Gilligallou's Blog

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.

With their unmistakable orange plumage, the Baltimore oriole is one of the most identifiable birds here in our area. With a Major League Baseball team name to their credit, these birds are a favourite of birders across most of North America, particularly during this time of year as they migrate from their southern haunts into northern portions of the United States and Canada.

During the past couple of weeks, we’ve not only had the chance to observe the strong will and determination of our community. Hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers flocked to affected areas to lend a hand filling sandbags, moving sandbags, providing tools, boats and any other assistance that was required.

As we continue to progress into the spring season, we are still missing a few of our regular summer visitors, one such bird being the ruby-throated hummingbird. These pint-sized birds are a favourite of many and one bird that certainly reminds most of us of memories of summers past. When it comes to birds so synonymous with summer, not many other species can match our hummingbirds as they truly await consistent warmer weather, particularly at night, before they arrive.