REGIONAL— This week’s remarkable weather brought more than near-record warm temperatures to the North Country. The southerly breezes also brought with them a flood of migratory birds that have returned to the area, in some cases just ahead of the warm temperatures.
Robins are now back in force, as are redwing blackbirds, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, fox sparrows, and even yellow-rumped warblers, which are typically the first members of the warbler family to return to the region. Others have reported sandhill cranes, turkey vultures, purple finches, kinglets, and grackles have returned to the area. This weekend’s return to more seasonable temperatures is unlikely to slow the flow of migrating birds. Once it begins, the relentless pull of the seasonal change, guided by day length and hormones, takes over, leaving most birds on auto-pilot.
So keep an eye out… after a long and snowy winter, spring is finally beginning its march across the North Country.