May out like a lamb, June in like a lion

It always amazes me how spring migration (or at least the feeling) stops dead on June 1.

This year is no different except I've added a few new birds -- like a drip.

Today, heard PUMA, saw a Red-eyed Vireo carrying food, and added a lifer yardbird in the song Eastern Wood-Pewee (#127, #174). Have also added recent Fee-bee-o and Phoebe.

For the summer survey I made sure I heard two YELLOW RAILS calling on June 2. Tic, tic, tic.

FreeeBeerrr!!!

Well, thats what I wanted to have after getting my 142nd yard lifer here at the Hasscienda. But no time to rest for the weary (...or the wicked). I guess my timing was just right to pull up into the driveway today and observe an empid foraging low in the lilac bushes.

I've only spent about 7 days total this May at my home and getting new birds, I'm sure a ton of spring warblers just passed right through as I was off birding the coastlines. The only other thing of note was about a week ago, I got my long-awaited and somewhat over-due yard lifer Blackburian Warbler. Oh the joy. Passed Caleb on the yard lifer list too, his brief stay a bird ahead of me was just too unbearable to stand for, and hell, I enjoy picking low-hanging fruit.

I'm off to my cabin in the Big Two-hearted River country this evening, so a temporary yard list shall be duly provided when I am back in front of the computer again. There, Blackburian is a daily yard bird.

Mini-ching

After forcing myself to look at pretty much every one of the thousands of Mourning Doves that fly through my neighborhood, I finally found what I was looking for. White-winged Dove, rare (but regular) bird in the Grand Valley. Mini-ching! Also, the first Common Nighthawk of the year - peent!

Less(er) Birding Time

Picking up what I can with a newborn baby girl in one hand, binoculars in the other, toothpicks holding my eyes open, and a 15-month old hanging from my leg. Can't keep up with all you damn warbler magnets. Time to pull out a huge bird bath, buy more trees, set bowls of mealworms, orange slices, and grape jelly everywhere, build a marsh, and shoot all the Dumpster Finches. A Lesser Goldfinch singing from the aspen in the front yard was a good start though. The 55-mph winds coming out of Utah tomorrow better blow in another Common Black-hawk (seen last week a few miles east of my house)...

A.M. Bird Alarm

This a.m. I woke up to my alarm clock as normal...but what really got me out of bed was the music coming from outside my open window. "Vireo" I thought, "but that's NOT Red-eyed. It's too light, sweet and slow. PHILLY VIREO!" I threw my clothes on and ran outside for looks at this rare visitor to the yard. Sure enough I got great looks at the bird - even watching it catch a caterpillar. That's only the 2nd yard record for PHVI here.
It was a nice reminder that even though migration is winding down, there are still birds to be had! I'm due for Acadian Flycatcher and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

Nervous tics. . .

With all of Joe's damned tics, I'm starting to feel like Clouseau's boss in the Pink Panther. At least the rest of us photograph our birds, like this little guy from over the weekend:

RAZLing DASL

RAZL DAZL - just passed you up for 2011. Just thought I'd let you know that I'm again leading you in all categories.

5/26 - Mourning Warbler - singing male (94) - that ties me with RIBR at 23 Warblers for 2011.
5/30 - Great Blue Heron (95)

tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic,tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic,tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic,tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic, tic,tic, tic, tic,

Though I've only counted it once I'm now smitten with TWO Yellow Rails in my yard. tic, tic, tic. It's like my yardbirding world has come to a standstill. I've updated my totals (#123, #173) having added two yardbird lifers in the last week; Canada Warbler and Chestnut-sided Warbler (#173). I see Big Rig has a sizable lead -- I recall last year he led by 1 for most of summer. Obviously it's a different story this year though the fall is when the swamp lair really shines so don't get to smug up there at the top, Rig.

Dozed off listening to YELLOW RAIL #2 last night on the platform with my honey "B" only to be awoke by Spotted Sandpipers migrating over....

tic, tic, tic....weep,weep,weep.

Heard Great-cr. Flycatcher this morning from inside the house, so there's still some migration happening in the northlands.

CUDY Yard Update and #120

Here's what's been added this year to the yard (and one for life-time):

5/17
Gray-Cheeked Thrush (88)

5/22
Bay-breasted Warbler (89)
Wilson's Warbler (90)

5/24
Canada Warbler (91)
Yellow Warbler (92)
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher (93/120)

The Yellow-bellied Flycatcher came in to the bird bath and did a few swooping passes over the water, dipping in each time - SWEET! I managed a photo of the Gray-Cheeked at the bird bath (see below). Canada Warbler was singing this a.m. and showed at the bird bath later too. Yellow Warbler is surprisingly hard to get in my yard. My guess is that it's because it has plenty of good habitat nearby that it does not need to stick in the yard.

I couldn'ta been a contenda

I knew this moment was coming. Just smoked by JD, with more of you lunatics to soon come screamin by.

Spring migration has been appallingly slow in the yard (big surprise). Plenty of warblers transiting above without even a call note. Not even a thrush, though hoping for some night migrants tonight with the recent weather system moving out.


Time to reset priorities and hone in on that mega ...

15,600

thats how many LTDU flew past the liar in one hour tonight. You can see it on Nexrad from the MQT station just before dusk. Check out line that develops north of Little Bay de Noc, after dark it is obliterated by birds taking off from the UP, showing a perfect outline of the south shore of Lake Superior. Another cool aspect of this flight is that after dark (10pm) the LTDUs start flying over the house (almost constant calling) so instead of going north they fly NW.

The Gaylord station recorded a massive flight after dusk, lots of translake migrants last night.

I've tried to upload video of the flight but the resolution here is not the best.

Not completely WOTH-less

Itsbeen a week of birding for me, so I've lumped in some of this weeks sightings into this post. Its typical lazy birding style for me. Tuesday, before I went up to Lake Erie for a few days, I had a Black Vulture steal this perch from a TUVU in my yard.

More Pine Siskins in my yard, making this my highest grossing year ever for them. Also the day before that I took a walk out back and got my WOTH for the yard-year, as well as a NOWA (same one?) and some other good stuff like YBCH, OROR, NOPA, YTVI, YTWA. A few days ago I had a YBCU, always fun. Up at the lake I nailed down my final normally occurring warblers for my Ohio year, making this the first time I've had 38 warblers in an Ohio Spring. Here's a pic of K-dubs for you to enjoy as well. He put on a show for many in Columbus, so close I could hardly call it a chase. I should pick-up Swainson's Warbler down in WV next week on my climbing trip, still need it for OH. YYL: 109