It was -5 C when I opened nets this morning shortly after 8 AM and +13 C when I left in the middle of the afternoon – an 18 degree turnaround. And creatures didn’t lose any time responding to it. By the late morning Chorus Frogs were calling and Painted Turtles were hauling themselves out of the pond onto logs to soak up some rays/heat. [Note that the Canada Goose pair has taken over their sunning platform for a nest site.] I even sighted a brilliant Tree Swallow winging low over the river. It felt like the sort of day when I should be seeing the first Eastern Phoebe of the year but…..not yet.

The southerly winds (they had started in the NE) interfered with some of the nets so I closed those ones early but I still managed to keep 4 running and ended up banding 23 birds; 14 of these were American Goldfinches and the ones I caught were just a small slice of the goldfinches that were present, taking advantage of the 2 black oil sunflower feeders – one at net #1 and the other just outside the banding hut. At one point I counted 24+ around the latter feeder. All of them were moulting into their brilliant alternate (breeding) plumages. It was pretty easy to pick out the older males – they were bright yellow (whereas the younger males still had a lot of olive feathering and didn’t stand out nearly as much.

Despite the cold temperatures last night, the pond did not have any ice this morning and there was a good collection of ducks checking it out: 11 Wood Ducks, 6 Mallards, 2 American Black Ducks, 2 Green-winged Teal, and 6 Hooded Mergansers.

Banded 23:
14 American Goldfinches
5 American Tree Sparrows
1 Dark-eyed Junco
1 White-throated Sparrow
2 Song Sparrows
ET’s: 38 spp.
Rick

Mother Nature has been playing with us, testing our mettle as it were. Gave us some Spring weather and then snatched it away with 10 days or so of more Winter – sub-freezing temperatures and some snow. Some migration ground to a halt I think; e.g., a week ago I saw small groups of Tree Swallows over the Grand River; but I haven’t seen them for the past 3 or 4. But for many species it’s been business as usual and although they’ve had to work hard to find sustenance they’ve been doing OK. Killdeer are still around; Red-winged Blackbirds continue to stake out territories; our large local sparrow population have good fat loads – they’ll be moving off fairly soon; Turkey Vulture numbers continue to climb; and our pair of Canada Geese have an active nest on the go in the middle of the pond on the turtle-sunning platform. Tomorrow things are supposed to change for the better with temperatures going up into double digits. The migration will move back into full swing before you know it.

Liam, Sarah and I had a productive morning. Between banding 29 birds and handling 15 retraps (almost all from last year) they put up another net (8 of 10 now running) and started laying down gravel along one of the muddy paths….there’s always lots to do.

And although the temperature never rose above 2 C., it was quite pleasant sitting at the picnic table, basking in the sun, and watching activity around the pond: Green-winged Teal, Wood Ducks, and even a few Rusty Blackbirds.

Banded 29:

1 Blue Jay
1 Eastern Bluebird

5 American Goldfinches
14 American Tree Sparrows

1 Dark-eyed junco
5 Song Sparrows
1 Red-winged blackbird
1 Northern Cardinal

ET’s: 37 spp.
Rick

Never look a gift horse in the mouth I was once told (well, pretty often actually) so last week (when it was fairly warm) since Faye asked me if I’d like some help setting up nets – but she could only come today…not next week – I said sure. And then, of course, it reverted back to winter with below freezing temperatures and snow. Still, helping hands are always appreciated, even more so when they proffer muffins!

And then Sarah and Liam arrived, the sun came out, the temperature climbed into the pluses, and the snow began to melt. Why not start Spring banding now!? By the end of the day we had put up 7 of the 10 nets.

But, more importantly, we left 3 of them open as we were working and these were catching birds. After 2 hours and with just 3 of the nets on the go, we ended up handling 29 birds: 19 new banded and 10 retraps – including 1 American Tree Sparrow from April of 2023. The prairie field continues to have an impact. As you can see below, 12 of the 19 banded birds were sparrows. (And of the 10 retraps, 7 were sparrows.)

Banded 19:
1 Downy Woodpecker
1 Black-capped Chickadee
5 American Goldfinches
3 American Tree Sparrows
3 White-throated Sparrows
6 Song Sparrows
ET’s: 29 spp.
Photos:

What a beautiful day! Blue skies, light winds, temperature climbing to 9 C. It pulled me out of my lethargy and pushed me outside to look for signs of Spring. They were abundant (over and above the temperature). There’s a nice loop trail in Cayuga: the Grand Vista Trail. You park behind the courthouse, the trail runs down from the lot and crosses the Grand River along a wonderful bridge, offering wonderful views up and down the river – NO ice by the way. Half way across I heard the soft bugling of Tundra Swans and looked up to find a flock of 10 winging their way WSW, heading for the St. Clair marshes(?). Northern Cardinals were singing from multiple perches and a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds went by (heading NE) eschewing their compatriots on the ground that were already busy staking out territories. [The trail continues on the other side of the bridge winding around and down into Cayuga and then back to the start; a distance of 3 kilometers. A walk I would highly recommend.]

Then it was on to the Farm for some Spring Cleaning. I was surprised that the pond was completely ice free and was being checked out by a pair of Canada Geese (probably potential nesters), 5 Mallards, and 4 Wood Ducks(!). Seems awfully early for Wood Ducks……Spring?

I’ve been trying to declutter the banding hut and give it a bit of a cleaning/sweep. I built a bit of a fire pit out to the side – looking forward to weenie roasts on nights I sleep over or a warming fire on early May evenings when I’m looking for Whip-poor-wills….or both. I also made a round of all the swallow/bluebird nest boxes and cleaned them out – my condolences to the few mice I ended up displacing. We’ve got about 16 boxes on the go, so lots of nesting options for them. Next time I’ll have to lug around a big pail of grease for the poles to try and deter predators (thanks Duncan for the lubricant).

Along the river bank I came upon a number of trees (Black Walnuts) that have recently been harvested by some industrious and enterprising beavers. I searched for a den but couldn’t find it. I wish they would take down the walnuts on the prairie side of the pond – it would save us a lot of work. And if only they had a hankering for buckthorn….

When I was approaching the river several large flocks of Canada Geese flew over, most high up. But a pair cruised by low. Out of the blue I heard 5 shotgun shots ring out and watched as one of the birds wheeled and dropped into the river. I was still about 100 m away and as I approached I watched the downed bird’s mate circle, calling and calling. Just before I reached the bank a speed boat made off upstream before I could catch a glimpse. The occupant(s) hadn’t bothered to get the dead bird, just left it. What was the point of this senseless act. I could see it if the shooter meant to eat it, but, obviously, that wasn’t the intent. The bird was just something to shoot. I don’t get it, I really don’t. [Also, is there a hunting season going on right now?]

Some of you will remember Loretta Mousseau. For a good number of years she banded with me and then decided she would take up grandmothering – at which, it seems, she is really good with 7(!) on the go. She and her husband Pat have a place about 2 km outside of York that they are managing for birds, and other wildlife. Loretta runs a number of nest boxes and has a small population of Purple Martins in the Spring/Summer. (If you get a chance, get her to describe how to feed mealworms to martins during dangerous unseasonable cold snaps using plastic spoons to shoot them into the air – it works!!) Anyway…..she had read somewhere that if you invert the front plate of a nesting box for the winter season it helps roosting birds keep heat in (heat rises…remember). Well, it seems that a Downy Woodpecker was having none of it. There’s only one way to enter a nesting/sheltering cavity and that’s from the top. Thinking about it, I could see how it would be much more difficult for the woodpecker to squeeze into the bottom hole and then go UP to find a roosting spot. So much for theory….
Rick