Celebrating Love In February by Myrna Pearman

February across the prairies can be challenging for both humans and wildlife. While the days are getting noticeably longer, most still remain in the clutches of winter’s icy grip. For many folks, one bright spot in the month is Valentine’s Day. What better way to dispel gloom than with kisses, wine, chocolate and roses!

For the majority of our resident bird species, February is a shoulder month, with life being dominated by the daily grind of finding food, water and shelter. Their “love” hormones, which are regulated by the hours of daylight (called photoperiodism), haven’t yet been stimulated, so their instincts have not yet turned to the pursuits of establishing breeding territories and finding suitable mates.

Interestingly however, there are a few bird species that eschew the normal pattern of spring-only breeding and instead nest during the late winter.

The most iconic of these winter-nesting species is the Canada Jay. Although Canada Jays—hopefully soon to be designated as Canada’s Official Bird— are restricted to the northern parts of Saskatchewan, they are familiar to most people. Anyone who skis or hikes in northern parks (or in the mountains of Alberta) will be familiar with these curious and tame birds, which are well known for fearlessly approaching humans looking for handouts. They also will come to feeding stations that offer peanut butter, suet, peanuts, cat kibble and meat scraps. Interestingly, these jays cache food year-round by covering stored morsels with a special saliva that they glue to flakes of bark, conifer needles or in tree forks.

Canada Jay pairs, which stay together for life, will often breed in February. They construct their very snug nests by making a base of spruce and tamarack twigs that are held together with insect cocoons. They then fill this base with finer twigs, bark strips and lichen and complete it by lining the cup with feathers and/or fur. This super-insulated nest will keep the eggs and nestlings warm, even during the coldest February storms.

Crossbills, both Red and White-winged, will also nest—usually in the company of others of their own kind—during late winter through early spring. Since both species rely on spruce/pine seeds to feed their young, the timing of their nesting cycle coincides with maximum cone availability.

Crossbills, which are so named because their crossed bills are perfectly adapted for extracting seeds from cones, typically move across the boreal forest in search of cone crops. Since cone production varies by region and year, they can be abundant one month/year and absent the next. They will occasionally descend, en masse, onto feeding stations to devour sunflower seeds.

While Valentine’s Day is a celebration of romance and love for humans, this date also falls at a time when Canada Jays and crossbills area likely incubating their eggs or tending their young. Think of them while you savour this special day!