Monday 22 April 2019

Spring Migration is here...for real!

There have been a lot of exciting spring migrants showing up in southern Ontario lately after a long winter and spring that just seemed to drag on!  The extended forecast actually looks pretty good too!

This weekend I was down in Niagara area for Easter and checked the usual spots near Fort Erie along the lake shore.  The weather was still a bit cold, but songbirds were out foraging after a couple days of hard rain.  Many of them were down low to the ground or in sheltered areas looking for insects, like this Ruby-crowned Kinglet.


I saw several new 'First of the Year' birds including Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Barn Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Purple Martin, Common Tern, and Northern Mockingbird.


Swallows were to be found in large groups along the shoreline, presumably picking bugs off the water as they emerged.  It was an almost equal split between Tree, Barn and rough-winged Swallows.

I was surprised with the amount of ice still on the lake and shoreline!  This picture below does not look like late April in southern Ontario to me!

I am starting to get really excited for May.  I will be at Pelee the 2nd week of May.  See you there?