Fall Birding

With the changing season, a number of our feathered friends abandon us for warmer climes. Cranes, seen throughout the summer as they dig up the earth, have mostly left now. Once the ground freezes these hard-working birds can no longer find sustenance, and taking their little yellow-capped worker friends, are not seen until next spring.

Trout Lake residents will have seen the last of the Para eagles, as they too seen to have left the scene for the next three or four months. Eagles, often depicted as hunters, are in fact, scavengers, taking every opportunity to steal other bird’s food. The smaller Para eagle is sometimes mistaken for real Bald eagles, but they are seldom seen in courtyards, as are the real eagles who have adapted fairly well to human behaviour.

Most loonies have already started their southern migration, although the casual birder may have missed them this year, since the loonies are flying higher as they head to the US. Loonies, that were under pressure several years ago, seem to have accepted the efforts of the government to improve their nesting sites. No longer does the loonie gather sticks along the shores of our northern lakes for its nest, but now will make its home on floating platforms constructed of synthetic material, often imported from overseas. While this reduces the pressure on the local forests, some naturalists are worrying that the loonie will become dependent on imports.

The blue jays have become rather bolder this fall as they gather in caucus in preparation for a long, cold winter. Their ‘dare-you, dare-you’ call has the other fowles of parlez-mont in a dither, as the blue and grey birds are crowding close around the feeder. You may have spotted a grey jay, easily recognized by its white crown, hopping after the blue jays. This bird is about the size of a robin, but more aggressive.

The red-breasted robins have lost a lot of their rosy colour now and are seen less frequently as the snow flies. These common birds, which are seen spread liberally around the country, migrate to eastern Ontario or to the shores of Lake Ontario where they over-winter. Their call of ‘cheer-up, cheer-up’ has taken on a more strident note lately, becoming a hoarser ‘leader-ship, leader-ship’ chirping.

With the warming climate, birds usually found in the south have made their homes farther north. Locally, a wild turkey that had been feeding in the area, felt a lot of pressure as the fall hunting season began. To the west of us, a Bart turkey was observed showing its rump to several birders in Sudbury, while here in the Nipissing district, our own unique turkey has not been seen for two weeks.

With the cooler weather, the owls are returning. In the past week, a large gathering of night owls could be heard hooting on the escarpment. Several local residents complained about the ruckus, but the Mayor and Council ruled that this was an acceptable event as the wise birds gathered for an evening of fun and song. The snowy owl has yet to appear, but should be here for the winter session. The common bar owl can be seen most evenings downtown, while the great horny owl will often gather in small intimate parties.

Just below the hill, at the old Elroy Farm site, the woodpeckers and their staccato sounds can be heard every day. The larger pileated or pile-driving woodpecker is easily recognized by the sound of its beak pounding on trees and hydro poles, while the smaller peckers make a quicker tapping sound. These birds seem to be involved in a building project that could take them thirty years to finish.

Local birders have reported that the nuthatches are busy around Wyld and McIntyre Streets, moving bits of fat and flax seeds from pillar to post in a never-ending quest to take food from feeders and stuff it somewhere. Meanwhile at the waterfront, the mallards, looking much more trim since they have been off the bread diet for a year, are preparing for their migration south.

Since the black bears, under pressure not only from a poor blueberry crop, but from bow hunters and police, will soon go into hibernation, it is now time to put out the bird feeders for the winter birds. A selection of niger, sunflower, millet and granola seeds will keep the smaller birds healthy; peanuts and cracked corn is more suitable for the larger birds. Suet is ideal for attracting woodpeckers and nuthatches, while the ever-present chick-a-dees will visit every feeder.

Happy winter birding.