Algonquin Park is asking people to “Honk For Finches”
Many people have been noticing flocks of small birds in the road this year, even more than usual.
Algonquin Park says that birds feed on sediments by the road that can help with digestion.
According to the park, if you come across birds on the highway, the most effective way to get them out of the way is to honk your horn.
We spoke with Barry’s Bay mayor Mark Willmer, who is also an amateur ornithologist, about one type of finch he’s been seeing a lot this year on the roads: the red cross bill.
“I’ve seen many, many of them all along Kartuzy RD” Said Willmer
“It’s funny because they sit right on the road. I guess they sort of like eating the salt or the sand, and if you’re not careful you could run over them. When they fly up you see right away that they’re very colorful. You can get red ones and yellow ones too”
Crossbills that are male can have red or orange feathers while female crossbills can have green or yellow feathers.