March can be quite cold and unpredictable, but at least we are “marching” closer to spring!
Whether you look at a calendar or not, the birds are telling us in many ways that March is here! Yahoo! I’m not one who wishes for time to pass quickly. That’s because when we have good weather, the time seems to fly by even faster.
So, what signs of spring should we be seeing right now in early March? There are many and I’ll review them with you here.
Top of the list, but probably not as noticeable to the average country road driver, would be the Horned Larks. Take a look at a Horned Lark in your field guide or on your phone – a really neat bird of open farmlands, that lives here year-round. Usually in small flocks over the winter, they have already begun to pair off and claim their nesting territories for an early spring nesting. As you drive along country roads you may notice one or two flying up here and there from the roadside. This morning, I noticed several pairs as I was driving.
The next sign of spring is the singing of the birds. I mentioned recently to pay attention to the repetitious slurred whistling song of the Cardinals in February. Good or bad weather, they have been very busy singing in every direction every time I go outside. They are early nesters as well and will have multiple broods throughout the spring and summer.
Also singing are the House Finches, Tufted Titmice, Cowbirds, and others. Starlings are also making a variety of calls that often imitate other birds that haven’t even arrived from the south yet. Usually a few Red-winged Blackbirds show up at the feeding station in February, but come early March, they will be streaming in. Around the middle of March, the Song Sparrows start singing and any day now, you may hear your first Killdeer of the year. Often, I hear my first one calling at night.
A few Robins and Bluebirds have been around all winter – likely some of them either never left in fall or they simply migrated here from Canada and this was as far south as they wanted to go. They will be anxious to start nesting in early April. March will also bring us returning Purple Finches and plenty of Grackles. You may notice a Fox Sparrow passing through.
This was a bit of an irruption winter where several northern species of birds made their trek south of Canada. This included Evening Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, Common Redpolls, and Pine Grosbeaks – but their numbers didn’t seem as strong as several bird experts had predicted. Some of these species may have actually migrated further south of us. This could mean that during the spring months we could see some of these species passing through and possibly frequenting your bird feeding station.
Pine Siskins are a more regular winter migrant from up north, usually moving further south of NYS, and I believe we will see some Siskin action as they move through on their way back north. Watch your nyjer feeders and listen for them to possibly be mixed in with your Goldfinches at the nyjer or sunflower feeders. They have a distinct wheezy call.
As we have discussed before, the Bald Eagles and Great Horned Owls should already be underway with their nestings. The cold snowy February may have delayed them a bit, but I’m not sure. March days also bring us a variety of waterfowl moving back into this area. Watch for them on thawed ponds and lakes and flooded areas. Listen up as they may be flying overhead – especially Tundra Swans and Snow Geese, which make a much different sound than Canada Geese.
Yes, there is a lot of action coming our way during the whole month of March. Spending a little extra time listening to the birds will definitely help you identify several species of birds that you may not have seen before.
Lastly, with warmer weather patterns in March I’m much more inspired to get busy in my workshop making Bluebird nesting boxes for the upcoming season. If you are planning on making some – now is the time! When I start seeing Bluebirds hanging around in early spring it seems to boost my birding enthusiasm a couple of notches! If you need Bluebird information feel free to reach out to me or visit the NYS Bluebird Society website. You can reach me with any questions or for more information at 585-813-2676.
— Hans Kunze writes a New York state-focused birding column.
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Action at bird feeders will heat up in March. What to expect
Reporting by Hans Kunze, Columnist / The Evening Tribune
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