NEWS
FROM THE NORTHERN OBSERVATION POSTS
MARCH 27, 2007
Make Your Predictions!
 |
Shageluk, AK: Site of Our Early Bird Contest
Students
at Shageluk's Innoko
River School have
no robins yet. When will they see their first robiin? Use their data (below)
to help with your prediction for the date. Then send
us the date as your entry
in this
year's
Early
Bird Contest!
|
 Students at Innoko River School in Shageluk, Alaska, are hosting our 2007 Early Bird Contest. Enter by predicting when their first robin will arrive! |
Mike Sterling: Anchorage, AK
I guarantee you there are no early migrants up here now. We're ending one of the coldest months of March I've seen in my 26 years in Alaska.
Marc Landry: Beresford, NB
So far, no robins.
Margot Hervieux, Grande Prairie, AB
No sign of robins in Grande Prairie yet. It won't stop snowing! I did see my first Canada geese right on schedule last Thursday despite the fact that their food will still be buried. The geese will likely hang out at feedlots and livestock pastures eating spilled feed until things open up.
Jari Heikkila, Inuvik, NT
Inuvik is sitting in the middle of a cold snap. This morning the temperature was -39 and currently (@10:45 am) we still have -30...... So, no robins (or other migratory creatures) yet. Sunrise in Inuvik today was at 9:30 and the sunset will be at 8:40. Everything is frozen, brrrrrrr.
Wayne Dwornik, Lethbridge, AB
Winter so far has been very changeable. I guess it must be El Nino.
We have had very cold weather in November -28 C and then warm, then cold, then windy, It changes every week. From -16 to +3 today. We’ve had some snow, lots of snow, then no snow. Then it snowed this week again. Bird-wise, something new for us in our neighbourhood; Blue Jays. We've had four at our feeder at one time, plus a magpie. Both are rather pesky, large, squawky birds.... but it's better than those dull drab English sparrows. There have been some Bohemian Waxwings - flocks of 25, but not too often in our neighbourhood.
Bruce Bennett, Whitehorse, YT, Canada
Spring arrived on schedule Wednesday. It was the first day this year with a daytime temperature above freezing. Though it is still freezing at night, the rest of the week we have reached daytime highs of +4C. I have heard a report of a single sighting of an American Robin, but we often get reports of robins once the Pine Grosbecks start singing. None of the regular birders have reported a robin so I personally don't think they are here yet.
On March
21 the Trumpeter Swans reached M‚Clintock Bay. A few overwintered on
the Teslin River, but those at M‚Clintock are likely the first
truly spring birds. Species
from just south that have returned are Bohemian Waxwings, Boreal
Owls, Northern Hawk Owls and Mountain Chickadees. These can't really
be considered spring birds since the may have overwintered nearby.
We still have 4+ feet of snow in the yard, and though the highway is
snow free, most of the roads are still snow covered or slushy. Most
of the lakes and rivers are still frozen with only a few outlets of
lakes open. There is almost no bare ground visible yet even on the
south-facing slopes. The days are getting longer though. It starts
to get light at 7 am and dark at 9 (though the official times are 7:54
and 20:20). We are still gaining over 5 minutes a day.
Linda Hoffman, Creston, BC
March 23: It is a foggy, damp morning here in the country but that didn't stop Mr. Robin from declaring his right to sing. I heard my first tree top singing early this morning! Surely he knows that the sun will shine sometime soon.
There is plenty of food around — earthworms on the road and some insects in sunny locations. I watched a robin picking up maple leaves I had put on my garden for compost and throwing them around in an effort to find bugs. He is very welcome to all the bugs he finds!
Pam Haines and Talkeetna, AK
There have been record snowfalls here this year and record cold spells as well. Right now more than 6 feet of snow is on the ground and the drifts are huge, with no let up in sight.
Talkeetna: Daylight is increasing noticeably these days, and we have had some lovely blue skies. Pine Grosbeaks, Redpolls, Magpies, Chickadees and Nuthatches have been frequenting the feeders. There is less snow this year than recent years, with temperatures colder than for the last 25 years.
Ute Keitsch, Port Hope, ON
More Robins are in Port Hope. Yesterday morning on our short power walk, I spotted 6 new arrivals in the trees (silent and resting). The wind was cold and the temperature was 18F.
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