Nature
Notes for April 26, 2013
Although
most migrants are arriving back at the expected times, every migration season
brings some surprises. Perhaps the birds were most surprised by the ice storm
on April 11. No doubt some early migrants perished when the cold temperatures
suppressed insect activity and locked up available fruit in ice. Some may even
have flown back south, in what is termed a reverse migration, to wait for more
agreeable weather.
In
April, birders’ focus shifts from waterbirds to landbirds. Throughout most of
Northumberland, wet fields that were teeming with ducks, geese and swans in
March have dried out, so the fields are no longer suitable habitat for these
birds. As well, lakes to the north are now ice free, so these birds can
continue their northward journey.
Southern
Ontario has experienced some very strong southerly winds which have blown some
vagrants our way. Ontbirds, the listserv of the Ontario Field Ornithologists,
has been buzzing with reports of Blue Grosbeaks on the Ojibway Prairie in
southwestern Ontario, a White-eyed Vireo at Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto and
a Worm-eating Warbler in Peterborough. None of these species normally range
this far north.
Locally,
three Worm-eating Warblers visited a garden just north of Cobourg, but didn’t
stay for very long. Another southerner, a Snowy Egret, turned up on a pond in
Ward 2 of Port Hope. This bird stayed for several days and allowed many birders
the opportunity to see it.
Several
swallow species have returned to the area in good numbers. Some had arrived
before last week’s ice storm, but may not have survived it. I visited one of my
nest box sites in neighbouring Durham Region today (April 23) and found most
boxes being vigorously defended by Tree Swallows. Barn, Bank and NorthernRough-winged Swallows could be found last weekend along the lakeshore. The
clouds of tiny midges, that many people are finding annoying, are a banquet for
these birds.
Several
species of sparrows, such as White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and FieldSparrows can also be found feeding on these midges in the tops of trees in the
sun. It always seems a bit odd to find these birds so high up, since they
usually feed on the ground. They go where the food is.
The
first warbler to arrive in my neighbourhood in Port Hope is the Yellow-rumpedWarbler. Although I haven’t seen one yet, I have heard them singing. Both
Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets have been moving through. Both of
these species are tiny birds, weighing only about 6 gm. Both have quite big
songs for the size of the bird, although the Ruby-crowned Kinglet has the
longer more complicated one.
Last
Sunday, April 21, my husband and I found a Broad-winged Hawk along a section of
the Ganaraska Trail in rural Port Hope. Broad-wings are a forest hawk that winter
in Central and South America. They are only now arriving back in Ontario.
This
one must have been hungry, since he flew along quite close to the trail and
perched in a tree only about 20 feet away from us. In a small pond beside the
trail, a few Wood Frogs had started calling. Their singing had drawn the
attention of the hawk. It sat there for quite a while, perhaps trying to see a
route through the tree branches to reach the pond and perhaps dinner. We stood
and watched for perhaps as much as ten minutes before the bird flew off again.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it circled back and tried again to find a way to the
pond. Although the prey of Broad-winged Hawks is primarily small mammals, like
most predators, they will eat anything they can catch.
Within
the next month, spring migration will peak. If the spring remains stormy, we
may find some more unusual birds, along with the expected species.