With today's welcome sunshine, the early spring migrants that had arrived earlier in the BOBCAYGEON area, came out in full force demonstrating once again their abilities to survive the adverse weather conditions which Ontario has experienced recently.
We saw a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER on Anderson Line north of the village redrilling sap holes in a maple tree that was still coated in ice from the week's three day storm. Scores of AMERICAN ROBINS searched for bare ground along the same sideroad in a frenzy of territorial squabbles...some were heading southward !!! A lone and likely hungry TURKEY VULTURE skimmed the nearby snow covered fields. Eastern Meadowlarks sunned in treetops and an EASTERN PHOEBE was reseen at a farmyard where since mid March it had been feasting on cluster flies which were emerging in the warmer days of 10 days ago.The Eastern Bluebirds which were seen in the area a week ago were absent today.Let's hope they survived. As other birders have reported the return of these late snowstorms has brought birds back to the feeders in great concentrations and gives us a chance to closely observe and compare foraging habits. At feeders at SPRUCE LANE B & B on Anderson Line we observed numerous SONG SPARROWS competing with at least 5 hefty FOX SPARROWS, both of whom had recently moved in on the AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS , NORTHERN CARDINALS, MOURNING DOVES and DARK-EYED JUNCOES which have spent the winter there. In the nearby woods, the drumming of a PILEATED WOODPECKER was first heard, then observed...mating signals ??? BLUE JAYS which might be soon nesting were only heard but not seen. In Bobcaygeon a good number of COMMON GOLDENEYE, BUFFLEHEAD, RING -NECKED DUCKS continued to congregate in the RIVER joining the COMMON LOON which spent the winter there.Several HOODED MERGANSERS which were seen all over the rural area last week in ponds and creeks were back in the river due to the return of colder weather. A good spot to observe all of these is from the Camp Grounds enroute to CTY Rd. 24. DIRECTIONS: Bobcaygeon is 32 kms north east of Lindsay via Hwy 36 on the Trent Canal System. John Bick Bobcaygeon, On [EMAIL PROTECTED] John Bick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
