Skip to content

Halfmoon Bay: Dawn chorus: Nature’s morning concert

Happy Summer Solstice! Summer officially began on Saturday, June 20 although the weather was slightly less summerlike. We still remain in Stage 1 water restrictions, which is wonderful for this time of year.
garden club
Halfmoon Bay has its own virtual garden club on Facebook.

Happy Summer Solstice! Summer officially began on Saturday, June 20 although the weather was slightly less summerlike. We still remain in Stage 1 water restrictions, which is wonderful for this time of year. 

The Sunshine Coast has a few organized garden clubs from Gibsons to Egmont. Some meet monthly and have paid membership. They may host garden parties and social events, which might be limited this year as we all make our way through the pandemic.

We in Halfmoon Bay have our own virtual garden club on Facebook. Created and monitored by Tracy W, a local resident. Tracy noted, “This group has been created to help and encourage people to grow food gardens. In these difficult times, it’s more important than ever to not only grow our own food, but to create supportive and enthusiastic community groups.”

Halfmoon Bay Garden Club has 183 members and growing (lol). On this page we can share our garden photos, ask gardening questions, swap veggie plants and seeds and so much more. Thank  you Tracy for creating this for us! 

Why do birds sing so loudly in the morning? It is called the “dawn chorus,” and in our household, we are up with the birds almost every morning between 4 and 5 a.m. We greet the day with the pleasure of hearing these amazing creatures singing as loudly as possible.

There are a few theories as to why birds are so active in the morning and I’m sure our resident bird expert Tony G could provide more accurate information, but I did find some interesting thoughts online.

Generally speaking, it’s the male birds that do most of the singing, especially during mating season. Making their song heard in the morning shows the female birds that they were strong enough to make it through the night and that they are in command of their territory. A loud song can serve as a deterrent to rival birds and show that the male bird has control of its area. Theory or not, we love hearing them in the morning and all day for that matter. Their songs bless us each day and we are most grateful for the opportunity to enjoy nature’s concert in our own little piece of paradise. 

Although this column is called Halfmoon Happenings, it may not always be about events going on in the community. Some may call this area the “sleepy hollow,” and most of us do prefer the quiet and serenity of living here. As we move through this pandemic and more businesses are opening, events and gatherings in our area are not scheduled at this time.

I have heard from locals and visitors that there still are amazing things to do in our community. We can hike the local trails, walk along the shoreline, bird watch in the forests or our yards, participate in birthday parades, enjoy a coffee at the HMB Café or a snack from Welcome Woods Market, tend to our gardens and yards or simply relax on a deck with a small group of friends and family. We have such an abundance of beauty and nature all around us, we just need to get out there and enjoy it every day. 

As previously mentioned, the annual Halfmoon Bay Country Fair, which is held in early July, is cancelled this year. This would have been the 54th year that the fair was celebrated in Halfmoon Bay. Although many of us are disappointed that the country fair and other events have been cancelled, the Halfmoon Bay Community Association is working hard to plan an event in the fall and hopefully will be able to host Breakfast with Santa in December. As we all are trying to follow the COVID-19 safety guidelines, the Association will continue to monitor how gatherings are permitted and keep everyone informed. Stay tuned. 

To have your say at the Bay, please contact me before 5 p.m. on Mondays. cindy.kisser@telus.net.