREDICTABLE MIGRANTS

November is also a time for the consolidation of flocks of finches of the tundra and boreal forest. These birds do not migrate in the predictable fashion of the neotropical migrants, but they do travel in large flocks and make long journeys in search of food. As with most bird migration, the urge is prompted by a need for food, but nomadic birds are different from neotropical migrating birds.

For example, Black-throated Gray Warblers are neotropical migrants which depend on insects to support themselves and their young. In spring these birds migrate to forests west of The Rockies to take advantage of caterpillars and other emerging insects in mixed forests of pine and oak, Douglas fir and Big Leaf Maple forests. However, in fall, they must leave the northern forests because insects are not active in winter. They fly to riparian and forested regions in Arizona, California, and western Mexico. This type of migration is considered obligatory, that is, it is required in both spring and fall for the birds to reach suitable amounts of insects, and over thousands of years these birds have evolved a regular and predictable annual pattern of spring and fall migration.

Many finches, especially Pine Siskins, White-winged and Red Crossbills, and Evening Grosbeaks, on the other hand, will remain in wintery areas and move only if necessary. Their task of securing food can vary from year to year depending on the growing conditions for the seed cones of pine, fir, and spruce trees. These birds have developed a wide-ranging nomadic lifestyle for their search for food in the form of nut mast, the name given for the seeds and nuts of trees. This type of migration is not a predictable seasonal migration. Instead, it is called facultative, that is, it is optional or in response to circumstances and dependent on available food such as the quality of the cone crop.

When these finches set out on their search, it is called an irruption, which is defined as a sudden or irregular migration that can occur as a widespread outbreak of birds searching for food. Such an event can bring these boreal forest finches to the northern latitudes of the United States. The Finch Forecast Network. tracks finches each year and predicts where they might go in search of available food.

THE CROSSBILLS

The two crossbill species, White-winged and Red, have highly specialized bills which cross at the tips, an adaptation that makes them very effective in using a twisting motion to open the cones of evergreen trees to get at the seeds inside. Their breeding physiology is dependent on the quality of the cone crops they find. As crossbills feed in an area, their success in foraging provides an assessment of the value of the crop and the level of abundance of seeds. Regardless of the time of year, if the cone crop is sufficient and the feeding is good, their urge to breed is triggered, and they will build nests and incubate eggs. If their harvest is scanty, the crossbills will postpone breeding and continue exploring for a better crop of cones over hundreds of miles if necessary.

Researchers are learning more about the movements of crossbills by following their flights using very light-weight radio packs placed on some of the birds. The tracking device can be followed much like a cellphone user who shares their location. These studies have confirmed that crossbills will fly hundreds of miles as they search for food, and data from some flocks indicates they have traveled completely across North America in search of a good cone crop. Apparently, the cone crops in the west are the most variable, and these birds will move east and south if necessary.

EVENING GROSBEAK

Another nomadic bird is the Evening Grosbeak. As its name implies, it has a hefty bill which is strong enough to crush almost any kind of seed or nut including chokecherry pits. The Evening Grosbeak is a large, mostly yellow bird with black wings and white wing patches, and it sports a dramatic yellow forehead stripe against its brown head. The female is brown, and it retains the black and white wings. Their breeding range extends across the boreal forest in Canada and along forested western mountains.

Similarly to crossbills, grosbeaks do not migrate in any regular pattern. They will stay where they are as long as nut mast is available. But as cone crops vary year by year, the flights of grosbeaks will also change. In poor crop years, Evening Grosbeaks will set off on a wander across the landscape looking for trees which are heavy with cones. When they move southward to areas outside their usual range, we in the temperate zones can enjoy watching these bright and raucous birds at local feeders.

NOVEMBER BIRDING

The grayness of trees without leaves and the November sky combined with the shortening of the daylight hours are sure signs that winter has arrived and with it an urge to settle in by the fire. However, this season also brings the opportunity to get out to look for birds that we would not see at other times of the year. As many do in the Pacific Northwest, we can ignore the weather and let the birds bring some light into our winter lives. Pursue wintering seabirds along the Salish Sea and other large lakes and waterways and search for winter finches in the forested areas and watch for them at bird feeders. Plan ahead to travel a bit to get outside urban areas and look for birdwatching trips to these locations.