Outdoor Ontario

Birding Reports => Migration Movements => Topic started by: mr.sharp-photo on March 19, 2013, 07:32:41 AM

Title: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: mr.sharp-photo on March 19, 2013, 07:32:41 AM
last year was an incredibly early spring. as a point of reference: the first hummingbird was spotted in the GTA in the first week of APRIL 2012. yikes.

guessing that our spring migration will be around 3 weeks behind last year's, which i would guess was 2 weeks early, which means that we're around 1 week behind typical migration times?
Title: Re: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: bronco on March 19, 2013, 09:30:23 AM
This time last year my Daffodils at the side of the house were in full bloom, at the back of the yard the Tulips were showing 3 to 5 inches of leaves and the Crab Apple tree had some leaf buds about to open.

This year the Daffodils have leaves up but not even close to blooming - no Tulips breaking through the surface - and the Crab Apple looks quite dormant.
Title: Re: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: lovemypt on March 19, 2013, 04:55:54 PM
last March 17 2012, I went to Fisherville and it was 21 degrees ( Toronto was fully fogged in)..well we all know how this last Sunday was as to temp..at least it was sunny
Title: Re: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: Halton Hills on March 20, 2013, 09:54:25 AM
.


Just looked at my calendar from last year......   :shock:

March 12th the Spring Peepers were singing.....but the ponds are still frozen solid today

March 16th the Song Sparrows were singing and the Tree Swallows were here already.....21 degrees

March 22nd the Forsythia was in full bloom.....27 degrees

I mowed the lawn on March 29th.....today nothing is even close to budding

April 2nd the Eastern Bluebirds had the first nest completed in the birdbox

Today my yard is a frozen tundra under a foot of snow.....the only thing singing is a lonely Redwinged Blackbird.....  :(


.
Title: Re: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: Howieh on March 20, 2013, 11:50:15 AM
This time last year I was chasing butterflies in Bestview Park and the hummingbirds were getting close to Lake Erie! So far my robins have come and gone(?) but there's a huge flock of cedar waxwings in the treetops behind my house so all is not lost! :)
Title: Re: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: mr.sharp-photo on March 20, 2013, 05:06:51 PM
revising my prediction. we're actually around 4 weeks behind last year's pace, or 2 weeks behind a regular spring.

keep in mind that this is true (or worse) in our neighbours to the south.  i wonder if/when we'll see hummers in April.
Title: Re: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: Turtlebird on April 04, 2013, 08:23:13 PM
Figures, I get a nice hummingbird feeder for Christmas, and we have a late Spring!  It's amazing how the birds know not to come too soon, they aren't fooled by the odd nice day like we are  :lol:
Title: Re: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: Howieh on April 04, 2013, 09:15:12 PM
Quote from: "Turtlebird"
Figures, I get a nice hummingbird feeder for Christmas, and we have a late Spring!  It's amazing how the birds know not to come too soon, they aren't fooled by the odd nice day like we are  :lol:

I wouldn't worry about it; based on last springs migration map I put my feeder out at the end of March but my first hummer didn't show up until the first week of May! Early May should be soon enough to catch the 'early birds' :)
Title: Re: Spring 2013 vs 2012
Post by: Trillian Flummox on April 06, 2013, 06:28:02 PM
Here's the link to this year's Hummingbird Migration map:  http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html
Currently it looks like they've reached as far North as New Jersey, so maybe we could put those feeders out a little sooner than May!  Fingers crossed!

-kris  :)