Nature
Notes for April 24, 2015
This
is the season of rapid change in the natural world. All it took was a day of
rain last Monday for the world to turn green. These changes occur so rapidly
that I hardly know what to write about. By the time readers see the column,
things will have changed again and I will be writing about old news. All it
takes is a mild day with gentle southerly winds to bring land bird migrants
flooding through.
Waterfowl
and birds of prey have been moving for over a month now, but the land birds are
just starting to arrive. Now is the time for the migration of small land birds.
On
a Willow Beach Field Naturalists outing last Sunday, in a lakeshore woodlot
west of Port Hope, the first few Yellow-rumped Warblers were sighted. Although
a few nest in Northumberland County’s forests, most are just passing through.
Most species of warblers arrive in May, but Yellow-rumps are one of the earlier
migrants.
Many
Ruby-crowned Kinglets were singing in the spruce hedge that lined the lane and
in the wood land. This tiny bird, weighing only about 6 grams, has an amazingly
big song for such a small bird. Kinglets are very active birds, so it can be
hard to get your eye on one, but their song lets observers know of their presence.
They are travelling to the boreal forest. The high-pitched call note of
the Golden-crowned Kinglet, similar in size, lets observers know that it,
too, is in the trees. They winter a little further north than the Ruby-crowns
and many passed through earlier in April, also headed for the boreal.
In
several places, three of the six swallow species that occur in this area could
be found foraging. Most were Tree Swallows, but there were also Barn Swallows and a single Northern Rough-wingedSwallow. They depend on hatches of small flying insects for food. Often, in
spring, large mixed species flocks of swallows can be found foraging just
offshore, feeding on midges that have just emerged from the water.
On
March 29, I saw my first two Tree Swallows of the season feeding over Port
Hope’s yacht basin. Already, last week, some were defending nest boxes at the
sites that I monitor. There was no sign of nest building yet, but it won’t be
long.
In
fields and hedge rows, sparrows are turning up. Many Song Sparrows could be heard
singing. Vesper Sparrows were singing around the edges of last year’s soybean
fields. Savannah Sparrows were found in pastures and hayfields. A few Field Sparrows are also back on territories.
Vesper Sparrow found singing at edge of agricultural field.
photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography
Eastern Meadowlarks, another grassland species, is back, too, singing and calling with
its rattling call. Meadowlarks are members of the Icterid family, which
includes Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Rusty Blackbird, Baltimore Oriole, and Orchard Oriole.
As
I write this, there is a White-throated Sparrow in my garden. As with the
Yellow-rumped Warblers, a few nest in Northumberland’s forests, but most will
be travelling further north at least to the Canadian Shield.
There
are still Dark-eyed Juncos in my garden, a bird associated here with winter. A
few juncos will linger into early May. Most are now putting on fat to fuel
their migration further north and will not be seen at feeders until the middle
of next fall.
For
readers who would like to learn more about these bird there are a couple of
events which might be interesting. International Migratory Bird Day is being
celebrated on Sunday, May 3 at the Hazel Bird Nature Reserve and AldervilleBlack Oak Savanna. Contact 905-352-1008 or outreach@ricelakeplains.ca for
more information. Presqu’ile Provincial Park’s Warblers and Whimbrels weekend
is on May 16 and 17 (http://www.friendsofpresquile.on.ca/).
Both of these events provide guided bird hikes.
