Signs of Spring | Birds on the Wing

By Estelle Rodis-Brown

Winter is finally easing into springtime at Walden. Some days, it’s hard for us to sense it. But the migrating birds provide a sure sign that a new season truly is here and the weather will soon spring into a convincing warm-weather pattern.

True harbingers of spring, songbirds and waterfowl that spent the cold-weather months down South are now returning in waves to Northeast Ohio. If you observe your bird feeders, treetops, lakes and ponds, you will see different species of birds returning from one week to the next, like an ongoing parade of fluttering colors.

According to Kim Pease of nearby Moebius Nature Center and Dr. Jim Tomko, President at Moebius and the Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland, the birds’ instinct to take wing and fly back here is a response to the increasing stretches of daylight (longer photoperiod) as spring approaches … despite fluctuating weather.

Our earliest avian returners are the raucous and colorful male redwing blackbirds, who have overwintered down along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. By the first week of March, they hurry back here to find mating territory along the water’s edge, marshes and deep ditches, where they can lure later-coming females with ideal nesting habitat among the cattails and bullrushes.

Tree swallows are also among the first of many swallows to return here (and the last leave in autumn) to feed on berries and insects. You’ll likely see them skimming over the surface of a lake or pond, catching flies.

Around late March-early April, you might also see a returning woodpecker, the yellow-bellied sapsucker (bigger than the downy woodpecker). They are attracted to certain species of trees, where they will drill wells to suck the sap and eat burrowing insects. The drab grey eastern phoebe with its distinctive up-and-down tilting tail also arrives back in late March.

Next, you’ll notice bright blue flashes of color along the edges of woods and meadows. While some bluebirds stay here for the winter, many more will migrate back here by April. The male bluebirds are seeking leftover berries and emerging insects to feast upon while establishing ideal nesting territory for their mates, who lay their first brood of eggs by May. (Bluebirds and tree swallows share the same habitat but the swallows — who likely overwintered in Central America — return here by late April-early May).

Some American robins stay here for the winter, as long as their habitat is moist enough to provide soft ground for insect-hunting and leftover fruits on crabapple trees. But you’ll see more robins return as the ground thaws and worms emerge in late March-early April.

Also in late March, look to the treetops for the distinctivelymarked and colored rose-breasted grosbeaks, scarlet tanagers and Baltimore orioles. These canopy specialists each have characteristic calls and songs that set them apart. You can lure them to your feeders so you can get acquainted with the dynamic sights and sounds they create.

It can be difficult to learn bird songs and calls unless you have some help. Turns out, there’s an app for that! Jim and Kim recommend downloading the Merlin Bird ID app to identify the birds you see and hear. The app will identify which bird is making a call or song in real time. You can also upload a photo of a mystery bird to learn its name.

Finally, by late April-early May, the tiny ruby-throated hummingbirds (each the weight equivalent of four paper clips) will arrive after their 600-mile migration from South of the border. They need to feed on nectar from May’s blooming flowers.

You should put up your hummingbird feeders by May to help sustain these ethereal winged creatures. Just be sure to keep your feeder in the shade rather than open sun to inhibit mold growth, and clean out the feeder with a 1:10 bleach/water solution every few days, Kim advises.

Speaking of bird feeders, the naturalists say that you can keep them filled with seed and suet throughout the warm-weather months so you can enjoy viewing the active birds. This won’t inhibit their ability to thrive in the ‘wild’ or interrupt their natural migrating patterns. (The same goes for birdbaths.) Again, just be sure to keep them clean so viruses, mold and bacteria cannot gain a foothold and threaten the vitality of the birds.

Birdwatching can be a fun solo pastime but it can also be a social event! Look for spring bird walks scheduled at Moebius Nature Center (mymnc.org) or the Audubon Society of Greater Cleveland (clevelandaudubon.org) and other nearby parks. Whether you see them at your feeders or out in their natural habitat, enjoy the parade of migratory birds returning this spring!