May 10th & 11th – Summer Temperatures In May

Female Tree Swallow sitting above its nesting box.

Female Tree Swallow sitting above its nesting box.


After such a cold April when I thought the Spring would never come, I must say I’m surprised by the heat of the last couple of days. What happened to Spring!? [Although Peter Thoem emailed me when he got back to Burlington from Ruthven that he went from mid-20’s at Ruthven to 13 degrees at home.] The sun and heat have accelerated the shrinking of the sloughs and the hatching of the mosquito hordes….well, not hordes yet but soon to be – they’ve become a presence at opening around the nets.
Ovenbird - some nest here in the slough forest.

Ovenbird – some nest here in the slough forest.


I try to put mosquitoes in a more manageable perspective – they aren’t a plague meant to torment me but just little winged meatballs for migrants to dine on. Sometimes it helps; sometimes it doesn’t.
Female Black-throated Blue Warbler.

Female Black-throated Blue Warbler.


We have been getting smatterings of migrants – good variety but not many of them. I think many birds are taking advantage of the conditions to fly over and make time.
There are at least 2 pairs of Yellow-throated Vireos around the banding area.   -P. Thoem

There are at least 2 pairs of Yellow-throated Vireos around the banding area. -P. Thoem


Male Chestnut-sided Warbler.

Male Chestnut-sided Warbler.


May 10th; Banded 45:
1 Mourning Dove
2 Blue Jays
6 Gray Catbirds
1 Warbling Vireo
1 Blue-winged Warbler
1 Tennessee Warbler
8 Yellow Warblers
2 Chestnut-sided Warblers
2 Western Palm Warblers
1 Common Yellowthroat
2 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks
1 Indigo Bunting
1 Field Sparrow
4 White-throated Sparrows
2 Red-winged Blackbirds
1 Baltimore Oriole
1 Purple Finch
8 American Goldfinches

Species Count: 69 spp. (including firsts of the year: Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Blackpoll Warbler, Traill’s Flycatcher)

May 11th; Banded 51:
2 Mourning Doves
2 Tree Swallows
4 Blue Jays
2 Eastern Bluebirds
1 Swainson’s Thrush
2 American Robins
7 Gray Catbirds
3 Tennessee Warblers
8 Yellow Warblers
1 Chestnut-sided Warbler
4 Magnolia Warblers
1 Black-throated Blue Warbler
1 Western Palm Warbler
1 Black and White Warbler
2 Ovenbirds
1 Common Yellowthroat
1 Rose-breasted Grosbeak
1 Chipping Sparrow
2 Swamp Sparrows
2 White-throated Sparrows
2 Baltimore Orioles
1 American Goldfinch

Species Count: 74 spp. (including the first Eastern Wood Pewees of the year)
Photo Gallery:

Female Magnolia Warbler.

Female Magnolia Warbler.


Male Magnolia Warbler.

Male Magnolia Warbler.


Male "Maggie" on the left; female on the right.

Male “Maggie” on the left; female on the right.


Female on the left; male on the right.

Female on the left; male on the right.


SY Western Palm Warbler just moulting into its alternate or breeding plumage.

SY Western Palm Warbler just moulting into its alternate or breeding plumage.


Note the yellow feathers, some still in pin, just moulting into the throat area.

Note the yellow feathers, some still in pin, just moulting into the throat area.


Rick

One thought on “May 10th & 11th – Summer Temperatures In May

  1. Great blog ! Thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen and keeps the banding station going. A wealth of knowledge and incredible pictures keep up the great work everyone.

Leave a Reply