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LJ ' ° = 26-- Scugog Citizen Tuesday, November 1, 1994 The wonder of the migratory birds nature's corner ken carmichael BIRD MIGRATION Each spring and fall I marvel at the migration of our song birds, The fall is a rather sad time or I know that six months will pass before I see these "birds again. Happily the spring brings renewed life for, all of us when that first Robin is spotted on the lawn in early April. Long ago people observed that birds disappeared in the fall and reappeared in the spring. It was thought that they hibernated in hollow trees, or in the mud of streams and ponds. Today we know that most song birds spend the winters south of the Tropic of Cancer. They come north in the spring to breed, spending half to two thirds of their life in this area. It is hard to believe that there 'are three hundred and thirty- two different species that breed in North America, then migrate, to spend the winter in Central and South America. This number includes twenty ies of ducks and geese, ten 8 8 of hawks, four species of falcons, twehty-seven of sandpiper, thirteen humming bird species, fifty species of Wood Warblers, thirteen oriole and blackbird species, and twenty-six finches plus thrashers and vireos. Some -of these birds migrate by day but most seek the cover of darknessi'The day migrants include ducks and geese, although some also migrate at night. We have been enjoying the many geese flying low over our house, morning and, evening, as . they gather for their trip south. Swallows, nighthawks, chimney swifts, and blue jays also migrate by day. Thé nighttime migrants include the wood warblers, thrushes, flycatchers, vireos, omjoles, tanagers, shore birds, and most sparrows. These small birds travel an amazing number of mileg. The Blackpoll Warbler, ay can be found nesting in Alaska, winters in South America, at least five thousand miles away. The land bird with the longest migration route is probably the Nighthawk. It can be found nesting as far north as the Yukon, migrating to Argentinas some seven thousand miles away for the'inter months. Even this great distance is surpassed by some shore birds. Nineteen shorebird species can be found nesting north of the Arctic Circle, having spent the winter inmSouth America, more than eight thousand miles away. The champion of all migratory birds is the Arctic Tern. I can remember sitting in the blind photographing this bird in Cambridge Bay in the Northwest Territories. As I watched it I thought of the trip it must make to the.tip of South America for the winter. This bird spends half of the year in migration. I have a favourite migration story. Some years ago at Wawa, Ontario I met a gentleman who was studying the breeding and migration of Dark-eyed Juncos. I showed him, a nest with four young birds in it, located close to the road. He banded the young birds. Later he caught the male and female from the nest in a mist net and was able to band them also. One year later this same man was back in Wawa. He found the nest of a Dark-eyed Junco, not six feet from where I had shown him the nest the previous year. He discovered that this was the nest of the female bird he had banded the year before, She had returned to nest in the very same spot, but with a different male. The astonishing thing to me was how, given the vast forests north of Lake Superior, this small. bird could fly from Southern Ontario or Michigan to within six feet of where she nested the year before. The reports each year paint a dim picture for our migrating song birds. In some reports, certain species are down in numbers by one-third. From my own observations I feel certain that orioles, thrashers, catbirds, thrushes and the Black-throated Blue Warblers are declining. What can be done to stop the decline of these bird populations? Here are some suggestions: - save the Rainforests in South America - stop the clear cutting in Canada - review the use of chemicals in gardening and farming - gengral review of all fores practices in Canada. hihi It is my hope that the continued pressure being applied to Governments by many Conservation groups will, over a period of time prodiice laws to protect migratory song birds. We do not want to have - to. contemplate a springtime without the return of the first Robin or Bluebird in April. The Scugog Shores Naturalists Club will meet at my home on November 24th at 8:00 p.m. to plan for our Annual Christmas Bird Count. Join us if you wish to participate. (Ken Carmichael is a resident of Scugog Township, a noted wildlife photographer, and an ardent naturalist and bird watcher. His column appears from time to time in.the Scugog Citizen). VOTE BOB BROOKS SCUGOG . PUBLIC. SCHOOL " TRUSTEE oD rreemey