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NEWS
FROM THE NORTHERN OBSERVATION POSTS
Bruce Bennet: Whitehorse, YT There was an American Robin reported from Johnson’s Crossing about 150 km SE of Whitehorse. It was seen on April 9th, but it was the only one reported so far. It has been snowing for 2 days straight. I was expecting spring flowers and harvesting pussy willows on Thursday. Now we are back to winter. It has been snowing continuously for an additional 24 hours so add another 5-6 inches of snow onto the other new snow. Several spring migrants have shown up in great numbers. They include Trumpeter Swans, Herring Gulls, Canada Geese, Dark-eyed Junco and Snow Buntings. Other spring returns include rare species such as Hooded Merganser, Brewer’s Blackbird and Saw-whet Owl. Hawks such as Rough-legged and Northern Harrier are following the ducks and songbirds, but still there is little open water. All the lakes remain frozen though the ice bridge over the Yukon River is now officially closed. It will still be May before the Yukon River opens there. Now all the south-facing slopes are also snow covered, though this snow won’t likely last long. Marc Landry: Beresford, NB Migration is at a standstill here.... weather has cooled down (around 5 degrees C) all week with rain and wind. The snow is gone! All melted away. Forecast is for calmer but cool weather for the next few days. Dominique Cloutier: St Sauveur des Monts, PQ No more snow here, finally!! Temperatures on the rise, quite a bit, it was around 70 this afternoon :) Robins feasting on big fat worms, fighting to get them out of the ground, cute to watch ;-) I saw Papa Robin with what looks like twigs today. They both come to the birch tree every evening, as if to say good night! Ute Keitsch: Port Hope, ON We are having 20 Celsius for a few days (it won’t last yet) but it feels so good. There is not much to report; White-throated and the White-crowned Sparrow are here. We also have the Spring Peepers and Frogs singing since yesterday. Linda Hoffman: Creston, BC As I surveyed the morning from my bedroom window this morning I watched a fat female robin stop, listen and then with one 'swoop and pull' extract a six inch earthworm from the lawn. What an easy breakfast! After she made sure it wasn't going to escape, she gobbled it down and then sat for a few minutes. This scene is repeated all day as we have a large lawn just full of earthworms. We haven't heard as much tree top singing as usual, which is strange as there are more robins than usual. I wonder if there isn't as much competition for a mate as there are so many robins to pick from. No need to advertise your presence. I have seen nest building activity especially in the mornings. They like to gather huge beakfuls of leftover garden material. It has been a slow spring so perhaps this has contributed to the laziness of these robins. Sara Hepner: Sterling, Alaska Sterling is slowly emerging from the winter's snow. Yards and road ditches are mostly clear; lakes are still frozen, but there are open channels starting to appear in the Moose River. Every night the temperatures dip to the 20's, so every morning there's fresh ice for kids to stomp through on the playground. By afternoon there are plenty of puddles for splashing in as the ground thaws. Our forecast for the next several days calls for rain and snow; winter hasn't given up yet! No robins to report, but the resident birds (chickadees, ravens, gray jays and red polls) are much more vocal. Our tree swallows usually show up in the next week, and the robins shortly after. Waiting patiently, Margot Hervieux: Grande Prairie, AB I have been riding my bike to work the past two weeks straining my ears for bird song. Today I was rewarded with at least two robins as well as red-winged blackbirds and juncos, all of which arrived last week. We are getting temperatures in the low teens (celsius)and all the smaller ponds are ice free. The bigger lakes have open patches near the shore. The mourning cloak butterflies (which overwinter as adults) are also out and about. Richard and Vi Darling: Nipawin , SK Finally, April 22nd, we have robins in Nipawin! We have had a snowy spring with lots of snow in March. However, today the lawns and fields are clear of snow, though there is still lots of water on the fields--so the farmers have to wait for the sun and winds to dry out the fields before seeding. In our yard we have sparrows, junkos, robins and one crow. Nearby we see ducks and geese flying around and getting ready to nest. Today is warm (72 degrees) and sunny with a light wind. Our tulips will open up this week all along the front of the house! Kris Owens: Homer, AK While we are seeing many signs of spring, in some ways winter just won't go away! We had several inches of new snow earlier this week and are expecting more tomorrow. What snow we are getting is melting off quickly though, with temperatures climbing into the 40's each afternoon. Evening temperatures are right around freezing. We figure when we hit 50 degrees winter is truly over. Our photoperiod just passed the fifteen hour mark - which is quite a gain over the six hours of light we get around winter solstice. I have heard some rumors about people seeing geese and swans - but no confirmation. Nobody has reported seeing or hearing robins in our area yet. Stan White: Homer, AK Ducks? Yes. Cranes? Yes. How about Varied Thrushes? Yes. Robins? Not yet. Here in Voznesenka Village, about 25 miles East of Homer on the Kenai Peninsula, the word is “Two steps forward, one step back.” Our days have been promising spring, but at night we more often than not get some snow and freezing temperatures. So far the open pastures and lawns that Robins seem to like to forage on are still covered with snow, so we aren’t anticipating their arrival until we get some 50 degree temperatures or rains that will wash the covers off the worms. But progress is steady and inevitable, and we are looking forward to the morning when we wake up and hear their cheery song. Hopefully our next report will carry the good news. Copyright 2006
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