Today I find myself overflowing with frustration. As a birder, I am somewhat at the mercy of the weather. This in itself wouldn’t be too much of an issue if it weren’t compounded by the fact that, like many of you, I also have to work for a living.
This complicates things tremendously because I can’t arrange to work on rainy days and stay home on sunny days. Thus, the weather on the weekends becomes particularly critical. This year, April did not cooperate.
The first weekend was a little on the chilly side, but at least it wasn’t raining. The second weekend was actually gorgeous, but then tradition kicked in. I was away for Easter weekend and busy with family. I enjoyed myself immensely, but it was still time spent inside rather than outside. And finally, the last weekend in April was a full-blown disaster — cloudy, rainy and in the 40s. At one point it even snowed.
So, finding myself sidelined for half of the month’s free days, I ended up with a somewhat disappointing bird list for April. With a total of 45 species observed from within the confines of my yard (observed includes species seen or heard), I did manage to tie for second place with 2015, but I was far short of the record of 51 species set in 2017. This is the first year that I haven’t set a new record in the first four months of the year.
All that being said, the weather has not impacted the birds in the same way. Migrants from the southern U.S. and the Neotropics are perhaps even more at the mercy of the weather. Flying north is decidedly easier if you have a tailwind, so many of these species will just linger, waiting for the right kind of storm to help them along. I often imagine them as a bunch of surfers, floating in the water and just waiting for the next big wave to appear. Once that ideal storm arrives, they all cheer “kowabunga” and ride the weather wave north.
One species to appear after just such a wave was the field sparrow (Spizella pusilla). A short-distance migrant, the field sparrow can occasionally be seen in Massachusetts throughout the year, but (according to the Massachusetts Audubon Society) it is only promoted to “common” status for a short time in April and May, and then again in September and October.
I generally detect them by their distinctive, ping-pong-ball songs, which start out slow and then speed up. This year, however, I managed to spot one on April 22 on my deck as it fed with the white-throated sparrows that are still around. The only reason I saw this bird was because I maintain bird feeders.
Another species to turn up was the rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus). With a winter range that extends through Central America into the northern portions of South America, this species is definitely a long-distance migrant. We generally don’t see them until May, but on April 28 I saw a bright, beautiful male sitting on a bird feeder pole and making me feel guilty about not having enough food out. April 28 was one of those miserable days (rainy and in the 40s), but it was also the earliest date that I have personally recorded a sighting of the species.
So, if you are like me (champing at the bit and anxious for a nice weekend that hasn’t been spoken for), there is hope. The birds are doing their thing and with luck the April showers are behind us. The world is getting green, flowers are blooming and soon we can make all our observations outside.
Bill Danielson has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 21 years. He has worked for the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and Massachusetts State Parks, and currently teaches high school biology and physics. Visit speakingofnature.com for more information, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.