I was worried about the silence until the birds began to sing.
Spring has been slow in coming and it was a concern.
I’ve missed the morning assembly call of the quail, followed by the covey of several adult birds protectively leading a flock of chicks as they emerged from the chaparral thickets for their daily march across my yard to scattered birdseed and a saucer of water.
Typically, this happens here at Mt. Hoo in late April or May, and this year the first chicks did not show up until last week.
Another harbinger of spring is the hopeful song of the male house wren as he perches on a high point and boldly calls, eager to attract a mate. There was silence until just a few weeks ago.
This delightful song of the house wren is usually heard in March, followed by a brief courtship and selection of an appropriate nesting site.
Many readers will recall we have a small video camera mounted in a wren nest box just outside of our window. It has allowed us to intimately follow the nest building, egg laying, hatching and fledging cycle for the past five years.
Those nesting cycles typically began between March 10 and 25 with the first eggs arriving in the middle of April. A few times, the helpless chicks have arrived on Mother’s Day.
This year, nest building was delayed until the end of May, with the first egg arriving on June 8. At press time, we have five eggs and an attentive mama wren taking good care of them. You can follow the wren nesting at “Updates from Mt. Hoo” on Facebook.
We live by calendars and clocks, but our wildlife friends live by a far more natural timetable that was thrown out the window this year with unusually heavy and extended periods of rainfall, cold temperatures and the absence of typical spring weather.
The seasonal rainfall total at Mt. Hoo this year is over 37 inches, nearly double the average, which is less than 20 inches over the past 10 years.
Meteorologist Alex Tardy from the National Weather Service office in San Diego confirmed the unusual spring we’ve had.
“Each month starting in December has been below average in San Diego, but it really depends on what part of the county you’re referring to. For example, Palomar Mountain was in the top five for coldest ever between December and March,” Tardy said.
The average temperature in San Diego was 56 degrees, the coldest since 2008 when it was 55.8 degrees.
“May was 2.3 degrees below average and 20 days with clouds or mostly cloudy, with zero completely clear days at San Diego airport,” Tardy said.
Temperatures on Palomar Mountain, according to Tardy, averaged only 39.5 degrees for December to March. This was the fourth coldest in history, and that might explain why the brilliant displays of grape soda lupine wildflowers were delayed at the higher elevations of the mountain this spring. The banks along South Grade Roads are covered with clusters of wildflowers right now.
Some species reacted differently to our abnormal weather.
In Borrego Springs, the annual Swainson’s hawk migration began early with record numbers of birds recorded during the annual hawk watch.
The unusual amount of rainfall created early growth in the desert and resulted in a crop of grasshoppers that migrating hawks feed on.
I do wonder, what social media network in nature alerts the birds to range conditions along their migratory route?
So, I reached out to an expert to see if our miserable bouts of May Gray and June Gloom have had impacts on our local wildlife.
“Yes, multiple colleagues of mine have also noted delayed nesting this year,” said Phil Unitt, curator of birds and mammals at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
He pointed out the burrowing owls as a good example.
“Most nests were not initiated until mid- to late April, whereas initiation in late March is common in most years,” Unitt said.
He added, “I think the cool temperatures are very likely the factor. In El Niño years that are wet but not cold, such as 1998, nesting of many species starts early.”
What we should take comfort in is that nature will adapt and adjust to these variables.
Another good example was the subject of my recent column talking about the disappearance of hummingbirds and orioles.
In that case, the higher levels of rainfall this year created more plants and that created more wildflowers, insects and bugs.
This abundant source of natural food kept the buzzbirds and colorful orioles away from feeders for a time, and readers emailed with concern.
The good news is hummingbirds and orioles have again returned to feeders here at Mt. Hoo and I am back to refilling the nectar about every other day.
Not only have the colorful adult orioles returned, but a swarm of youngsters are now competing for nectar and engaging with their neck-craning, posturing and bickering as they challenge their elders.
I can hear the birds singing again.
Cowan is a freelance columnist. Email [email protected] or visit erniesoutdoors.blogspot.com.
