Gilligallou's Blog — migration

Spring is in the air, and so are the migrating birds! Learn about our favorite birds to spot in April and where to find them.

As the days begin to get longer and the sun a little bit stronger, I begin to think of the migration of the ducks and geese coming back north. They are definitely on the move this month, and I love to take the time to watch as the rivers and lakes open to see who first will be flying in. Open water permitting you will see some of my favourite diving ducks like buffleheads, common mergansers, hooded mergansers, common goldeneye and the scaup family. These birds dive down to the fresh aqua plants for a food source and come back...

 Keeping your feeders filled and ensuring that our birds have reliable water sources are key during this pivotal season as they require more energy and resources than any other time of the year. With this in mind, we wanted to touch on a number of unique factors that our birds use to determine that it is time to get that much needed preparation underway in order to be successful during this season.

After spending most of their time in Florida, the Caribbean and Central America during the winter months, they spread across the eastern United States and portions of Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and some of the Canadian Maritimes during their breeding season. With a recent influx of these sightings here in our area, we thought it to be fitting to compile a quick list of what makes these colourful birds truly unique.