Budding Birder? Take a Walk with Erie Bird Observatory
Free monthly guided bird walks at LEAF
CONTINUING SATURDAY, MAR. 28
March brings a shift in seasons, the ebb of late winter. One of the first tell-tale signs of warmer days ahead are the sugar maples, second only to the annual migration of waterfowl and birds of spring.
The Erie Bird Observatory (EBO) continues their series of public bird walks in partnership with LEAF to explore this shift. I spoke with Holley Short, executive director of EBO and their naturalist Katie Andersen to better understand this winter-to-spring transition.
The free monthly bird walks led by both Short and Andersen, meet on the fourth Saturday of every month. They begin at the LEAF building (1501 W. Sixth St.) near the tennis courts in Frontier Park and run for about an hour. Binoculars will conveniently be provided for attendees to borrow. And, according to Andersen, "This is a great month for waterfowl watching, especially the first two weeks. Check various ponds and lakes for ducks, geese, and swans."
Budding birders can then take their newly acquired bird-spotting skills home with them. "If you want to bring the birds to you, you can add native plants and feeders with an appropriate seed mix as well as a water source, like a simple bird bath," advises Short. And for those of us ready to venture out, a bird ID guide such as the EBO recommended Sibley Guide to Birds or the free Merlin Bird ID app are invaluable resources during these upcoming seasons.
"Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Fox Sparrows, Eastern Meadowlarks, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Eastern Phoebes, and Tree Swallows [all] begin migrating back into our area this month," says Andersen. And now, alongside the true experts, novice birders will have a chance to witness the wonder of this transition – the wintering songbirds that are once more joined by the migrating birds of spring.
9 a.m. // Frontier Park, 1501 W. 6th St. // Free // For info visit: eriebirdobservatory.org
