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Partly cloudy this evening then becoming cloudy with periods of light rain after midnight. Low 41F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Partly cloudy this evening then becoming cloudy with periods of light rain after midnight. Low 41F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Updated: March 5, 2022 @ 6:58 pm
Shizao via WikiMedia Commons/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 UnportedA tundra swan is seen at a zoo. In March, tundra swans may be seen migrating through Western New York.
Shizao via WikiMedia Commons/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 UnportedA tundra swan is seen at a zoo. In March, tundra swans may be seen migrating through Western New York.
Spring begins in March – on the calendar anyway – but the true feel of spring often is hard to find. However, the gradual return of birds from the south and the increased choir of the birds continues to confirm that spring is near.
March 1 is often called the meteorological beginning of spring whereas March 21 is the official beginning of spring. The birds, wildlife, and plants don’t need a calendar to go by as they respond to several natural events such as increases in daylight hours and generally warming temperatures. Still, March can bring us some more erratic weather patterns often making us think it is still winter.
The birds and other animals certainly are glad that spring is just around the corner, and thus, can endure some more winterlike weather in the meantime. The heavy snowpack has melted away from open areas and runoff has flooded lowlands which is typical for March.
Early in March we could be seeing early migration activity of snow geese and tundra swans as they often rest in these flooded valley regions. As bodies of water gradually lose their ice cover more and more waterfowl will start appearing as most species’ ultimate destination is further north for nesting. The upper Midwest and Canada are major nesting regions for a large majority of waterfowl and shorebirds. We will have many opportunities to see a variety of interesting species passing through here – but only if we are on the lookout for them during the rather dreary early spring season.
As we have discussed, the great-horned owls and bald eagles are now well into their early nesting season. Eagle sightings are becoming quite common and their nesting sites are as well.
Turkey vultures are already appearing. Remember that when they soar, they hold their wings in a ‘v’ shape whereas the large bald eagle’s wings are perfectly flat. Also remember that immature bald eagles are completely dark and that the adult bald eagles don’t have a white head and white tail until they are about 4 or 5 years old.
Sure enough, the first few red-winged blackbirds have appeared in several locations during the third week of February which is normal. They will steadily increase in number from here.
Other blackbirds are also moving in. As much as many of us have been seeing robins during the winter, all of us should be seeing them in the next couple of weeks. Likely some of our winter robins are heading back up to Canada and we are welcoming back the first robins from points south of here. The same is true for eastern bluebirds.
That really nice spiring-like day on Monday, Feb. 21, really had the bird world showing its exuberance for spring. That was the day the red-wings showed up at our feeders. It was also a day with bluebirds singing everywhere and hanging around bluebird nest boxes as if they were ready to nest – which they are not – not until April! Robins were everywhere. We took a 3-mile walk and enjoyed seeing much other action including several species of woodpeckers becoming more vocal. It also was the first day that I had heard the cardinals actually singing their repetitious whistling song. Usually, I hear it earlier than that and very likely many of you heard them singing a week or two ago.
This is about the time when some of the first purple finches start showing up. There has been a pair of them at feeding stations on Mount View Avenue in Warsaw for much of the winter which is very uncommon. House finches are very common year-round and can be confused with purple finches.
If you pay attention, you will know when the purple finches show up as they do look different. There are several things to look for. Briefly I’ll list a few things to look for on a purple finch. The male is more raspberry colored, their posture is more upright, they have a more notched tail, they have heavier streaking on the breast, the female has a distinct white or cream-colored eyeline, and their song is noticeably different – as is their chip call note – especially when they fly.
The European starlings are thinking spring and are imitators of other spring birds that have not even arrived yet. If you think you hear a certain familiar spring bird call at this time of year, first look and see if there are some starlings calling from the top of a nearby tree! They imitate some spring birds such as killdeer, tree swallows, meadowlarks, and others. As much as starlings are a nuisance invasive non-native species, they are very smart and industrious birds. They have significantly disrupted the ecosystem here in North America primarily taking away many cavity-nesting sites that our native birds would normally use. It’s a big problem.
Many changes will be taking place during March. Keep your 2022 bird list up to date.
Cling to the promise of spring coming our way but enjoy each day getting there.
Hans Kunze is an avid birder and nature enthusiast who has been writing about birds and nature for more than 30 years. He writes for the The Livingston County News twice each month. Write him at 6340 LaGrange Rd Wyoming, NY 14591 or call (585) 813-2676.
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