Bird watchers flock to arb for spring session
Posted on 31. Mar, 2010 by JoanaDraghici in News
Catherine Labelle
News Reporter
For the first time, the arboretum on North Campus will host sessions during the spring migration of birds, said arboretum director Melanie Sifton.
“The Humber arboretum is known in several circles as being one of the best bird-watching sites in the city,” she said.
Pre-registration is now open for two-hour Saturday sessions planned for May 1 and May 8, said senior nature interpreter for the centre of urban ecology at the arboretum, Lynn Short.
Grackles, robins and red-winged blackbirds have arrived and can be heard in the early mornings, said Short.
Species travelling from the southern U.S. and as far away as South America are expected to arrive en mass, particularly in the month of May, said Short.
Birds such as orioles, herons and warblers are attracted by the availability of food, water and shelter the arboretum offers through the river, forest and meadow on the property, she said.
The northern shrike, a relatively uncommon bird known for impaling its prey on thorns or barbed wire, was spotted last summer on the grounds, said Short.
With the arboretum’s ideal natural setting, there will definitely be a wide range of interesting species on view over the next several weeks, with some of them remaining and others continuing their migratory route, said Joe Mackiewicz from Wild Birds Unlimited nature store.
Mackiewicz said he helps organize hikes at the arboretum that combine the art of photography and birding.
A portion of the arboretum near Highway 427 and Finch Avenue is used for a bird flyways project run by the city as a way to improve the quality and the availability of avian habitats.
Several large poles have been erected, some with ornamental birds on the top of them, to attract birds to the area, said arboretum senior horticultural technician Heather Somers.
The arboretum is simply a good place to get away from the bustle of the city, said Mackiewicz.
Bird enthusiasts attending spring migration sessions may be fortunate enough to see many species of birds, from great blue herons to orioles and goldfinches. (Catherine Labelle)
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