Making simple birds your joy

In these times of restricted movement, our freedom to look for birds at will is no longer a given. There is something terribly wrong with that statement but that is likely to be a new normal for the next few months.

It is tough on the active birdwatchers that are used to flying around the Avalon Peninsula every weekend to see what new birds are around.

Technically if you stay in your personal bubble — which includes your car — you are not breaking protocol as some of us interpret the wording of the chief medical officer of Health for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Among the St. John’s birders most are sticking close to home or at even staying at home full time.

There are birders in St. John’s community that I have not seen for a month that I encountered several times a week prior to this event.

An interesting situation happened this past weekend when a very rare duck from Europe called the garganey showed up at Virginia Lake in St. John’s.

It was too rare and beautiful to ignore. It got some of the St. John’s birders out their houses but it was strange.

I met one of my main birding buddies along the trail. We gave each other a good eight metres berth. It was like we were strangers keeping such a distance during a conversation that was short in warmth and friendship.

We had become aliens. The garganey and all the other ducks were flushed by a bald eagle before most birders could get there.

So, the birders fanned out to search likely ponds within a five-kilometre radius. We shared information while remaining in our cars and talking across the width of a road.

What has this world become? Will we get used to this?

The good news was the garganey found a home at Lundrigans Marsh off East White Hills Road.

People with birdfeeders are getting their money’s worth of entertainment during these days of self-isolation at home.

The Facebook pages are full of pictures of American goldfinches, purple finches, flickers, blue jays and red crossbills at bird feeders.

Everyone is seeing lots of spring robins, as well. People love their birds. Spring is a time to watch out for unusual visitors.

Rose Brook of Placentia posted a picture on Facebook of every bird-feeder watcher’s dream, a beautiful indigo bunting.

This is one of the semi-regular southern overshoots of spring that guarantees a smile on the face of the lucky homeowner.

Keep watching.

With the closing of Cape Spear, Bowring Park and Bidgoods Park, I find myself looking for new places to go for a morning walk and see birds at the same time.

Overall I am seeing fewer birds each day because of this virus assault. However, I find myself appreciating the birds that I do see even more.

I have a personal rule of no more photographs of icebergs, puffins and bald eagles. There are so many pictures of these out there on the internet and everywhere else that I do not need to add to the overkill. Yet this past weekend I was riding in my personal bubble across the Cappahayden barrens just as the sun was rising over the eastern horizon when I passed a bald eagle sitting in a low tree. I surprised myself by turning the car around.

With the camera resting on the open window I slowly rolled the car back to the bird that was eyeing me suspiciously.

The eagle dwarfed the tree. It seemed so huge, regal and majestic. Yes it was all those eagle clichés but there was something magical about the way it was being illuminated by the low angle of the dawn sun.

I was looking at an eagle with new hungry eyes.

This spring is going to be different.

The active birders with a high need to see birds will be squeezing the lemon to get the most out of the common species.

Spring migration has just begun. There are so many familiar birds to look forward to and get reacquainted with.

I am sussing out new locations where I can be alone and watch the common woodland species as they get back. Places where a little time spent should result in closer to picture-perfect snaps of swamp sparrow, northern waterthrush or yellow-rumped warbler.

Just some of the common local species in May that I take for granted but rarely take the time to photograph well. There are ways to make this an exciting spring on home turf. Migration really ramps up in late April. We can expect the arrival of familiar summer birds such as the osprey, greater yellowlegs, snipe and savannah sparrows to name a few.

Any storm with strong south winds has the potential to bring Newfoundland some more indigo buntings or an egret or two.

Enjoy the spring birds, one day at a time.