I haven’t been home much this spring but when I have been, I’ve tried to squeeze in a few walks through my local parks. This weekend walk at the Riverwood Conservancy in Mississauga let me meet many of the usual early spring migrants on a warm, overcast blustery day. As usual, I found a walk in the woods wonderfully calming.
Riverwood used to be private land and these cheerful Crocus were probably planted by the people who lived here.
Some of Riverwood’s Residents
The first birds I met were the year-round residents.
Black-capped Chickadees hopefully approached me all along the “feeder trail.”
So did Downy Woodpeckers. The pair of Hairy Woodpeckers I saw were too busy courting to look at the feeders. One of the Red-bellied’s though was scooping up seeds.
Northern Cardinals were singing and seeding all along the trails.
Winter Guests Will be Leaving Riverwood Soon
This White-throated Sparrow will probably move on in a week or two. There were several small flocks of Dark-eyed Juncoes that will also probably soon depart.
Spring Arrivals at Riverwood
There were some birds of spring, though.
I saw at least 8 different Song Sparrows. Many were along the trails eating bird seed but others were in the old farm orchard meadow working harder for their snacks.
Brown Creepers were on trunks here and there on both the Red Deer Trail and the Green Butterfly Trail. They are easier to spot when they “fall” like a leaf down to the bottom of the next trump before climbing in a spiral up the bark.
Not everything on a tree trunk was a Creeper though. This male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was poking at a tree. Here he’s tilted his head so you can see the red under his chin.
There were several Eastern Phoebes–the first I’ve met this spring.
And Golden-crowned Kinglets were obvious as they hunted through the leaf litter and on low branches for the few insects that have hatched out yet. Sometimes they were solo; other times they were in small groups. None of them stayed still.
The only truly green leaves were on invasive Fig Buttercup and the omnipresent Garlic Mustard.
There were a few flowers, though, but no butterflies were braving the wet and wind to show off.
Overall, it was a great hour in the woods.
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