Warblers! Warblers Everywhere!

I knew this morning was going to be good. The front passed yesterday with a pretty good line of rain. The north winds were blowing 10 - 15 mph. The blew all night, so I knew the migrants that came in yesterday afternoon would have spent the night here and would be feeding waiting for more favorable south winds to continue their journey north. I wasn't disappointed.

In about 2 hours of birding, I saw 16 species of warblers! Black-and-white, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian, Blue-winged, Cerulean, Chestnut-sided, Golden-winged, Hooded, Kentucky, Magnolia, Orange-crowned, Tennessee, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat and Ovenbird. The one that surprised me the most was the Golden-winged. I saw six individuals, which is more than I've seen probably in my whole life! At one point, I had a Black-throated Green, Magnolia and Chestnut-sided in a single binocular view! I don't know that I'd call this a fallout, but it was definitely busy! I wish I could go out this evening when the new wave of migrants comes in. Maybe I can get out for an hour in the morning if there is still a north wind.

Another thing that kind of surprised me today was the number of White Ibis I saw flying over. I saw flock after flock of 20+ birds fly over. Everytime I got a clear view of the sky, a flock would fly over. I don't think I've ever seen that many.

A note from 4/26: I saw a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the mulberry tree on the east side of the house. I haven't seen them at my feeders yet, but it was nice to see him there. Also a Tri-colored Heron flew over. He was the first one I've seen from the property all year.

Birds Seen 4/28 (47 species): Red-winged Blackbird, Eastern Bluebird, Indigo Bunting, Painted Bunting, Northern Cardinal, Gray Catbird, Carolina Chickadee, Eurasian Collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Cattle Egret, Red-shouldered Hawk, Little Blue Heron, White Ibis, Blue Jay, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Purple Martin, Ovenbird, Barred Owl, Northern Parula, Eastern Wood-Pewee, American Redstart, Spotted Sandpiper, Barn Swallow, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Summer Tanager, Tufted Titmouse, Red-eyed Vireo, White-eyed Vireo, Turkey Vulture, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Cedar Waxwing, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Carolina Wren, Common Yellowthroat

Summertime Hummingbird and Rain!

For the second year in a row, I've had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird at my feeder for the majority of the summer. It's a female, as was the bird last year. She's here often enough that I don't think she's nesting anywhere because she would have to leave her eggs way too long and too often. But, it's been kind of neat to have her the past couple of years while I wait for the large groups in late August and September. Here's a video I shot last September of the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at my feeders.



You know it's rained a lot when you look out on your front yard and see 15 - 20 White Ibis poking around looking for something to eat. That's what happened yesterday while the rain was falling. Since July 1, we've had 9.5" of rain at our house. I love that because of the lower temperatures, but hate it because I know what it means for mosquito numbers.