American Redstart
Spring migration is something all bird watchers look forward to. The long hard winter with relatively few birds is hard to take. And then spring migration begins… slowly at first; agonizingly slow. It starts with the blackbirds, and the Phoebes, but the new arrivals just seem to trickle in, tantalizing us with what is to come. And then May arrives and we start getting excited as we begin to see Catbirds, Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, and even Hummingbirds. But still it is pretty much one at a time. But then it seems like there is one day when all hell breaks loose, and the woods are just full of birds. And this year, that day was today, May17.
While I was in my yard today, doing the yard work that needed to be done, I also spent the day birding by ear, mostly, with an occasional break to actually look for and “pish” for some of the birds that I was hearing. Some of these birds had been here a while; indeed some had been here all winter. But many more were making themselves know for the first time. Mind you, I live in the middle of the city, about 500 feet from Lisbon Street, and across from a mall. But I have a good swath of woods just behind my yard that runs down towards the river.
So keep your eyes, and ears open for the birds that are around you; you might be surprised at the bird life that is actually out there.
Here is the list of birds that I either saw or heard (or both) while working in my yard:
Mallard (a pair stopped in for a break in my pond)
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Jay
Crow
Chickadee
Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Wood Thrush
Robin
Gray Catbird
Starling
Blue-headed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Common Yellowthroat
Cardinal
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Goldfinch
House Sparrow
32 species
Dan Marquis