Bird Song

As spring approaches, many bird species will be migrating across the country from warm winter sites back to summer nesting areas to mate and raise young.  For many bird watchers, a favorite activity is to identify birds by their songs.  Songbirds have an organ called the syrinx that produces the lyrical notes we can listen to.  Birds may produce one or more notes at a time creating complex calls and melodies.  Some of these songs are used to attract a mate, or to identify itself to another family member, or as calls of warning about any approaching danger.  Night traveling species may use calls to keep the flock together while flying, but most calls are heard throughout daylight hours.

In the upper Midwest, in prairie and wetland areas, the first migrators in early March will include ruby-crowned kinglets, blue-winged teals, loggerhead shrikes, upland sandpipers, and eastern bluebirds.  As night time temperatures become warmer and stable, summer tanagers, Baltimore orioles, and up to 35 warbler species will begin moving through this area.  Some species to watch for in northern Illinois are American white pelicans, common loons, Northern pintail ducks, and yellow-bellied sapsuckers.

You can find many excellent observation spots in your area by searching online for “spring birding hotspots in your area”. Another favorite forecasting site to follow migrating bird groups is the University of Cornell’s BirdCast Project website.

At the Jurica-Suchy Nature Museum, our nature journaling club, Nature-Doodlers, will be meeting on March 29th, 10am, at the museum to learn about bird observations, drawing and recording our sightings.  Make a reservation to come out to this free event by clicking on the QR Code below: