LUNA LOISEAU-TREMBLAY

As the end of January approaches, cold sunny days, sprouting crocuses and snowdrops push their leaves through the ground, reminding us that warmer days are ahead. The middle of the winter can feel lackluster but indulging in outdoor pastimes can help with the January blues. Regardless of how much of a beginner one is, birdwatching is an interesting and fun way to interact with nature, giving a sense of accomplishment at any age in knowing how to name common bird species.

One of my favorite songbirds to see is the lovely little Brown Creeper, Certhia americana, a member of the family Certhiidae, the tree creepers. This bird species is small, weighing under 10 grams with white underparts and light spotting on the upper part of its body. Its tail is stiff and pointed, helping it with balance as it scampers and spirals up a tree looking for insects. Brown creepers have a long thin bill that is curved slightly downward. The light spotting on the upper part of its body makes the brown creeper incredibly camouflage against tree trunks and helps it avoid predators such as house cats, raccoons and birds of prey. When faced with danger, it flattens its body against the tree and blends in perfectly with the natural shades of gray, white and brown.

This colouration also distinguishes the species from smaller birds that it could be mistaken for, such as the Red-Breasted Nuthatch or the Golden Crowned and Ruby Crowned Kinglets.

At this time of the year, these little birds can be seen alone, flying to the bottom of a tree and running up the trunk in short, jerky bursts of movement, in a spiral fashion, then doing the same on branches all the while probing the bark quickly with their beaks. Brown creepers feed primarily on invertebrates that live in the bark of their preferred foraging choices which are mostly large conifers. The deeply furrowed trunk of large diameter douglas fir or scaly bark of a big old spruce tree, presents a perfect opportunity to probe and peck for a wide variety of spiders, weevils, beetles, larvae and many other species of forest dwelling arthropod.

While brown creepers are a common songbird to see in this area and with their preference of mature, damp mixed forests, they are at risk of habitat loss. There are many species of plants and animals that rely on mature forests and the ecological dynamics present in those habitats.

Clear cutting and selective logging, particularly of conifers, takes away mature tree stands that are the preferred foraging for these birds while the dead and dying trees, which are the areas that brown creepers prefer to nest in, are removed by wood salvaging practices or safety concerns. Appreciating and understanding the relationships between the organisms within our treasured coastal rainforest ecosystem is more important than ever.