3 minute read
in nature
March is the time of year when spring migration for birds gets underway. This is true despite dramatic weather oscillations that typically occur. March weather can be like the dead of winter on one day and warm and spring-like on the next. Our earliest arriving birds are almost guaranteed to experience migratory remorse when the inevitable happens, and snow and ice prevent them from foraging for food. Of course, with a few notable exceptions, most early migrants are seed and berry eaters and not strict insectivores. Wisely, the vast majority of insectivores will delay their return to the region until late April and May, thus ensuring the availability of insects.
One might wonder why so many bird species risk their lives by returning north so early. Like salmon, driven to make death defying journeys upstream to spawn, the birds are obeying their own primal urges to get to their breeding territories as soon as possible. With luck, they will arrive there ahead of their competitors. Essentially, each species is in a race with its own kind to secure breeding territories. Those first to arrive get an option on the choicest territories. Of course, they may still have to fight to hold them, but precedence gives them an advantage over their rivals. If this wasn’t true, and early arrival was not advantageous, it’s unlikely this behavior would have evolved. With Red-winged Blackbirds, male-only flocks are first to arrive at migra- tory stopover locations, and then subsequently at their breeding grounds. Flocks of females as well as juvenile, non-breeding males migrate later.
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As ponds and other wetland areas begin to lose their ice, waterfowl start showing up in droves. At our nature preserve, we are always happy to see our resident Canada Geese return as well as our resident Wood Ducks. The male Wood Duck is one of the most strikingly beautiful native birds in the Northeast, and seeing them in their finest breeding plumage is always a treat. Like the Red-winged Blackbirds, the Wood Ducks return with breeding on their minds, and they spend most of their time performing courtship rituals, whistling, and chasing after each other. The female’s call is more of a wail than a whistle, but they are every bit as vocal as the males. Although male Wood Ducks can get a little on the rowdy side, they don’t come close to the aggressive antics of the Mallard drakes. Sometimes male Mallards act like rowdy hooligans – instigating fights with each other, and mercilessly pursuing females. The loud quacking calls of hen Mallards trying to get away from bands of randy males becomes the soundtrack of the beaver ponds in March.
Last March, I was treated to the sight of a small flock of Tundra Swans flying over the Beaver ponds. As their name suggests, Tundra Swans breed in the far north on the arctic tundra and our only chance to see them is during migration. Although we’ve never documented them at our preserve before, they are not especially rare and predictably occur in the region. Oneida Lake, Lake Ontario, and the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge are regular migratory stopover locations for Tundra Swans.
The first Killdeer to return to the region often arrives in early March. This doesn’t tend to be a problem if there is little snow on the ground and the streams and wetlands aren’t entirely frozen. The Killdeer relies on hunting insects and other invertebrates to survive. If snow and ice prevent them from foraging, they must return south, or go east perhaps as far as the Atlantic Coast to find sustenance. Fortunately, this member of the plover family is a strong flier, and if they have sufficient energy reserves, they can make a quick passage to an alternate destination. The American
Woodcock is another shorebird type that often makes the questionable decision to return to their breeding grounds in March. Although the species’ extremely long bill makes them better suited to penetrate snow cover and obtain their invertebrate food than the Killdeer, they can still get into trouble. When faced with a habitat inundated with deep snow, they, too, are forced to backtrack on their migration journey. However, if the conditions are more favorable, the ground is not frozen, and they can eke out a living, the Woodcock will start right in on courtship behavior.
As the snow melts away in the woods, the first of the spring ephemeral wildflowers begin to emerge from the soil. As you listen to the calls of returning flocks of geese and as local crow families begin flying over with nesting materials, it’s time to start splitting your attention between what’s taking place in the sky with what’s alive on the ground. There will be more on what’s happening on the forest floor in next month’s nature article. Until then, be attuned to the fits and starts of nature’s spring awakening and give welcome to the returning birds of March. •
