Winged wanderers of winter
their opportunity to observe something rare and beautiful.
Songbirds aren't the only interesting winged tribe to watch for. A greater variety of gull species can be seen around the Great Lakes during winter than at other times of the year. The Niagara River is a particularly good site for seeing unusual species like Iceland Gull and Glaucous Gull.
Winter is also a good opportunity to observe owls, many of which exhibit the same sporadic migratory behaviour, possibly following the patterns of their smaller prey. The Snowy Owl is one notable example.
Many owl species are most active in late winter because food is easier to catch when the trees are bare and the ground snow-covered. They choose this time to stake out territory and, by April or May, find an abandonned raven's nest and lay their eggs.
During March of last year I spent a week at my family's cottage in Central Ontario with a friend and our four children. Before bed the two five-year-olds and two-seven-year olds were enthralled to sit out on the porch, watch the stars and listen in the darkness. Each night we heard a Northern Saw-Whet Owl, smallest of the eastern owl species, peeping eerily a hundred metres in one direction, while a Barred Owl, one of the largest species, called from just as close in the other direction: "Who-cooks-for-you, who-cooks-for-you-allll?" I believe the larger owl would readily eat his younger cousin, but both birds were making lots of noise, presumably more interested in setting up house and mating.
This winter reports are coming of Willow Ptarmigan appearing in Southern Quebec. The ptarmigan is a relative of the chicken that lives in Arctic tundra both summer and winter. But once every ten years on a cycle they wander further south during winter.
Cornell University's BirdSource has an Irruptive Bird Survey that bird enthusiasts can participate in. The web page includes some useful resources for finding, identifying and observing these species. There are drawings and information about many of the birds mentioned in this article. You can also report field sightings through BirdSource and contribute to research about migratory behaviour.
It is helpful to get connected to a local field naturalist club or birding hotline that keeps members informed about rare bird sightings. The Hamilton Naturalists' Club posts a weekly report on its phone hot-line and its web site. This informs of unusual sightings throughout much of Southwestern Ontario.
Several other good resources include birding.com , The Ornithology
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