Is it spring yet? Some animals think so

The sights and sounds of spring are arriving early this year thanks to record-high temperatures. Nature experts say even some animals are fooled.

December, January and February were all balmier than normal in Ottawa and its environs.March is off to a warm start too, with three or four daily heat records set recently in some places.

That's meant the early return of a common sight:the Canada goose.

"I would say [they're] only a couple weeks early," said Chris Sharp, a population management biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service.

Sharp said geese, like mostmigratory birds, take their cue from changes in temperatureand daylight at their wintering spots. That could prompt them to leaveearlier.

Most of the geese nowin Ottawa are the Atlantic variety, which breed in the subarctic areas of northern Quebec, he said.

Geese are trying to get to those areas as soon as they can to mate while the grasses they eat aremost abundant.

Sharp said the geese that do nest here have also started to arrive and if temperatures stay warm, they may mate earlier.

"They're going to want to get started as soon as the habitat's available for them to get going," he said. "For your local area, you might see goslings earlier this year than you typically would."

If there's another cold snap, the instinct to mate will diminish, he said.Likewise, if northern regions stay cold, the Atlantic population may stick around Ottawa longer.

"It's like a traffic jam at the snow line, and instead of them all moving through in an orderly fashionthey'll get all stuck here," Sharp said

Sharp said he's also noticed mallards displaying spring-like behaviour andother birds singingas if it's high spring.

Other species waking up early

Larger animals are feeling it too.

Late last week the provinceissued a warningthat bears are emerging from hibernation earlier than usual.

• Province urges caution as warm weather may see bears leaving dens early

Michael Runtz,a naturalist and lecturer at Carleton University,said bears will typically start waking up when the temperature hits zero but that often doesn't work out well.

"Most food's not available untilmuch later, so they depend heavily on what they have left over from the winter," Runtz said.

"If they haven't fattened up well in the fall then mortality is fairly high due to starvation."

That means our fuzzy friends will reach for whatever they can find, including bird feeders and garbage, which Runtz said would be smart to secure if you live in an area where black bears are near.

A study out of Colorado published in 2017suggested black bears hibernate six fewer days for every degree increase in the average winter temperature andemerge from hibernation three-and-a-half days earlier for such an increase in spring.

Runtz said with the warmer temperatures and lack of ice, we could also see heightened activity from animals that normally keep a lower profilein wintersuch as chipmunks, beavers and otters.

All in a Day5:33Mixed feelings: Spring has sprung, at least for a few days

People in the region made sure to get out and enjoy the weather, but record warm temperatures are causing concern as well.