OSWEGO COUNTY – As the winter finally fades into memory, the many rivers, ponds, streams, estuaries and lakes of Oswego County come alive with the sights and sounds of new life.
Migratory birds return from their wintering grounds and waste no time in building or restoring a nest and laying eggs – making the most of the short season available to raise a family and prepare before the next migration draws them away from the harsh weather that inevitably arrives late in autumn.
Some species familiar to Oswego County such as the Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) mate for life, with pairs traveling together and producing a family of young birds year after year. As the new hatchlings grow, these birds are not picky as to which young to raise, with families often intermingling throughout the period before the new birds fledge and produce their flight feathers.
The Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) – an invasive species that has been steadily gaining ground on Oswego County’s waterways, is North America’s largest waterfowl. These birds can live twenty to thirty years and produce many nestfulls of offspring in their lifetime. These birds are highly aggressive and territorial and should not be approached, especially during the mating season or when spotted with young.
All of the Mute Swans in North America are descended from birds brought here from Europe to decorate ponds in parks or on large estates.
Watching over all of this is a species now common in Oswego County is the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) – a species brought back from the brink of extinction. Widespread use of the petrochemical DDT in agriculture caused this magnificent creature to almost disappear from the landscape, an instructional national embarrassment. The birds have rebounded in population in the years following the ban on the use of DDT, and now our national symbol can be seen flying over waterways in many regions of the United States and Canada.
All of these creatures, and many others, create a feast for the eyes and ears as the springtime brings a plethora of new avian citizens to our scenic county. Grab the binoculars and head out to one of Oswego County’s many parks and see for yourself the beauty that shares our many waterways with us who are not adorned with feathers.
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