Writing what you know
Reviewer Joan Sullivan looks at two volumes of poetry.
There was virtually no change in the progression of spring when I arrived home after being out of the province for nine days in late May. My lawn still does not need its first cut. The Norway maples in the backyard and around the city of St. John’s area are nearly as grey as January. We tend to stuff these cold springs into the back of our minds where they can be forgotten. It can be worse.
Leaving the province during spring migration brings a risk of missing a big rarity. What could be Rare Bird of the Year, the common swift from Europe, managed to slot its sevenday visit to Quidi Vidi Lake within my nine-day absence. The bird was enjoyed by many people including some that flew to Newfoundland from the United States to add this bird to their list of birds seen in North America. The cold, wet weather experienced during its presence was harsher than any common swift should experience in a lifetime. Hopefully it found the energy to fly back to Europe where its species thrives.
Late start
Meanwhile, the home-bred summer birds of the Newfoundland and Labrador woods are slowly creeping back during this unseasonably cold May. The general mass of birds is late. However, there are enough buffers built into the timing of bird migration to make up for a late start in the nesting season.
No one really knows what effects the stress of finding just enough food to keep the insect eaters alive in late May has on the overall reproduction rate. Tree swallows in particular are affected by cold weather. I noticed a lack of them in most areas around St. John’s where they should be actively setting up house. It was so cold in late May that the swallows were forced to places like Quidi Vidi Lake and the marsh at Bidgood’s Park in Goulds where flying insects remain active in cool weather. It was a struggle to keep warm and find enough food to keep their little bodies energized. There was little excess energy to spend on the duties of setting up a nest. There is still time to catch up if the weather warms up in June. Farther inland beyond the direct effects of the cool ocean breezes the swallows are doing better.
The cool north winds of late May carried a few northern wheatears from coastal Labrador breeding sites to the island of Newfoundland. Cliff Doran had his second of the month at Cape Race on 26 May. On the same day, another wheatear was seen briefly at Renews by the trio of Alvan Buckley, Alison Mews and Ed Hayden.
Surprise
A garganey was a real surprise at a pond off the Trans Canada Highway near the east entrance to Terra Nova National Park. It was found by John Gosse and enjoyed by others over the following days. A garganey is a rare teallike duck from Europe. Could this be the same garganey present in Goulds a month earlier? Barry Day found a pair of gadwall ducks at Upper Ferry in the Codroy Valley giving hope that this rare duck will nest once again in the province. Nick Soper and others are monitoring a one male and two female hooded mergansers on the Gander Bay road hoping they will stay to nest.
The cool winds were probably
responsible for displacing extra white-crowned sparrows east to the Avalon Peninsula where they are normally on the rare side during spring migration. There was one at Mike Parmenter’s feeder in St. John’s, two at Elizabeth Carew’s Burnt Cove feeder and two at Clara Dunne’s feeder in Renews. It is cold, yes but it is not too bad for ruby-throated hummingbirds in western Newfoundland at least. Brendan Kelly got wind of one at Georges Lake and another was at Pat Brook’s hummingbird feeder in the Codroy Valley. John and Ivy Gibbons were happy to see a beautiful bay-breasted warbler near their home in Plum Point. They also had a female rose-breasted grosbeak at their feeder. Judith Blakely was lucky enough to have a male rose-breasted grosbeak at her feeder in Torbay.
“What could be Rare Bird of the Year, the common swift from Europe, managed to slot its sevenday visit to Quidi Vidi Lake within my nine-day absence. The bird was enjoyed by many people including some that flew to Newfoundland from the United States to add this bird to their list of birds seen in North America.”
More birds to come
There are lots of birds yet to arrive on the island of Newfoundland. Every bout of southwest wind over the next week or so will carry more of the summer birds back to Newfoundland.
As a rule all the birds should be back by the end of the first week of June. The hardy resident birds are doing fine. This past week many broods of black duck and mallard ducklings were spotted. Juncos and robins have been sitting on eggs for more than a week and will soon be seen carrying food to feed their nestlings. Spring will feel good eventually. The leaves cannot hide in their buds forever.