A Slow but Unusual to Spring Migration

The weather keeps flopping back and forth between chilly and nice. So, even though there have been some unusual sightings reported here and there, there still hasn't been any solid indication that spring migration is really and truly in full swing.

What is really unusual is the snowy owl sighting out at Long Point, this past weekend. It is not typical for this species to be here so late. Too, there are also unusual reports of birds species coming into Ontario such as black vultures and fish crows. These are sightings that would be common in the state of Florida, and yet here we are getting them coming in, and so early in the season. There is even talk of possible nesting behavior being seen with a fish crow pair, found at Bronte Harbour.

My husband and I did make our way over, in order to see the fish crows for ourselves. We had only seen them once before, on a visit to Florida. Funny enough, that is also where we saw our first black vultures.

The fish crow pair were keeping company with an American crow, so it was easy to see the difference between the two; right off the bat. The former was much larger and it made the traditional "caw, caw"sound that most of us are familiar with. We also heard the fish crows make the "uh, uh" sound that is typical of their species; so that was great. Will this be the start of a really stellar birding season? I sure hope so.