Spring has Sprung and the Birds are on Their Way!

Every day now more migrants that have started the long trek north are beginning to show up in yards, at feeders, in ponds and just flitting through the trees. Some will stay in the area but many are moving through and heading farther north where the bug population will soon be growing by leaps and bounds. The BirdCast migration map will give you an idea as to how many birds are  coming our way from the south as well as the route they are taking each day.

Live bird migration maps

The species count seen so far in Bruce County this year is at 143 and soon to start steadily increasing. The first warblers have arrived with Yellow-rumped and Pine warblers being the first two but pretty well right on time. The warmer weather we have had certainly got the bugs emerging, so with food available the birds will come.

Pine Warbler

Registration for the 2024 Huron Fringe Birding Festival opened in March and many of the events have filled up or have only one or two spots left. BUT…….there are several excellent hikes and events with spaces left for those who want to have some birding and botany fun with excellent leaders. “Birds and Botany from the Boardwalk” led by Jeremy Bensette will be a real treat as it visits the boardwalks in MacGregor Park, Oliphant fen and Petrel Point. As per eBird, you can possibly see 233 species at MacGregor Park, 174 species at Oliphant fen and 186 species at Petrel Point. Of course not all of those will be there on that day but the possibilities are there for great birding as well as seeing several plant species seen only in fens or other wet areas. Its on a Monday as well, so who wouldn’t want to have a long weekend and a pretty special all day event to fill that day? 😊

Showy Lady slippers

Although these events are on a Thursday it would be tough to choose between “Outdoor Education Centre” with Doug Pedwell or “Birding the Backroads of Bruce Township” with Marshall Byle as both are local leaders with lots of insight into what birds are around and where some interesting spots to visit are.  You just never know what you may find in either of the two areas that these hikes cover.

Black-crowned Night Heron

This time of year is always busy with personal birding as well as organized events but as the birds come back remember that April, May and June are the prime times to see some of the colorful birds in their best plumage and other less colourful birds trying their hardest to impress their mates. It’s a great time to put a bit of bug spray on if required and enjoy the year as the weather warms up and the birds are here to entertain you.

Meeting new people with similar interests or connecting again with people you haven’t seen in some time are two great reasons to check out the events at the Huron Fringe Birding Festival that aren’t quite fully booked. Take a few minutes and look through the schedule of events keeping in mind that each event has a leader that will do their utmost to help you see and hear parts of nature that are only present at this time of year. Hope to see many of you out and feel free to let your friends know that attending this festival is a great way to get introduced to Bruce County and some of its possible 345 species of birds.

https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca/page/schedule-of-events

Blackburnian Warbler