More and More Migrants

More and more migrants are coming in. My day began with three Indigo Buntings on my feeders. Walking in the woods was very productive. A male Summer Tanager busily ate insects in the tops of the trees. A little further down the trail, I ran into a mixed flock of birds. The majority of them were Red-eyed Vireos. I don't think I have ever seen so many at one time. A Yellow-throated Vireo showed up and gave me some good looks at him. A Blue-headed Vireo was just below him. White-eyed Vireos and Carolina Wrens called from the thickets. A male Cerulean Warbler was looking for insects in the top of an oak tree. The Cerulean Warbler is a little early. That's what I love about migration. You just never know what you'll see!

The bluebird chicks in my nest box will fledge sometime around April 17. Hopefully they'll have a second brood this year. Last year they just had the one. They started late with the first one, so hopefully we'll have more than one this year.

Birds seen April 11 & 12 (44 species): Neotropic Cormorant, Tricolored Heron, Cattle Egret, Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Killdeer, Upland Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Barn Owl, Chimney Swift, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Great Crested Flycatcher, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, American Crow, Purple Martin, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Parula, Cerulean Warbler, Summer Tanager, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Northern Cardinal, Indigo Bunting, Red-winged Blackbird, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow