A Much Needed Sign Spring is Coming to Central New York
Many Central New Yorkers are saying "enough is enough" when it comes to winter. As temperatures bounce from below normal to near normal and we still get sprinklings of the white stuff, many continue looking for a positive sign of spring. Here's another migratory bird positive sign, the American Woodcock.
This past fall the NY Department of Environmental Conservation joined with several state and federal agencies to begin monitoring the migration habits of the American Woodcock. Several of them were banded with GPS transmitters this past fall and the findings have been interesting.
The best news? The migration back north has begun with a few birds already arriving in southern New York and Connecticut. The map below shows the current bird migration.
This map shows the migration patterns and something that intrigued conservationists. Unlike geese and ducks, the woodcock has a more every bird for himself attitude. While many ended up wintering in the same place, they took different routes to get there.
You can follow the daily trek of the woodcock's with these migration maps