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Birds and fleas on the move
Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Winter weather seems to be lingering on this year. However, some birds are slowly gearing up for spring. Cardinals and House Finches are singing. Pine Siskins in my backyard are twittering away, and other species are tuning up their voices.
Early spring migrants, namely Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds, are now showing up in numbers – a tad later than usual it seems. Winter does not want to release its icy grip.
Tundra Swans usually start showing up by this time. However, only a handful of migrants have been noted. About 20 wintered on the St. Clair River among the too numerous Mute Swans. Many people do not realize that Mute Swans are different and non-native species. Mutes are quite aggressive towards native species and it is becoming a serious problem.
Wintering ducks like the Redhead have been the most plentiful waterfowl this winter. They do breed in small numbers in the Walpole/Lake St. Clair marshes, so perhaps we will see more this breeding season. Many more Redhead have been utilizing the Snye (Chenal Ecarte) for feeding. I have seen lots every day out my shop window at Port Lambton. The attached photo shows some taking flight near the entrance to the Chenal Ecarte this past week.
At Point Pelee on Sunday, there were tiny creatures at my feet. These were snow fleas (or springtails) that emerge from the leaf litter on warm, late-winter days in woodlands. Most people will not even know that they are there until they bend over and look. There can be millions in any given area.
A Townsend's Solitaire, a thrush from the west, was discovered near Arkona by friend of mine on February 28. There have been a few of these reported in Ontario and the nearby States this winter. The last one in our area was the bird we discovered in Pinery in November 2003. It is unique in that it perches more upright than typical thrushes.
Quite noticeable in the last week were the hundreds of Horned Larks along roadsides. These are the brownish birds you see flush up off roads as you drive along. They seem to like the salts found on roads. Although the larks do breed around here, most were heading northward in large numbers. Mixed in were a few Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings.
Once the ice and snow melt, spring will emerge in earnest. It has been a long winter!
