Mary Cope
If you get the chance to step outside and visit a woodsy area, you may hear a few bird songs. Many of us may be wondering, it’s early February, why are birds singing?
We associate birds finding mates and territories with mid-late spring, but many of the northern species start scoping out their own plots of land earlier in the year! Species such as the Epilated Woodpecker are seen flitting from tree to tree, warding off predators. Just this past Sunday, while I was flying my red-tailed hawk, I counted three of these birds in different areas, performing their territorial cries. Great Horned Owls are also quite active through January and February, but only at night. This is their breeding and nesting time! The males and females hoot back and forth to one another with the classic hooting noise. Barn Owls can also begin their breeding and nesting times between now and March, but they, too, will be heard only at night. Their calls sound like screeches, not like the classic hoot. Often, birds of prey start their nesting seasons earlier in the year; many of the hawks, such as the red-tails, will begin nesting in March. From this point on, keep listening, because the bird calls will only increase from here!
