Simcoe County Bird and Nature Board.
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Waterfowl Migration Posted on April 6, 2019 at 11:06:09 PM by Bob Bowles
The swans, geese and duck migration through our area is in full swing this week and will increase in the next few weeks. Check the flooded farm fields and open areas as the ice leaves the lakes, streams and ponds this week. One of the best locations for waterfowl right now is a flooded fiend just northwest of Elmvale beside Tiny Marsh at the corner of County Road 6 and the old townline between Tiny and Flos (now Springwater) township.
I checked this field on Thursday, April 4 and again today on Saturday, April 6. There were more birds there today as there were on Thursday. I estimated the number of Canada Geese to be over 2,000 in the flooded fields on Thursday but that number went up to nearly 2,500 today with 1,000 more in the small areas of open water in Tiny Marsh. There were two Cackling Geese in the flooded fields today that I didn’t observe on Thursday. The Snow Goose number increased from two on Thursday to six today. Swan numbers were also up with 114 Tundra Swans and 14 Trumpeter Swans. There were more swans in Tiny Marsh as well. There were 24 Sandhill Cranes in the back of the flooded fields on Thursday and the same number today plus another 12 in Tiny Marsh. There were up to four killdeers calling and flying over the flooded fields mixing with the calls of the cranes. Mallard numbers (24) and American Black Ducks (8) were about the same on both days. Ring-necked Ducks were up to 16 from 10 on Thursday. Bufflehead numbers were also up to 12 plus another two dozen in Tiny Marsh. Northern Pintails were up from two to four today but still in small numbers. I could not find any Northern Shovelers or American Wigeon today in the field or marsh. Only a couple of Hooded Mergansers and Common Mergansers were in the field but many more with small flocks in Tiny Marsh. A Redhead duck was reported on Thursday and a Canvasback today in the flooded field. I expect these numbers will increase this week especially for the ducks since they were low in number today. There were no Wood Ducks in the flooded fields today but about half a dozen were observed in Tiny Marsh. Soon there will be many of this species in the field and marsh. The ducks are yet to come.
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