Nature
Notes for April 29, 2016
“What’s
happening to all the birds with the cold weather?” This question was asked of
me last Monday evening, in Peterborough, where it had snowed that day, enough
that remnants of the snow still lingered in corners in the evening when I was
there.
2016
has certainly been a challenging spring for migrants. The temperatures have
yo-yoed up and down. It was warm enough for insect activity and plant growth
quite early in the spring, followed by freezing temperatures and snow. This cycle
has been repeated several times.
Around
mid-April, birders thought that landbirds were finally arriving. Last week,
while cleaning up my garden, I was serenaded by Golden-crowned Kinglets. These
are very tiny birds, weighing about 5 to 6 grams. Although a few kinglets do
winter in Northumberland County, most spend the winter in the continental U.S.
They were gleaning small insects from the trees and shrubs in the yard. At this
writing, many of the Golden-crowned Kinglets have migrated through, and are
being replaced by Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
The
first few Yellow-rumped and Pine Warblers have been seen locally. They are two
of the earliest arriving warbler species. They will be followed by many more
warblers species throughout the month of May.
Yellow-rumped Warblers are one of the earliest warbler to arrive in southern Ontario.
Photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography
Over
the weekend, I could hear Barn Swallows as they migrated over. Barn and
Northern Rough-winged Swallows have been found in Northumberland for the past
week or so. Some Tree Swallows arrived back as early as the last week of March.
If the weather had remained warm, they might have had the advantage of claiming
a prime nesting territory. This year, these early birds may have paid with
their lives by arriving back so early. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if I
found some dead birds when I next check the nest boxes that I monitor.
All
swallows eat only flying insects. In cold, rainy weather, there is very little
insect activity. Under such conditions, flocks of swallows can often be seen
feeding on newly emerging midges over Lake Ontario. These tiny insects often
appear as clouds and are a very important food source for all insect eating
migrants.
A
Song Sparrow has taken a territory in my garden where it sings in hopes of
attracting a mate. This morning (Tuesday), he was joined by a White-throated Sparrow singing his familiar “Oh, sweet Canada, Canada, Canada, Canada”. The White-throat will travel a bit further
north to breed, perhaps just to the Ganaraska or Northumberland Forests. Theirs
is a familiar song to cottagers and those who camp on the Canadian Shield.
Earlier
this week, Vesper and Savannah Sparrows were found singing from agricultural
fields. These birds were likely on territory since they nest on the ground in
these fields.
Chipping Sparrows have also appeared recently. They nest in conifers next to open grassy
areas, where they feed. They frequently nest around houses and buildings with
mowed grass and ornamental conifers.
Fox Sparrows and Eastern Towhees have been reported at several backyard feeders.
These are two of the biggest and most handsome of our sparrows. They are both
relatively early migrants. Fox Sparrows are on their way to the northern boreal forest. Eastern Towhees, on the other hand, are almost at the north edge of
their range. Towhees like to nest in brushy tangles. In Northumberland County,
they are most common on the moraine.
Although
a few birds may succumb to the cold weather with its lack of insect food, most
early arriving migrants are hardy enough to survive some cold spells. They may
be a bit slow to arrive this year, but that may have as much to do with
unfavourable winds as to the cold.
Since
the next Nature Notes will not appear until the end of May, most land bird
migrants will already have arrived in or passed through Northumberland. In
migration, birds can often turn up in unusual places. Willow Beach FieldNaturalists, Northumberland Land Trust and Presqu’ile Provincial Park are all
offering outings focused on returning migrant birds during May. Readers are
encouraged to take advantage of these events.
