Spring Migration 2026

Yikes! 70 degrees and then snow!

Turkey season starts this weekend. The hummingbirds have shown up, the swallow-tailed kites are back, the rain lilies are blooming AND we got 5" of rain.....sounds about right. Although, it shouldn't be so bad as the last few years since we are in such a bad drought. My turkey woods shouldn't be full of too much water.
 
During the few days that there was no snow on the ground there were plenty of Snow Drops. They are now covered in snow. This morning I saw Mallards, Black ducks, Pintails, and Canada geese. All prime plumage birds. I'll go lookin' again this afternoon.

Dani good luck Turkey huntin' this weekend. Season begins May 1st here, and it might be still snowing as it has at times in the past. HA!
 
Dani said:
Yikes! 70 degrees and then snow!

Turkey season starts this weekend. The hummingbirds have shown up, the swallow-tailed kites are back, the rain lilies are blooming AND we got 5" of rain.....sounds about right. Although, it shouldn't be so bad as the last few years since we are in such a bad drought. My turkey woods shouldn't be full of too much water.
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We had a -39 degree swing in 24 hours but just 14 miles away, the ground was clear. We’ve burned the last 2 days but things are greening up quickly. Still coming across the occasional woodcock and bluebirds are out and about.
 
Snow is finally most gone here in Central Maine. We'll get more, but most of the snowpack is melted here. Maple sugar season in full swing. We'll still get some snow and cold, but it's officially mud season, not winter. Big rain earlier this week, and some ice jam flooding on the rivers. We had a couple of days of 60+, and one night with warm rain I saw my first few amphibians on the move from one of the local vernal pools. No wood frogs or peepers singing yet, but it won't be long. Ducks on the move, but I have not seen any big concentrations in recent days. And it's FAFO season for people who want to drive heavy vehicles on melting ice! https://kfyr.iheart.com/content/202...ng-ordeal-after-truck-sinks-into-frozen-lake/
 
Jeff Reardon said:
Snow is finally most gone here in Central Maine. We'll get more, but most of the snowpack is melted here. Maple sugar season in full swing. We'll still get some snow and cold, but it's officially mud season, not winter. Big rain earlier this week, and some ice jam flooding on the rivers. We had a couple of days of 60+, and one night with warm rain I saw my first few amphibians on the move from one of the local vernal pools. No wood frogs or peepers singing yet, but it won't be long. Ducks on the move, but I have not seen any big concentrations in recent days. And it's FAFO season for people who want to drive heavy vehicles on melting ice! https://kfyr.iheart.com/content/202...ng-ordeal-after-truck-sinks-into-frozen-lake/
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I drove my sled up the lake to see the truck the day after it happened. It was still breaking the surface, pretty close to shore. I wanted a picture, but they had it marked so I couldnt get close and a guy was kicking snow at it. I took that to mean he's the owner, so I guess its better that I didnt get a pic. Kinda uncool. Where it went in has been sketchy some years, its just one of those spots. When they tried to pull it out, down it went to sleep with the fishes. I guess they finally got it out yesterday.

Otherwise, I just got off the lake in my sxs. Still 30" of what is now rock hard zambonied ice. The lake is booming making more ice. Good ice fishing and nobody else in sight. Nothing but crows, ravens and eagles around here. And one lone fisher. I left them a nice meal of smelt when I picked up.
 
Carl said:
Do they bark when a flag goes up???
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No, he watches for flags and runs over if he sees one. The terrier mix, Dandy, only cares about killing whatever comes through the hole.

I wanted to get an eagle photo, so we left a fish on the ice for him/her. I didnt see one nearby so I headed back to the campfire. In the meantime, the eagle swooped in out of nowhere and made off with his meal before we could get a picture.
 
I like to ride over to the Delaware across the river from north Philly in the winter to see what's around. I see some diving ducks there that I don't see where I hunt because I am a marsh hunter and the only divers I see are bufflehead and mergansers. Anyway, I missed going there at the end of February and beginning of March because I had some surgery, but have been over a couple of times in the last week. Not seeing much but a pair of canvasback and a couple of scaup and bufflehead, but I'll take it.
 
Just pulled into home in CT. The pond down the street had a couple dozen Ringnecks, pretty typical.

The wood frogs are quacking, I give them a seven on the volume scale. No peepers at the moment. We live on an island in a swamp, when the various frog species get going together it can be a 10 which means you can't hold a conversation.
 
The walleye have begun their migration.20260318_152955.jpg


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Northern are active as well.
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Last but not least, I released my biggest fish of the 2026 open water season. 15lbs 10 ounces of pure fight.
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