2017 Waterfowl Migration underway; Landbird migration just beginning

Nature Notes for March 31, 2017

Changes in the avian population of this area are happening so rapidly that it is hard to know just what to write about.

The most noticeable birds are still the waterfowl – ducks, geese and swans.

Last weekend (March 25 and 26) was the annual Waterfowl Weekend at Presqu’ile Provincial Park. Throughout the month, waterfowl have come and gone in Presqu’ile Bay and in Lake Ontario. Their populations have fluctuated as the ice melted, then refroze, then melted again. My husband and I volunteered on Sunday and were assigned a viewing overlook on the bay. The majority of birds at this spot were Redhead. The males are a handsome gray with a red head. These birds winter off the eastern seaboard and along the Gulf of Mexico. They usually only visit us in migration when they are traveling to and from breeding territories in the middle of the continent. Since there has been little ice in Presqu’ile Bay this winter, large flocks of Redhead have stayed throughout the winter.

Scattered amongst the Redhead were many American Wigeon. The wigeons, marsh ducks, were stealing the vegetation brought to the surface by the diving Redheads. Some wigeon may nest locally, but most of them, too, are traveling further north.

Also off our overlook were four Canvasback (another red-headed duck, but with white back and flanks), Bufflehead, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, Mallards, American Black Ducks, Gadwall, Common Goldeneye and Common Mergansers.

Most of these ducks, along with a few other species, might also be found in Cobourg Harbour and any other ice-free place along the lakeshore.

Large flocks of Canada Geese are still to be found feeding in local agricultural fields. A close study will probably turn up a few Cackling Geese amongst them. One lucky observer found two Ross’s Geese in a flock north of Port Hope. These are a small white goose that winter mostly on the U.S. Gulf coast and nest in the high Arctic. Only rarely do a few make an appearance in Northumberland.

While at Presqu’ile, we noticed a large flock of Snow Geese migrating past the lighthouse. Snow Geese, although not as rare at Ross’s, are never abundant locally and only appear in migration. Most Snow Geese migrate through eastern Ontario in the spring and follow the Ottawa River valley. They, too, winter on the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts and nest in Arctic.

 A Greater White-fronted Goose can be difficult to pick out from large flocks of Canada Geese

Photo © Rob Lonsberry Photography

A few Greater White-fronted Geese have been seen in the past week amongst the Canada Geese. Because their backs are almost the same colour as a Canada Goose, they can be very difficult to pick out in a flock of thousands of Canadas. They winter mainly in the western part of North America but are becoming increasingly common in Ontario. They, too, are headed to the Arctic.

Among the non-native Mute Swans, both the native Trumpeter Swan and Tundra Swan have been seen at Presqu’ile. The Tundras are on their way to the Arctic. The Trumpeters have been the subject of a successful reintroduction program and now there is a breeding population in southern Ontario. Both these latter two species have black beaks, so observers have to study the birds carefully to identify one from the other.

Turkey Vultures are arriving back. They aren’t as noticeable as they are in the fall, since they don’t follow the Lake Ontario shore. There also seem to be more Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels along roadsides as these birds return.

Some of the bigger land birds, such as Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles, have been around for a few weeks, but their migration continues.

The small land birds are beginning to arrive in only the past couple of days. On Monday (March 27), the first Song Sparrow visited my garden. Today (March 28), a couple of Eastern Phoebe and an Eastern Meadowlark were found.

Over the next two months, the small land birds will arrive back in numbers to take advantage of the abundant insect food available to feed their young. Watch for these new arrivals on the next gentle south wind.