It’s Time to Think Spring Migration
April has arrived and with it some warmer weather as well as some bird song in the mornings. The American robins and Northern cardinals are announcing to the neighbourhood that they are claiming their territory. Now is the time to get prepared for the major migration in April, May and June and a great way to do that is plan what events you would like to attend during the 2022 Huron Fringe Birding Festival. Registration for the 97 festival events begins April 15 at 6:00 am so anytime now, if you do not already have an account, set one up so you are prepared to register for your favourite events.
Huron Fringe Birding Festival – Registration
The “Create An Account” is on the right side of the screen just below the “Login” button. For those that already have an account make sure it is working okay as passwords can easily be forgotten, especially since its been quite a while since you needed it.
New birds are already showing up in yards and at the local pond or wetland. Some winter birds are still around but soon they will wing their way north making way for the new arrivals. Now is a great time to get out and see some of those winter birds before they disappear until late fall. With no leaves on the trees and much of the vegetation compressed by the winter snow its much easier to see and identify any of the birds in the yard or perched in a tree.
The Festival this year has a wide variety of events to chose from so take some time and peruse them all as you pick out your favourites. Pick a few second choices as well as events can fill up quite quickly the first week of registration.
One of my favourite events in past festivals was “ Bird Til You Drop” as it takes you from 6:00 am until after dark as you often see more than 100 species during the day. This year that event is called “A Big Day” and its being led by two young birders who are doing a “Big Year” in Ontario. Kiah Jasper and Ezra Campanelli will take you through a variety of habitats and wonderful birding locations in the area and share their extensive knowledge of birds with you. This year Kiah and Ezra are helping spread the word of our festival as they travel Ontario in search of birds.
They have been on the trail of new birds since January 1st and although their list of birds seen is already formidable, they will be looking to add to their totals as they guide you through a terrific long day of birding. Their goal this year is to try and exceed the record for the number of species seen in Ontario in one year. Presently that total is 346 and was set in 2017 by another of our event leaders, Jeremy Bensette. Jeremy is leading four events at the festival this year so as you can see even from these leaders, its going to be a special festival indeed.
While reading through the events (you can print out a paper copy for future reference) also refer to the “Leader Biographies” and you will really see just how much natural knowledge is going to be available to you on this two-weekend festival (May 27-30 and June 2-5).
Huron Fringe Birding Festival – Leader Biographies
Being out seeing new birds as well as familiar birds, enjoying new nature experiences, making new friends, and renewing old acquaintances is what the Huron Fringe Birding Festival is all about. Most of you familiar with this blog will know exactly what I’m talking about so make sure to let your friends know about the festival and about the possibilities for them to get exposed to several facets of nature that we cover with the range of our events.
As I sit here typing, an American robin is perched outside singing his song and I’m sure he’s thankful for the rain last night that would haver brought more worms to the surface for the robin to enjoy. I’m also eagerly watching for the first emergence of those cluster flies that will entice the colourful warblers and other insectivores to head north and enjoy feasting while providing us with wonderful birdwatching.
So get your events picked out, get your account set up for the festival and get ready for April 15th!!!
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