From Winter to Summer!

Get Out!

Photo:  Glen Spurrell. A farewell to winter: a snow-covered nest from last year in amongst bright Red Osier Dogwood branches.

Photo: Glen Spurrell. A farewell to winter: a snow-covered nest from last year in amongst bright Red Osier Dogwood branches.

By Glen Spurrell

We all know it’s been a cold start for April. It seems we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t complain! But one group that isn’t complaining is the maple syrup producers. I have it on good authority that all the producers have had their best year in decades. And now that maple syrup season has just closed we have gone from cold to heat! From winter to summer! But we all know that this is far from rare.

We may have been lingering indoors waiting for it to warm up before we venture out walking, but nature doesn’t have this inclination. Before March was gone, the first Canada Goose had built her nest and was sitting. In the first week of April we had a couple of snowfalls; and during my morning walk I made a point of looking for this intrepid mother-to-be. There she was almost covered with snow. Ooh she looked cold! And that pioneer has now been joined by at least 5 other nesters. This is not early: usually the first goslings are on the pond in time for the fishing derby.

This biological imperative simply will not be silenced. In my yard a pair of White-breasted Nuthatches have taken up residence in a birdhouse in my backyard. And robins have been attempting to build nests in at least 3 places in my yard. The lengthening days obviously stimulate hormone levels, and the urge to procreate must be obeyed.

My pair of wrens will be quite surprised when they return to find their favourite birdhouse occupied by nuthatches. White-breasted Nuthatches are a beautiful bird with a black cap, a blue-grey back and a white front. They do not commonly use birdhouses, rather they nest in cavities in trees. I am surprised but delighted that they have chosen my backyard birdhouse. I have been watching them with quite some interest. As birds that spend most of their time climbing up and down the trunks of trees, they are very adept on vertical surfaces. So they are spending a lot of time on the front of the birdhouse climbing around exploring. When they began building the nest, I watched perplexedly as several times one (the female I think) flew and entered the house while the second one (the male?) came with something in its beak. And this “something” appeared to be a cocoon of some sort: whitish with woven bits hanging from it. He seemed to give the cocoon to the female in the house and then flew away. Only a moment later though she exited the house with the cocoon in her mouth and flew off with it. This happened several times. What is going on? Is it some courtship display? And at other times one of them would wipe the cocoon along the roof of the house as if it were stuck to its beak–but this went on for stretches of time so it must have had some meaning too.

Our earliest frog is now entertaining us at night with its mating chorus. The Spring Peeper is a tiny frog that gets its name from the odd peeping sound it makes during mating time. At night the wet areas are alive with their calls. And joining them there is an odd low clucking or chuckling call. I believe this is another frog species, the Northern Leopard Frog. It too mates and lays eggs quite early in the season.

The trails are typically very muddy at this time of year. But don’t let that stop you from getting out. And if you’re at the millpond keep a look out for the otter. You may be lucky! There’s lots to see and hear at this season even near to home. Spring really seems to have come at last. Get out! And enjoy!

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