"Life is what happens when you've made other plans."

So many birds, my friends, and I'm still catching up. Finally, I can share the highlights from the first full week of May!

5-3-23 Orange-crowned Warbler 5-4-23 Orange-crowned Warbler

Both of the first two birds are Orange-crowned Warblers. A first spring female is duller blue-gray and the adult has more yellow plumage

  5-3-23 Yellow Warbler 5-6-23 Yellow Warbler female

Yellow Warblers are next, male and female. 

5-4-23 Northern Parula grabbing insect off Virginia Bluebells 5-4-23 Northern Parula

A female Northern Parula found a tidbit on the waning bluebells.

5-4-23 Pine Warbler- First Spring female 5-4-23 Pine Warbler- First Spring female 4-30-22 Pine Warbler

These photos are of Pine Warblers. The first two photos are of a female, still in late winter/first spring plumage. I had never seen this plumage before and the bird didn't sit still long! The last image is a male, taken last year.

5-4-23 Palm Warbler 5-4-23 Northern Parula, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers

The Palm Warbler in the first image was soon joined by the Northern Parula and a Yellow-rumped Warbler.

An interesting thing about this spring is that males have been heard, some seen but they have been in a hurry to get to the breeding grounds since they got a late start. As a result, I haven't photographed as many of the males as usual.

  5-6-23 Golden-winged Warbler female 5-7-23 Blackpoll Warbler 5-7-23 Black-throated Green Warbler

Next is a female Golden-winged Warbler followed by a Blackpoll in the swampy puddle, and a Black-throated Green Warbler near the bubbler.

5-7-23 Blue-winged Warbler female 5-7-23 Wilson's Warbler

5-7-23 Black-and-white Warbler female

A female Blue-winged Warbler visited the bubbler often. A Wilson's Warbler and a female Black-and-white Warbler were also seen several days.

5-7-23 Common Yellowthroat

A Common Yellowthroat spent quite a bit of time in hiding, but it got more comfortable the longer it stayed around. More images next time.

5-7-23 American Redstart 5-7-23 American Redstart, Blue-winged and Tennessee Warblers

An American Redstart is often challenging to photograph because it's so dark. It was joined in a splash fest at the bubbler with the female Blue-winged and three Tennessee Warblers.

5-3-23 FOY Scarlet Tanager 5-6-23 Scarlet Tanager female

Scarlet Tanagers are so striking! The male is bright red, the female more yellow-green with darkish wings.

  5-6-23 Summer Tanager Red morph female

5-10-21 Summer Tanager female 5-7-23 Summer Tanager 1st spring male

4-30-21 FOY 89 Summer Tanager

Another plumage I had not seen before was this red morph female Summer Tanager in the first image, brownish with patches of red feathering. Typical females are orangey-yellow, like the female from 4-30-21. The young males remind me of Neapolitan sherbet! The plumage transitions to the deep orangey-red of the adult male in the last of this series.

5-4-23 Baltimore Oriole 5-4-23 Baltimore Oriole female 5-7-23 Orchard Oriole female

 Orioles! Baltimore male and female are in the first two images, then a female Orchard Oriole is in the third photo.

5-4-23 Wood Thrush

This is the only image I managed to get of a Wood Thrush. I heard the lovely singer several days. More thrushes will be shown next time.

  5-3-23 E. Chipmunk

We all need a little cool relief on days like today!

Stay well in this heat, we wait for a significant front to move out the unhealthy air mass!

To see all the photos, begin here: 

Birds of May