I have been seeing more flocks of juncos around the neighborhood than I have in a long time. I've also heard this from others. I'm sure these are birds that wintered south of here and are now headed to their breeding grounds in Canada. Some of these birds may have already traveled quite a distance. We had a junco we banded here in Minnesota end up being recovered in Oklahoma so we know they move significant distances in migration.
The other bird that has increased in numbers locally has been the robin. Many birds feeding on lawns and beginning to chase each other. I've seen males battling each other twice already. We probably won't have nests for a couple of weeks yet.
In spite of the lousy weather (32" of snow in Virginia, MN last weekend) birds are still on the move. I watched two Turkey Vultures soar overhead today as they battled a headwind. The mornings are becoming louder too. As soon as this weather pattern breaks the next wave of new species should show up. I'm hoping for sooner rather than later.
Good Birding!
No comments:
Post a Comment