When you think of bird watching, you might picture an activity for a sunny spring morning, or a warm summer evening. Many of us are familiar with the amazing spring migrations that bring thousands of colorful songbirds from Central and South America to breed or for a pit stop on their way further north. Buffalo’s location on the Eastern Flyway, the bird version of an aerial superhighway, brings many birds to our parks, yards, waterways, and nature preserves every year. Spring is an explosion of bird color and song in Western New York.
As the days get shorter and the weather grows colder, we are lucky to experience the arrival of winter birds in Western New York as well. Contrary to how it might feel, we are not without nature during the coming colder season, and in many ways we need it now more than ever. The colder months that drive us inside can isolate us from the health-boosting benefits of nature. Bird watching can be an enjoyable link to this much-needed nature and It doesn’t need to stop when the cold arrives.
As the spring and summer birds head south to warmer wintering locations, we are gifted with the arrival of new birds, including avian visitors from the far north. Many arrive from the High Arctic looking for Western New York’s comparatively warmer winters. These winter species bring life to the shores of Lake Erie and will be easy to see in Ralph Wilson Park in the winters to come.
Image: Long-tailed ducks. Photo by Andrew Gaerte.
Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy’s Heritage Engagement Project has, since its beginning, focused on different forms of heritage at the park. But heritage is not just about the past, it is also about the present and the future. With that in mind, let’s explore the heritage of WNY’s winter birds on each of these time frames
Past
Protecting what we have been gifted from the past, including a shoreline home to many species of High Arctic winter migrants, is an effort to protect our natural heritage. Protecting this type of legacy is a priority of many cities around the world due to global development goals. We have inherited land that draws these spectacular birds year-after-year. They leave frozen waters to seek food and habitat in the still-open winter waters where Lake Erie and the Niagara River converge. The break walls of the Buffalo Harbor and off Ralph Wilson Park buffer the worst of the bitter winter winds for these Arctic visitors. Year after year they travel to the shores of Buffalo. Protecting these species and their winter habitats is an important part of preserving our heritage.
Present
While often highlighting the past, heritage is about the present as well. We all benefit from heritage, including the natural heritage of our winter waterbirds. The arrival of our cold season shorebirds provides an excellent excuse to get outside. This can leave lasting impacts on our present community. Scientific research shows clearly that both time in nature and time outside in winter have significant benefits for human well-being. Despite knowing this, it can be hard to remember that nature is still open during those cold, dark months. But as fall transitions into winter, the present community can see this winter’s arrivals down at the shore. While early fall migrant species often gather on the break wall, too small to see without specialized optics, the winter species often come closer to the shore. They offer a chance for even beginner bird-spotters to find them. Anyone can seek out the arrival of the winter birds and enjoy the benefits of time spent near nature.
Future
Finally, no conversation about heritage should ignore the future. What we do today and what we protect from yesterday has limited power if we don’t discuss what’s to come tomorrow. The future will see change for our cold weather creatures. Change has already begun. Some of these birds, like Snowy Owls, once spotted frequently on our shores, are now harder to find. Warmer temperatures in northern Arctic waters are transforming historically frozen areas into ice-free winter habitats. Because of this, some birds are not migrating as far south as Buffalo in search of open water. Despite expected changes, many winter birds will continue to seek a seasonal home in Western New York. Given the design of the new park we actually hope the future will include larger rather than smaller numbers. While some birds may stop north of Buffalo in the warmer winters to come, others could find a more ideal habitat with the intentional features of the new Ralph Wilson Park. Redesigned elements, such as the new inlet, will provide protection from the wild waves and winds of Lake Erie.
Image: One of Buffalo’s rare Snowy Owls. Photo by Andrew Gaerte.
Highlighting our winter birds shows how heritage efforts can preserve the nature of our past and build for the nature of our future, all while enjoying it in our present. As late fall moves into early winter, head to the shore with a pair of binoculars. In some places, you don’t even have to leave the warmth of your car to spot a long tail duck or, if you’re lucky, that rare Snowy Owl. Watch these birds fish and take flight around cold, crashing waves. Remind yourself as we face down winter that the season is not so desolate after all. The coming months will be filled with life. Thanks to the natural heritage of winter birds and a park that will soon improve on the historical habitat of Lake Erie, we will be surrounded by nature’s creatures for many winters to come.
Note: While we look forward to welcoming winter birders at the park in the future, this year the shoreline inside the park is closed due to construction. Until we reopen, Rotary Park just north near the West Side Rowing Club is a great place to spot WNY’s winter birds.
This article is a collaborative effort between the Ralph Wilson Park Conservancy and the Western New York Land Conservancy, written by Kathryn Grow Allen and Andrew Gaerte. To read more about the project this article is part of, check out our HEP page for past and future reading on heritage-building at Ralph Wilson Park.
Lead image: A single gull flies over a picnic table in the former LaSalle Park, December 1983. Collection of The Buffalo History Museum. General photograph collection, Parks – Buffalo and Erie County – Ralph C. Wilson Centennial Park.
