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The calendar says that spring officially started on March 20, but you would hardly know it judging by the weather of late. The latest snowfall on Sunday has definitely slowed spring migration down a bit. However, don’t give up hope, as some migrants have arrived here in town.

The first harbingers of spring are the lovely, black and white snow buntings, usually found in flocks feeding on seeds in fields and wheeling about when a person or predator approaches. The first flock of Snow Buntings was reported on March 22 at 10 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road, with more sightings at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Botanical Gardens, near the airport, at Creamer’s Field and along the Elliot Highway throughout March and through today.

Raptors are also making a showing. The first sharp-shinned hawk of the season was reported on March 25 about one mile from Curry’s Corner. Sightings of a bald eagle in town started on the same day, with a nest being reported at the confluence of the Chena and Tanana Rivers near the airport. A golden eagle was seen from Cripple Creek Road on March 27.

The buteos have arrived as well. The first rough-legged hawk of the season was seen at the Chena Flood Control Project area south of North Pole on March 28, while the first red-tailed (very dark Harlan’s) hawk was seen sitting atop a light post on Sheep Creek Road on Friday. This same bird was seen again in the vicinity on Saturday carrying nesting material. The nest site was found on Monday. A peregrine falcon was seen carrying a rock pigeon in downtown Fairbanks on April 4.

Be on the lookout for more falcon species to arrive shortly. Sightings of our resident raptors species, such as northern goshawk, and northern hawk, great-horned and boreal owls are ramping up. There was even a sighting of a lone snowy owl on March 10 near Cleary Summit.

Waterfowl are slowly trickling into the area, and who can blame them when there’s hardly any open water? A goldeneye species was seen on March 30, along with 300 or so mallards on the Chena River. A swan, probably a trumpeter, was reported from Minto Lake on April 8. Three trumpeter swans flew over Creamer’s Field during the spring snow storm on Monday. Two trumpeters were also reported at Tetlin Lake, along the Alaska Highway. The first Canada geese of the season were seen at Creamer’s Field on Sunday and geese numbers will grow as the snow melts and the water opens up.

Northern shrikes are starting to appear in greater numbers as spring approaches — this species can nest early, so be on the lookout for any breeding behaviors. An over-wintering Townsend’s solitaire was reported at a bird feeder on Lancaster Drive and a possible over-wintering American robin was reported from the Wedgewood Resort on March 27. These are pretty incredible sightings considering those few stretches of 40 below days we had in February, especially for fruit-eating thrushes. Red-breasted nuthatches have been seen and heard around Fairbanks as have flocks of Bohemian Waxwings. Common redpolls and the resident woodpeckers are still around in full force — take advantage of seeing these guys now, for when breeding season starts (or could have begun by now) they’ll be more secretive.

Down in Delta, the first red-tailed (Harlan’s) hawk was reported on April 8 sitting on a powerline pole east of Delta along the Alaska Highway. Clearwater Lake and the Delta area on April 13 had six rough-legged hawks, three bald eagles, 17 trumpeter swans, 20 Canada geese, 10-plus herring gulls, a few mallards, four goldeneye species, one common merganser and one northern shrike.

Please contribute to these reports by calling in your bird sightings to the Alaska Bird Observatory (451-7159) or the Arctic Audubon

Society Birding hotline (451-9213).