One morning last week at dawn, a second “spring” bird appeared on my backyard platform feeder. The temperature was twelve degrees below zero (F), and the bird was pecking at seeds behind two fluffed-up Mourning Doves. At first I dismissed it as a European Starling. But then one of the Mourning Doves moved, and I noticed the brown head.
Brown-headed Cowbirds are short distance migrants for us in southern Wisconsin—they winter as far north as northern Illinois, This is by no means a rare bird sighting, but cowbirds are one of the first migrating birds to reappear each year, so I get excited when I see them—spring can’t be far behind!
I’ve also kept track of their arrival for many years, and the earliest I’ve ever seen one is March 7th. This one beat that record by 50 days!
Of course it’s possible this bird never left Wisconsin. Especially since it was so mild in November and December. I bet after 10 days of bitterly cold weather and more than 20 inches of snow, he regretted that decision.
