Spring Migration at Last!

Nature Notes for March 28, 2014

At last, there has been some migration. The northward movement of birds is finally heralding the coming of spring. Since I usually write this column on Tuesday and it doesn’t appear in print until Friday, a sudden change in temperature (warmer) and wind direction (southerly) could cause a dramatic change in the bird species present in the area.

Although returning American Robins do indicate spring, the return of Red-winged Blackbirds is a much better indicator. The first one reported to me was on March 17, almost three weeks later than they are expected in this area. In the following week, many people were reporting Red-wings. Snow on March 19 may have caused a bit of reverse migration, since many fewer Red-winged Blackbirds seemed to be present late last week.

Along with the Red-wings came the first CommonGrackles. Although many people don’t like them, now, they, too, are a welcome sign of spring.

By the end of last week, a few Song Sparrows had arrived. On the other hand, the American Tree Sparrows will soon be thinning out as they move north to the Arctic where they breed. Last week, a few could be heard singing their sweet song along the Waterfront Trail in Port Hope.

On a walk around my neighbourhood this week, I could hear the trilly song of a Dark-eyed Junco. Although a few breed in the Northumberland Forest, most of these migrate a little further north to the Canadian Shield to nest.

Presqu’ile Provincial Park’s Waterfowl Festival was the weekend of March 15 and 16. This year, this date was a bit early to see many returning waterfowl. Presqu’ile Bay was still mostly frozen and there was quite a lot of ice close to shore. The ducks that were present were feeding at some distance from shore. In addition, there was a stiff north wind, which made the viewing station overlooking the bay extremely cold. Milder temperatures this week may result in better waterfowl viewing this weekend, although helpful volunteers will not be available to identify the birds. The bonus for visitors on the official waterfowl weekend was a Snowy Owl on the ice in the bay.

Canada Geese can now be seen flying inland to harvested corn fields south of Highway 401 to feed. Fields in the north part of Northumberland still have quite deep snow, but it is melting quickly. It is worth scanning the flocks of feeding Canadas to see if there are any white birds among them. These might be Snow Geese, whose flight path is normally further east in Ontario. On the other hand, they could be Tundra Swans, whose flight path is normally further west through Long Point Bay on Lake Erie. Depending on the winds, either species can appear here during migration. Both are travelling from the mid-Atlantic seaboard in the U.S. to the Arctic to breed.

Among the Canada Geese may also be many dabbling ducks, although they can be difficult to see amongst the larger birds and corn stubble. Most of these will be Mallards, but there may be some American BlackDucks, Northern Pintails, American Wigeons and Wood Ducks.

The Grimsby Hawkwatch is reporting some movement of raptors. Somewhat surprisingly, the largest total for one species to date is Turkey Vulture. Surprising, since Turkey Vultures have no feathers on their head, so might be expected to need warmer weather to survive. Perhaps our highways’ abundant supply of roadkill is all that vultures need. Turkey Vultures could be seen locally all week, especially on windy days.

Northbound raptors enter Ontario along the NiagaraEscarpment and then disperse from here to the rest of the province. Spring migrant hawks tend to travel west to east in Northumberland.

If we ever get warmer temperatures with southerly winds, there will be a flood of backlogged migrants.