May Birds

May was supposed to be this glorious month for birding, a time when I could knock off some easy migrants as well as some common returning residents.  Instead, I trudged along again, adding some good birds while missing out on some easy birds. Perhaps my biggest miss was not spending any time seeking shorebirds.  I have had to dedicate some long hours to training for my upcoming Grand Canyon hike, so my birding time has largely been spent while hoofing it through some woods.

Thats not to say I didn’t have some highlights.  Here is the list below:

1.  Tennessee Warbler – I think that I saw and heard more of these this spring than I have my entire life.  Perhaps I was just more tuned in to them and trying to identify more birds by sound, but there were days that they were seemingly everywhere!
2. Swainson’s Thrush – Really grew to enjoy the sight and sounds of this friendly thrush.
3. Rose-breasted Grosbeak – I kept seeing people with photos of these on their feeders, but I had not refilled mine for a bit.  One hour after adding sunflower seeds I had a beautiful male stopping in for a snack.
4. Magnolia Warbler
5. Blackpoll
6. Great-crested Flycatcher
7. Broad-winged Hawk
8. Indigo Bunting
9. Gray Catbird
10. Cliff Swallow
11. Mississippi Kite – one of my favorites.  Saw two in one day, then at least one everyday since.
12. Eastern Kingbird
13. Red-eyed Vireo – another bird that seemingly was everywhere for a few weeks
14. Eastern Wood pewee
15. Wood Thrush – the absolute best birdsong in the woods.  If you want to get mobbed by one, play back another call on your bird app and the singing bird will fly right at you.
16. Magnolia Warbler
17. Scarlet Tanager – easily the most intense red I have seen in nature.
18. Kentucky Warbler
19. Summer Tanager
20. Ovenbird
21. Common Nighthawk

With these additions I am at 136 for the year.  Pretty poor numbers when I see on some birding websites that there are already people with 300 species on their list in Missouri alone this year.  I have to admit, though, I am having more fun birding than I have for quite a while making an effort to grow the list and learn new sounds and by spending just a few minutes trying to track down a bird rather than keep about my busy day.

June promises to be an interesting month.  I will be on the road a bit, spending a long weekend at Echo Bluff State Park, a few days in the Grand Canyon, and a day in Zion National Park.  I follow that up with a visit to the gulf coast in Florida.  Most of my birding will be incidental to the other activities, but certainly I should be able to add some cool sightings.  Keeping my fingers crossed for the California Condor, and top 5 bird on my life bird target list.