Meet some of the migrants! 4-30-23

April 30, 2023  •  Leave a Comment

This is a screenshot from BirdCast showing the current migration status for St. Louis County, Missouri as of 4-30-23. 

It seems that birds have come in fits and starts, and we're seeing migrants, but not as many species as we've

typically recorded by now. Southerly winds later this week will be a welcome change and help bring in the birds.

 

4-15-23 Ruby-crowned Kinglet with insect4-15-23 Ruby-crowned Kinglet with insect 4-18-23 Ruby-crowned Kinglet4-18-23 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4-18-23 Ruby-crowned Kinglet4-18-23 Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Ruby-crowned Kinglets have been regular visitors, note the insect leg poking out of the bird's mouth in the first photo! They love to get in the bubbler.

 

4-19-23 Eastern Towhee female4-19-23 Eastern Towhee female 4-27-23 E. Towhee female4-27-23 E. Towhee female

For the first time, we've seen a female Eastern Towhee get in and bathe, and it's been back on half a dozen days now.

 

4-15-23 Swamp Sparrow with larvae4-15-23 Swamp Sparrow with larvae 4-21-23 Chipping Sparrow4-21-23 Chipping Sparrow 4-24-23 White-throated Sparrow4-24-23 White-throated Sparrow

Sparrows include Swamp, Chipping and White-throated. It seems like everywhere I look I see the White-throated! They are the most numerous right now, singing their plaintive songs all day long.

 

4-21-23 Swainson's Thrush4-21-23 Swainson's Thrush

A Hermit Thrush is occasionally seen, but Swainson's Thrush now predominate. 


4-27-23 Purple Finch female4-27-23 Purple Finch female 4-24-23 Indigo Bunting4-24-23 Indigo Bunting 4-24-23 Rose-breasted Grosbeak foraging4-24-23 Rose-breasted Grosbeak foraging

Migrating finches are well-represented. Female Purple Finches, Indigo Buntings and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks have been here for days.

 

4-23-23 Red-breasted Nuthatch4-23-23 Red-breasted Nuthatch 4-26-23 Red-breasted Nuthatch4-26-23 Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatches can be seen again through mid-May since it was a good irruption year for this species.

 

4-22-23 Ruby-throated Hummingbird4-22-23 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

They're back! Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been seen at the feeders and checking out the coral trumpet honeysuckle. 


4-27-23 Warbling Vireo4-27-23 Warbling Vireo 4-27-23 Warbling Vireo splash-bathing in bubble4-27-23 Warbling Vireo splash-bathing in bubble

Vireos love to splash-bathe, but this is the first time we've seen a Warbling Vireo enjoy this behavior. This bird hit the pond, the bubble and even dive-bombed a Cardinal that was in the basin! 

 

NOW...for the warblers.

 

4-23-23 Yellow-rumped Warbler4-23-23 Yellow-rumped Warbler 4-29-23 Yellow-rumped Warbler pair4-29-23 Yellow-rumped Warbler pair

Yellow-rumped have been most numerous, male and female are in the second photo.

 

4-21-23 Northern Waterthrush4-21-23 Northern Waterthrush 4-21-23 Northern Waterthrush with larvae4-21-23 Northern Waterthrush with larvae 4-21-23 Northern Waterthrush4-21-23 Northern Waterthrush

A Northern Waterthrush found tiny larvae in the algae, as the Swamp Sparrow had done.

 

4-21-23 Tennessee Warbler4-21-23 Tennessee Warbler 4-23-23 Nashville Warbler4-23-23 Nashville Warbler 4-24-23 Nashville Warbler4-24-23 Nashville Warbler

Tennessee and Nashville Warblers typically show up about the same time. 

 

4-28-23 Orange-crowned Warbler4-28-23 Orange-crowned Warbler 4-28-23 Orange-crowned Warbler4-28-23 Orange-crowned Warbler   4-27-23 Orange-crowned Warbler4-27-23 Orange-crowned Warbler

Orange-crowned Warblers have been at the sump puddle and at the bubbler. It makes my day to see one show its crown!

 

4-28-23 Palm Warbler4-28-23 Palm Warbler 4-27-23 Palm Warbler4-27-23 Palm Warbler 4-27-23 Palm Warbler4-27-23 Palm Warbler 4-29-23 Palm Warbler4-29-23 Palm Warbler 4-29-23 Palm Warbler4-29-23 Palm Warbler

Palm Warblers are attracted to our cypress tree and to the swampy thicket. There have been a couple of them around. 

 

4-27-23 FOY Kentucky Warbler4-27-23 FOY Kentucky Warbler

My breath caught when I saw this yellow-throated bird climb onto the bubbler rock from the cover of the Virginia creeper and celandine poppies. It slipped back into cover and hopped out onto the little path between the violets! 


4-27-23 FOY Kentucky Warbler4-27-23 FOY Kentucky Warbler
 

KENTUCKY WARBLER!

 

That, my friends, is the promise of Spring migration!

We just never know what might have dropped in the night before

and will surprise us in the morning. 

 

To view all the images since the last post, begin here:

April Migrants

 

 


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