May is a time for feeding new chicks and migrating birds!

4-25-24 Eastern Bluebird carrying fecal sac out

4-28-24 Eastern Bluebird fledgling

Eastern Bluebirds fledged on 4/28/24.  They've been seen and heard making the rounds of the neighborhood.

4-17-24 House Wren removing chickadee eggs 5-4-24 Adult tempts chick with caterpillar food

Despite the House Wren removing three of the chickadee eggs, at least one chick made it to fledging on 5/4/24. The adult coaxed it out with a treat!

4-28-24 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4-29-24 Summer Tanager red morph female 5-4-24 Common Yellowthroat

The leaves have grown quickly, concealing the birds. Try your hand at identifying these three! (Answers at the end of the post.)

4-23-24 Indigo Bunting

An Indigo Bunting enjoyed a bath in the bubbler.

  4-25-24 Nashville Warbler with yellow eye ring- hybrid with Orange-crowned? 4-25-24 Nashville Warbler

These are both Nashville Warblers, but the first has a very yellow eye-ring, not the typical bold white. It may just have more pigment, but it's the first one I've seen like it.

4-28-24 Wild Turkey On 4-28-24, a Wild Turkey trotted through the woods.

4-28-24 Northern Waterthrush

A Northern Waterthrush has been around for a week now, foraging in the swampy thicket or garden beds.

4-28-24 Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles have been seen and heard often, and four got in the bubbler on 4-28-24.

5-1-24 Yellow Warbler

A striking Yellow Warbler first showed itself on 5-1-24.

4-29-24 Black-and-white Warbler

This Black-and-white Warbler rested for a bit in this rough-leaf dogwood.

5-4-24 Bay-breasted Warbler

A very good day was 5-4-24 when this beauty came in, a Bay-breasted Warbler.

  5-4-24 Northern Parula

A Northern Parula felt right at home in the basin.

And now, for the quiz answers!

4-25-24 Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

4-29-24 Summer Tanager red morph female

Summer Tanager, red morph female

5-4-24 Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat, a bird that is often hidden!

Now, to change it up...

5-4-24 First Brood IX Cicada

They're here!!

Brood XIX of the Periodical Cicadas are emerging now. This morning, I watched Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrush, a Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe and female Indigo Bunting catching and eating them. What a bounty of food for all the birds and small mammals!  

Copper Iris is now in bloom in the Water Garden.

4-28-24 Migration Map

This map shows that we are into prime migration time! I'll be doing my best to document what is here.

To view all the birds since the last post, open this page:

Birds since 4-22-24