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| Snow buntings |
With the recent snow it still feels like winter even though we are only 11 days away from the equinox and to remind us there are still plenty of winter avian visitors to be seen in the fields around rural areas. Some sizable flocks of Snow buntings can be seen flying over open fields or along country roads as they land to re-supply with the gravel necessary for digestion. On sunny days the flock is easily identified by their black and white markings as they sparkle in the sun swooping back and forth before alighting on fields, trees or road. These birds have travelled south to winter here where food is more plentiful and will return to their tundra breeding grounds in the Arctic islands and extreme northern Quebec by April's end.
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| Common redpolls |
Another species which visits us during winter months is the Common redpoll; sometimes in large flocks but this year I have only seen small groups of perhaps 10 - 20 birds coming to feeders in my area. In the east they breed in northern Quebec and may wander as far south as North Carolina in winter. They can be recognized by their bright red caps, black chin patch and males have a pink breast. The open farmland around where I live also is home to the Horned Lark which is a year round resident but more noticeable in winter as they move around the fields in small flocks in search of food, prefering those fields containing corn stubble. As spring progresses they split off in pairs returning to the area of their birth to begin the mating cycle.
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| Horned larks |
I enjoy spring's progression, accepting cues from the birds and the lengthening days with noticeable changes in the sun's temperature and elevation. Cardinals and Nuthatches have already given tentative song and any day now will see the first Red-wing blackbirds return from their southern migrations to stake out and defend their own little bit of territory against all comers until the later arrival of the females when the life cycle is renewed once again.
