Spring Arrival Dates

SPRING ARRIVALS

Spring migration in on! We are once again compiling the arrival dates for each migrating bird species in the area. If you live within approximately 100km from Timmins, share your first-of-year bird sightings!

This year will be the 8th year of collecting spring arrival dates. You can view the arrival dates from 2017 to 2022 here: Timmins Birds Arrival Dates Sheet 2017 to 2022 and scroll down for 2023. 

          How to share your first-of-year bird sightings:

1. Submit your checklist to eBird (if you'd like to learn how, contact me)
2. Send me a private message through this blog contact form, or comment below.
3. Share your sightings on the Timmins/South Porcupine Birding Facebook Group.

THANK YOU!

Legend:

▲ = EARLY: This indicates very early individuals; the bird marked with a ▲ should still be reported if they are observed later even if they are already on the list. 

❆❆❆ = A decent number of individuals of this species overwinter in the area each year. Date represents a higher number of these reported by many observers (ex: American Crows, European Starlings) 

❆ = One or two individuals of this species overwintered in the area.

Spring arrivals 2024

Winter summary: record high temps for February in Ontario & the Timmins area, many days over 0. March was war, with rain. On 

March 2024

Trumpeter Swan (2 TRUS arrived on 4 March 2024 -and 4 TRUS at Porcupine River on 9 March)

American Crow (8 March 2024) ❆❆❆ 

Canada Goose (9 March 2024 - Porcupine River - Jeff P) 

March 9-10: snowfall 

• American Tree Sparrow (two very early ones in Matheson)
• Red-winged Blackbird (14 March 2024)
• Common Goldeneye (16 March 2024) 

*Snowfall at least 15-20cm from March 16 to 20th. 

• Merlin (20 March 2024)
• Common Grackle (24 March 2024)
• Gull sp. (26 March 2024) one, unidentified.
• Canada Goose (26 March 2024)
• Peregrine Falcon (27 March 2024)
• Hooded Merganser (28 March 2024)
• Killdeer (29 March 2024)
• Northern Harrier (31 March 2024)

APRIL

• Mallard (1 April 2024)
• Herring Gull (1 April 2024)
• Turkey Vulture (1 April 2024)

Weather event: Heavy Snowfall (10 inches) with significant weather advisory on Wednesday, April 3rd 2024.

  

• American Robin (4 April 2024) a few unreported before and many on 7-8 April
• Common Merganser (4 April 2024)
• Ring-billed Gull (5 April 2024) CWF
• Great Black-backed Gull (5 April 2024) 
• Great Blue Heron (6 April 2024) 
• Purple Finch (6 April 2024) ❆ 
• Sandhill Crane (7 April 2024)
• Northern Shoveler (7 April 2024)
• American Kestrel (8 April 2024) 
• Belted Kingfisher (8 April 2024)
• Dark Eyed Junco (8 April 2024) ❆ 
• Golden-crowned Kinglet (8 April 2024) 
• American Tree Sparrow (more 8 April 2024)
• Ring-necked Duck (8 April 2024) 
• Yellow-rumped Warbler (9 April 2024)
• Glaucous Gull (9 April 2024)
• American Black Duck (10 April 2024)
• Song Sparrow (11 April 2024)
• Northern Flicker (11 April 2024)
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (11 April 2024)
• American Bittern (11 April 2024)
• American Woodcock (11 April 2024)
• Wilson's Snipe (11 April 2024) 
• American Wigeon (12 April 2024)

Weather event: Heavy rain fall on 12 April 2024, turning to snow with strong winds gusting over 63 km/h. The morning of April 13th, ground was all snow covered -1 (feel like -7) with heavy wind gusts over 40km/h 

• Rusty Blackbird (13 April 2024)
• Fox Sparrow (13 April 2024) (Note: Timmins had its first overwintering FOSP this winter)
• Rough-legged Hawk (14 April 2024)
• Greater Yellowlegs (14 April 2024)
• Green-winged Teal (14 April 2024)
• Northern Pintail (14 April 2024)
• Lesser Scaup (14 April 2024)
• Winter Wren (16 April 2024)
• Common Loon (17 April 2024) 
• Brown-headed Cowbird (18 April 2024)
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (19 April 2024)
• Wood Duck (21 April 2024) 
• American Goldfinch (22 April 2024) (only a few overwintered)
• Tree Swallow (23 April 2024)
• Savannah Sparrow (25 April 2024)
• Tundra Swan (25 April 2024)
• White-crowned Sparrow (26 April 2024)
• Broad-winged Hawk (26 April 2024)
• Eurasian Wigeon (27 April 2024) Very rare
• Redhead (27 April 2024)
• Pied-billed Grebe (27 April 2024)
• Hermit Thrush (28 April 2024) 
• Lesser Yellowlegs (28 April 2024) 
• Sora (29 April 2024)
• Blue-winged Teal (29 April 2024)
• Gadwall (29 April 2024)
• Swamp Sparrow (30 April 2024)
• Red-necked Grebe (30 April 2024)

MAY

• Yellow-headed Blackbird (2 May 2024) RARE
• Indigo Bunting (3 May 2024)
• Northern Mockingbird (3 May 2024) RARE
• Spotted Sandpiper (4 May 2024)
• Black-and-whited Warbler (4 May 2024)
• Nashville Warbler (4 May 2024)
• Virginia Rail (4 May 2024)
• Least Sandpiper (5 May 2024)
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak (5 May 2024)
• Northern Parula (5 May 2024)
• Solitary Sandpiper (5 May 2024)
• Bonaparte's Gull (5 May 2024)
• Palm Warbler (6 May 2024)
• Blue-headed Vireo (6 May 2024)
• Blue Grosbeak (6 May 2024)
• Lincoln's Sparrow (6 May 2024)
• Cliff Swallow (6 May 2024)
• Horned Lark (6 May 2024)
• Cape May Warbler (7 May 2024)
• Eastern Bluebird (7 May 2024)
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird (8 May 2024)
• Orange Crowned Warbler (8 May 2024)
• American Bittern (9 May 2024)
• Barn Swallow (10 May 2024)
• Magnolia Warbler (11 May 2024)
• Black-and-white Warbler (11 May 2024)
• Ovenbird (11 May 2024)
• Gray Catbird (11 May 2024)
• Tennessee Warbler (11 May 2024)
• Veery (11 May 2024)
• Bank Swallow (11 May 2024)
• Brown Thrasher (11 May 2024) Rare
• Black-throated Blue Warbler (12 May 2024)
• Blackburnian (12 May 2024)
• American Pipit (12 May 2024)
• Chestnut-sided Warbler (12 May 2024)
• Least Flycatcher (12 May 2024)
• Northern Waterthrush (12 May 2024)
• American Redstart (12 May 2024)
• Philadelphia Vireo (13 May 2024)
• Bay-breasted Warbler (13 May 2024)
• American Coot (14 May 2024)
• Black-throated Green Warbler (15 May 2024)
• Yellow Warbler (15 May 2024)
• Common Yellowthroat (16 May 2024)
• Blackpoll Warbler (17 May 2024)
• Wilson's Warbler (18 May 2024)
• Red-eyed Vireo (18 May 2024)
• Alder Flycatcher (18 May 2024)
• Swainson's Thrush (18 May 2024)
• Pine Siskin (19 May 2024)
• Eastern Kingbird (20 May 2024)
• Cedar Waxwing (23 May 2024)
• Dunlin (24 May 2024)
• Mourning Warbler (24 May 2024)
• Summer Tanager (26 May 2024)
• Common Nighthawk (26 May 2024)

Spring arrivals 2023

March 2023

• American Crow (23 March 2023) ❆❆❆
• European Starlings (23 March 2023) ❆❆❆
• gull species (24 March 2023) too far to i.d. 
• Peregrine Falcon (28 March 2023)
• American Kestrel (30 March 2023)

April 2023

April started with mild weather but soon the cold and snow returned on April 4-5. But, Easter weekend brought a return of mild temperatures and south winds! 

• Common Goldeneye (2 April 2023)
• Trumpeter Swans (2 April 2023) confirmed. 
• Merlin (5 April 2023)
• American Robin (5 April 2023)
• Dark-eyed Junco (6 April 2023)
• Northern Harrier (6 April 2023)
• Canada Goose (6 April 2023)
• Killdeer (6 April 2023)
• Red-winged Blackbird (8 April 2023)
• American Black Duck (9 April 2023)
• Green-winged Teal (9 April 2023)
• Herring Gull (9 April 2023)
• Hooded Merganser (9 April 2023)
• Mallard (9 April 2023)
• Brown-headed Cowbird (9 April 2023) 

* Unusually warm temperatures (15-17℃) with decent sustained south winds on April 10-14; we lost a lot of snow in a short period.

• Turkey Vulture (10 April 2023)
• Brown Creeper (10 April 2023) (note: we usually see them throughout the winter, but no record at all during winter 2022-2023)
• Ringed-billed Gull (10 April 2023)
• American Tree Sparrow (10 April 2023)
• Great Blue Heron (10 April 2023)
• Common Grackle (10 April 2023)
• Sandhill Crane (10 April 2023)
• Pied-billed Grebe (11 April 2023)
• Winter Wren (11 April 2023)
• Mourning Dove (11 April 2023) ❆ 
• Snow Goose (11 April 2023)
• Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (12 April 2023)
• American Goldfinch (12 April 2023) 
• White-throated Sparrow (12 April 2023)
• Wood Duck (12 April 2023)
• American Wigeon (12 April 2023)
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet (12 April 2023)
• Purple Finch (12 April 2023)
• Song Sparrow (13 April 2023)
• American Woodcock (13 April 2023)
• Northern Flicker (13 April 2023)
• American Shovelers (13 April 2023)
• Common Merganser (13 April 2023)
• Belted Kingfisher (13 April 2023)
• Tree Swallow (13 April 2023)
• Rough-legged Hawk (13 April 2023)

14-15 April: significant waterfowl arrivas (hundreds of ducks in flooded fields and on Frederickhouse Lake), and many flocks of Rusty Blackbirds (as reported by 5 observers) 

• Ring-necked Duck (14 April 2023) 
• Rusty Blackbirds (14 April 2023)
• Golden-crowned Kinglet (14 April 2023)
• Wilson's Snipe (14 April 2023) 
• Yellow-rumped Warbler (15 April 2023)
• Bufflehead (15 April 2023)
• Sharp-shinned Hawk (16 April 2023)
• Lesser Scaup (16 April 2023)

17-19 April: return to 'normal-for-season' temperatures and north winds. 

• Greater Yellowlegs (17 April 2023)
• Fox Sparrow (17 April 2023)
• Great Black-bakced Gull (17 April 2023)
• Common Loon (19 April 2023) (early no details)
• Lapland Longspur (19 April 2023)
• White-crowned Sparrow (20 April 2023) early bird!
• Lesser Black-backed Gull (20 April 2023)

Friday and Saturday 21-22 April: average of -2℃ and some winds between 7-19km/h ESE

• Glaucous Gull (22 April 2023)
• Hermit Thrush (22 April 2023)
• Eastern Bluebird (22 April 2023)
• Cackling Goose (22 April 2023)

Sunday 23 April to Wednesday 26 April: Wind returning North, intermittent snowfall (heavy on 25 April) and temperatures averaging around -5℃.

• Gadwall (23 April 2023)
• Common Loon (25 April 2023)
• Indigo Bunting (26 April 2023)
• Savannah Sparrow (28 April 2023)
• Horned Lark (28 Apri 2023)
• Cedar Waxwing (28 April 2023) ▲  (3 SUPER EARLY INDIVIDUALS ONLY)
• Swamp Sparrow (30 April 2023)
• Broad-winged Hawk (30 April 2023)
• Greater Scaup (7 May 2023)
• White-winged Scoter (7 May 2023)
• Redhead (7 May 2023)
• Bonaparte's Gull (7 May 2023)
• Barn Swallow (7 May 2023)
• Palm Warbler (8 May 2023)
• Spotted Sandpiper (8 May 2023)
• Sora (8 May 2023)
• Lincoln's Sparrow (9 May 2023)
• Cliff Swallow (9 May 2023)
• Black-and-white Warbler (10 May 2023)
• Veery (10 May 2023)
• Virginia Rail (10 May 2023)
• American Bittern (10 May 2023) 

Minimal winds (6-8 km/h) between May 10 to 12 with some south winds only on May 11th at night.  

• American Redstart (11 May 2023)
• Least Flycatcher (11 May 2023)
• Baltimore Oriole (11 May 2023) Rare
• House Wren (11 May 2023) Uncommon
• Blue-winged Teal (11 May 2023)
• Nashville Warbler (11 May 2023)
• Ovenbird (11 May 2023)
• Black-throated Blue Warbler (12 May 2023)
• Yellow Warbler (12 May 2023)
• Blue-headed Vireo (12 May 2023)
• Cape May Warbler (12 May 2023)
• Osprey (12 May 2023)
• Clay-coloured Sparrow (12 May 2023)

Weekend: not many new arrivals: World Migratory Bird Day / Global Big Day: May 13th 2023: Weather:  at 6 am 3°C north wind. Winds stayed around 20 km/h north with gusts of up to 40 km/h .. Sunday 14 May 2023: 6°C, minimal north winds. 

• Least Sandpiper (13 May 2023)
• Northern Waterthrush (13 May 2023)
• Orange-crowned Warbler (13 May 2023)
• Northern Parula (14 May 2023)

Between May 15 to 18 we experienced a cold weather stretch with north winds and temperatures as low as -7 during the night and high of 11 during the day. Snow on Tuesday 16 May. 

On Thursday and Friday (18 - 19 May), we had some sustained south winds for at least 48 hours (SSW) and slightly warmer temperatures, bringing decent numbers of songbirds in the Timmins area for the May long weekend 20-22.  

• Blackburnian Warbler (15 May 2023)
• Tennessee Warbler (15 May 2023)
• Swainson's Thrush (16 May 2023)
• Long-tailed Duck (16 May 2023)
• Eastern Phoebe (18 May 2023)
• Bobolink  (18 May 2023)
• Dunlins (18 May 2023)
• Magnolia Warbler (19 May 2023)
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird (19 May 2023)
• Philadelphia Vireo (20 May 2023)
• Bay-breasted Warbler (20 May 2023)
• Black-throated Green Warbler (20 May 2023)
• Blackpoll Warbler (20 May 2023)
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak (20 May 2023)
• Wilson's Warbler (20 May 2023)
• Chestnut-sided Warbler (21 May 2023)
• Red-eyed Vireo (22 May 2023)
• Solitary Sandpiper (22 May 2023)
• White-rumped Sandpiper (22 May 2023)
• Semipalmated Plover (22 May 2023)
• Ruddy Turnstone (24 May 2023)
• Lapland Longspur (25 May 2023)
• Eastern Kingbird (25 May 2023)
• Red Knot (25 May 2023)
• Semipalmated Sandpiper (25 May 2023)
• Bank Swallow (26 May 2023)
• Alder Flycatcher (26 May 2023)
• Marbled Godwit (RARE - 27 May 2023)
• Black-bellied Plover (27 May 2023) 
• Black-billed Cuckoo (27 May 2023)
• Cedar Waxwing (28 May 2023)
• Olive-sided Flycatcher (28 May 2023)
• Canada Warbler (28 May 2023)
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