A Deluge of Spring Migrants

Waterloo County, ON

16 March 2015

     From about mid March onward every birder looks for good numbers of migrants to arrive from the south, with a daily increase in both species and sheer numbers. Miriam and I sallied forth with great expectations and were not disappointed. Even before we opened the door of the car at our first stop we heard the distinctive and evocative song of the Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus , as sure a clarion call of spring as ever there was one.

     Substantial flocks of this species were actively foraging with Brown-headed Cowbirds Molothrus ater and it was evident that the receding snow left behind a bounty of vegetal matter and no doubt the rising temperature created micro climates where insects abounded.

      In terms of Red-winged Blackbirds, males arrive before females and establish territories, so it was somewhat surprising to see this female among the males. I don't think I have ever seen the two together at this early juncture in the season, but there she was foraging alongside the males. Perhaps she will have the benefit of selecting the fittest male of all, although since Red-winged Blackbirds operate under a system of polygyny, she will certainly not have exclusive access to any one male.

     A little later in the year Brown-headed Cowbirds would represent a threat to the breeding success of Red-winged Blackbirds, but since nesting has not yet begun they seemed content enough to feed alongside each other.

     American Robin Turdus migratorius was well-represented also, although their numbers were not as great as the previous two species.

     Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris is a resident species but it too joined in the feeding bonanza, and it was interesting to note that their bills have turned from winter brown to the bright yellow of the breeding season.

     We saw but a few Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula but we expect their numbers to swell with every passing day.

     A lone Killdeer Charadrius vociferus rounded out the list of migrants for our afternoon expedition.

     In addition to the birds as heralds of spring, there is no surer indication than the annual commencement of the maple sugar season. When we have daily temperatures above freezing, with a return to below freezing overnight, the sap starts to flow in the Sugar Maple Acer saccharum and sap pails seem to sprout on trees everywhere. Even the few trees at the local Mennonite school are not left unexploited.

      The sap is collected and transported to a sugar shack where it is boiled down taking approximately 20L of sap to produce 1L of syrup.

      Most of this activity in our area is concentrated in the hands of the Mennonite community and they lay in huge amounts of wood over the winter in preparation for the sugaring-off period ahead.
      The result is the sweetest, purest, sublime syrup you have ever tasted and it is always on our pantry shelf. Eaten with a light, fluffy pancake or a hot waffle, it is surely one of life's great gastronomic treats. Guess what I might decide to have for lunch?
      It used to be that any time we visited friends overseas we would take maple syrup as a gift; alas 911 put a stop to all of that. Along with all other liquids it is forbidden in hand luggage and it's too risky to pack it in a suitcase, to say nothing of the way it eats into the weight allowance. It's sad but true, we now live in a world where a jug of sweet Ontario syrup might pose a threat to life and limb. Oh for a return to yesteryear!