First Big Wave of May Migrants
Saturday morning started out raining with very little bird song. By mid morning the rain stopped and then suddenly new bird species started filling the backyard with their presence both visually and with song. These waves occur when migrating birds that have been flying all night drop down to feed and refuel in large numbers. And if one is lucky enough to be in the right place, spring birding days like this are special.
First I noticed a brand new wave of white-throated sparrows had arrived. They were everywhere and some especially liked the new grass seed we put down the day before.
Not long after this, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks starting showing up at the bird feeders. Each spring it never stops being exciting to see the first of the year Rose-breasted Grosbeaks with their beautiful, striking colors.
I had a group of 5 males at one point all trying to compete for the feeders.
I did have one female in the mix and this pair ate sunflower seeds out of the Droll Yankee Dorothy’s Cardinal Feeder. This is a nice hanging feeder which has a large, shallow tray that makes it easy for bigger birds to perch on (versus the tube feeders) as well as having an effective squirrel and rain guard on top.
While watching the grosbeaks, my eye noticed a different sparrow amongst the white-throated sparrows underneath the feeder - a Harris Sparrow.
The Harris is a very distinctive sparrow that stands out with its black face, orange beak and white belly. Mostly a migrant of the central Great Plains, it is more likely to be seen in Western Minnesota so this was a nice surprise.
Soon after the Harris Sparrow, my first of the year Baltimore Oriole showed up at the orange/grape jelly feeder.
This oriole also drank from my hummingbird feeder. I usually take out one of the flower ports to allow the orioles access to drink the sugar water too.
Keeping up with a day of new sparrows was the arrival of a Lincoln’s Sparrow. This sparrow species is a regular migrant in my backyard. They are easy to overlook as they tend to hide more when feeding and not come out in the open. They can be mistaken for song sparrows as they have a streaked chest with a small central spot but the Lincoln’s has more buff and gray tones with finer brown streaks.
What a great day of birding with all the new arrivals. I will leave you with one of our regular non-migratory birds which is splendid, none the less, with all the spring blossoms.
