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First Signs of Spring in Montreal

Living in Montreal, where the winter is long and cold and the winter days short and dark, early signs of the arrival of spring are well received. With the first warm days, there are different species showing up even if weather conditions still strongly remind you of winter.

Last changed on 2024-12-16

The First Migratory Birds

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There is one species in particular we are looking for in April, announcing warmer temperatures in a few days. This bird species is Red-winged Blackbird, in particular the males, which arrive before the females and almost immediately upon arrival occupy a nesting area and start to defend it rigorously against competitors of the same species and introducers of other species of any size.

• Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) - Earliest tracked 3/31

In 2024, the first time I heard the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) call was on Mar 2! A fluke or the norm from 2024 forward?

The First Flowers

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There is a well defined schedule of flowers blooming during the early spring days. Starting with Coltsfoot, then Bloodroot, followed by Yellow Trout Lily and Large White Trillium. These flowers show up before the sprouting of leaves of deciduous trees. Coltsfoot appears on dryer ground, frequently along pathways while Bloodroot, Yellow Trout Lily and Large White Trillium form patches within forests taking advantage that sunshine isn't blocked yet by leaves.

• Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) - Earliest tracked 4/14
• Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) - Earliest tracked 4/27
• Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) - Earliest tracked 4/30
• Large White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) - Earliest tracked 5/1

The Sound of Frogs

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In particular there are two frog species, each one with a particular call, allowing them to be identified easily. These two frog species are Wood Frog and Spring Peeper. They appear mid April in ponds and can be heard from a distance. The period, these frog species can be heard and seen is very short though. Just a few days mid April.

• Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) - Earliest tracked 4/15
• Video Wood Frog (and Spring Peeper) Calling

Beginning of Spring

End of April, spring still seems far away as no green leaves are showing up and temperatures may still drop below freezing point overnight. Finally, during the first two weeks of May, vegetation growth explodes, the blooming of the first flowers ends and the Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) stops calling and disperses into the forest. Only the Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) continues defending nesting grounds until rearing of the offspring is over.

Datasheet

List of all species seen in April but not in Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar. Listed with location and date of first observation by month/day.

The data used for this article has been extracted from journals written on visits in parks in and around Montreal during the last years. See Species Identification and Logs for more information about data collection.