THIS ‘SPRING’ IS FOR THE BIRDS
As winterlike weather persists into spring, birds are having to rely on the kindness of their human friends who stock their backyard feeders. Birds, like this one spotted at Valley Inn Road, show a more resourceful knack for surviving and finding food amid the ice and snow. Here, a red-bellied woodpecker works to create a nesting spot in a dead tree. Find more images of birds by Spectator photographer Cathie Coward on
Ice, snow, cold gusts — in spring?
“The migratory birds are not happy” with this winterlike weather, says Tys Theysmeyer, head of natural lands at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
Theysmeyer has just completed a survey of the RBG properties after the weekend ice storm and says the birds are caught in a difficult situation.
He says many migratory birds took off and headed north to our area during the relatively warmer weather we experienced at the end of February and the beginning of March.
But now the birds that stayed here are having trouble finding enough food due to the lack of warm temperatures needed for vegetation to bloom.
Theysmeyer says last weekend’s ice storm probably drove many birds into the valley lands, including the area around Grindstone Creek at Valley Inn Road, to seek shelter.
The area also provided a source for drinking water during the storm since many other
sources were frozen.
As for fishing birds such as herons and egrets, the storm surge has muddied the water in the creek, making it difficult for the birds to see fish.
Theysmeyer says the colder temperatures also drive the fish deeper into warmer water — leaving fishing birds hardpressed to find a meal.
Theysmeyer says there are many migratory birds just south of us, where the weather conditions are considerably warmer, waiting for the wind patterns to change. When that happens those large groups of birds will be moving through our area.
Some good news: Theysmeyer reports that the bald eagles’ nest, home to three-week-old chicks, seems to have weathered the weekend ice and high winds atop a tall pine tree at Cootes Paradise.