Migratory songbird migration underway in Price County

Migratory songbirds are now returning to Price County from their wintery grounds in Central and South America. This is a sign that spring has finally arrived and the air is filled with bird song once again after a long, unusually warm, mostly snowless winter.

Many migratory birds have already arrived and more are expected to stop or continue on their way further north. The warblers, sparrows, kinglets, blue birds and grosbeaks have already arrived. It is now time to get out the oriole and hummingbird feeders as some have already arrived and more will soon be here by Mother’s day, May 12, their usual arrival time.

A spring-time feeder favorite, much to the pleasure of local bird watchers, the rose-breasted grosbeak, recently arrived at the Nature Education Center the week of May 1, as it did at Kathy Kascewicz’s feeders in Fifield. She had five males and three females coming to her feeders every day. As an added bonus, the grosbeak has a beautiful robin-like courtship song, and they will bring their young to the same local area feeders after nesting.

Grosbeaks are chubby birds with heavy bills, thus the name ‘grosbeak.’ They use those big beaks for gathering and eating beetles, seeds, and fruits. They love the black oiler sunflower seeds we put out in our feeders and, and they eat a lot, especially after a long migration!

They migrate from their wintering grounds from Mexico to Columbia and Venezuela where they live in scattered woodlands and along tree borders. Their summer habitat includes the open woodlands of the eastern U.S. and Central Canada.