Celebrating Spring With Birds by Myrna Pearman

There is much to celebrate in April! The days are warmer and longer, which provides a welcome relief from the long, cold prairie winter. An added bonus is that a few of the earliest and hardiest arrivals—European Starlings and American Crows—are proof that spring is just around the corner. While a few wintering Common Redpolls might still be hanging around feeding stations, most leave for their northern nesting grounds by the end of the month.

Another early arrival is the Horned Lark. These understated but rugged songbirds often show up across the prairies by February and can be seen along highways and byways. They tend to feed on road gravel, then fly to safety from passing vehicles.

American Robins are also early migrants and seem be arriving earlier every year. Robins are very hardy and can endure cold temperatures and harsh spring snowstorms by feeding on fruits and berries.

Other early migrants include Mountain Bluebirds and Purple Finches. Mountain (and Eastern Bluebirds) prefer rural areas while Purple Finches will readily avail themselves of urban feeders that offer sunflowers, sunflower chips and finch mixes. They are often heard before they are seen, as their beautiful melodic song brightens up chilly spring days.

While it is heartening to welcome the charismatic bird species each year, there are many other species, especially native sparrows that also arrive and/or migrate through in the early spring. All are interesting to observe and, when they come into a bird feeding station, provide an excellent opportunity to hone up on identification skills.

Three of the most distinctive early migrating sparrows include the Dark-eyed Junco, American Tree Sparrow and White-crowned Sparrow. All three species are just passing through on their journeys to northern nesting grounds.

Other native sparrows, which stay to breed across the prairies, will occasionally show at feeding stations, especially in the spring. These species include Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, Song Sparrow and White-throated Sparrow. Of the latter species, some individuals develop a special liking for bird seed so will patronize feeding stations throughout the summer and even introduce their young to the feeding area.

Native sparrows tend to be on the shy side, preferring to feed on the ground and stay hidden amongst the shrubbery. April is a good month to offer them sunflowers, sunflower chips, and sunflower blends that contain millet, canary grass seed and cracked corn. If possible, scatter the seeds on the ground in a protected area, such as under coniferous trees, decks and thick shrubbery. Offer small quantities at a time and watch which species show up! All spring feeding stations will be especially popular during and after early spring snowfalls/storms.