Archive for July 2022
Time to Plan for Next Year!
The first in-person festival in three years is now behind us and it’s already time to mark your calendar for the next in 2023. Huron Fringe Birding Festival 2022 was a great success with many new participants as well as many that were glad to be able to participate in-person again. The weather cooperated nicely as people got out to enjoy many facets of nature as well as make new friends and reconnect with old ones. Over 180 bird species were seen and heard so even though the trees had leafed out early this year participants had a chance to see many species as they migrate through the area or arrived to set up their territories in which to raise a family.
For information on the 2023 festival use this link and be sure to note that the events will be posted online earlier and the registration will also be open earlier than in 2022. This is just a bit more “ back to normal” timing as we hope the Covid status will keep stabilizing.
https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca/page/huron-fringe-birding-festival
The speaker at the 2023 dinner will be Steve Burrows who is the author of a series of “ Birder Murder” mysteries, the latest of which has recently been released ( A Foreboding of Petrels). Plan to attend the dinner and hear what Steve has to say about his birding past, present and future.
These days the next generation of birds is appearing for those birds fortunate enough to have a successful breeding year. You will see numerous new birds that are able to fly but still give in to a bit of pleading for food if a parent is around. Soon these 2022 birds will be on their own and ready to survive a winter in Bruce County or start their long treks to the southerly locations they spend their winters in. Already some of the shorebirds from this year are making their way slowly south and appearing at some of the ponds and lagoons in Ontario.
The 2022 Huron Fringe Birding Festival is only two months behind us but it’s time to get your binoculars cleaned up, your cameras ready, and spotting scopes close at hand ready for the fall migration. Have a good look at your bird guides as the birds we see this fall will look quite different from the brightly coloured ones of the spring. Many of the warblers look quite similar in their fall feathers so study the unique differences of each species to keep confusion to a minimum. The birds songs also may have variations as those new birds don’t quite have their songs practiced enough yet. Fall birding is always a challenge but is also a time when different migrants may wander into the area as they try to find where they are supposed to spend their winter. Special species treats are always welcomed and to stay in touch with the rarer birds others see you can have Ontbird alerts emailed to you or use the Discord app on your cell phone or tablet to see the alerts posted by other birders.
For Ontbird here’s a link for information: http://www.ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines
For Discord app go to the app stores on your iPhone or tablet to download the app.
Have a great time getting out to see some migrant birds this fall or even see the different flowers and other treats nature has to offer as the seasons change. Don’t forget to mark up your schedule now to remind you of the timing of the 2023 Huron Fringe Birding Festival and get ready for another fun filled spring in Bruce County. Looking forward to seeing you!
huronfringefest 