Indigovasion 5/20/2019

  It wasn't until the fourth year that I lived in this house that I saw an Indigo Bunting in my yard.  This spring a single bird arrived last Wednesday.  Since then they have been pouring in.

Female Indigo Bunting

While one male was on the platform feeder....

...four more were by the spruce tree.

  With the 5 males and 3 females that were seen today they are at risk of becoming the yard's nuisance bird.

 Goldfinches trying to re-establish their status as the yard's nuisance bird.

 

Baltimore Oriole

Blackburnian Warbler

Time to Catch Up

  There have been so much bird activity in my yard the past 3 days that I haven't had time to do a post.  Here are photos that I've taken since Thursday.

Philadelphia Vireo

I thought it was a fledgling Pine Siskin

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Friday I added two birds to the yardlist...

Eastern Kingbird #128

and Least Flycatcher #129

Other first of the year birds that arrived Friday

Red-eyed Vireo

and...

American Redstart

 Others that have been hanging around for the whole week....

Gray Catbird

Captain Morgan

   Today the lighting conditions were poorer but it didn't stop the parade of feathered visitors.

Second ever Field Sparrow visit.

Third ever Black-throated Warbler (first was last Friday)

White-crowned Sparrows finally showed up this week...

....as did an Indigo Bunting

Female Scarlet Tanager

Blackpoll Warbler

   The all-time yardlist is now at 129, the year list is at 100 and I've recorded 83 so far this month.

Gray-cheeked Thrush 5/15/2019

  Added a new bird to the yardlist this evening when a Gray-cheeked Thrush (#127) emerged from under a spruce tree and stepped into the sunlight.  It's the fourth bird that I've added to the list since Friday.

   This morning it was noticeable that a significant influx of birds arrived overnight.

Blue-headed Vireo

     First of the year visitors to the yard in addition to the Thrush included.......

Blackburnian Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Indigo Bunting.

Golden-winged Warbler 5/14/2019

   This morning I went out to Woods Trail Rd in Logan Twp. to look for the Cerulean Warblers that reliably nest there each year.  I saw a couple of male Ceruleans but they were too high in the canopy and too far away from the road to get photos.  As a consolation prize a Golden-winged Warbler popped up closer to the road but still too high in the treetops to get a decent photo.

   An Ovenbird was a little bit more cooperative.

   On the North American Migration Count my party saw Ring-necked Ducks on North Oxbow Lake in Riverton Twp.  When I found out that they were kind of out of season for this area I went back today and took a few confirmation photos.

6 Day Weekend

Day 1

Roadside Wood Duck at Lake Erie Metropark on Wednesday

Day 2
        The following birds were at Crane Creek State Park in Ohio last Thursday.

Palm Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Marsh Wren

Magnolia Warbler

Black-throated Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Ovenbird

Day 3
 Friday I was back home and a short walk with Nico resulted in two new additions to the yardlist.  First I noticed a Veery (#124) in my wooded lot next to my house.

   and just a minute later as we walked up the driveway, I heard and then visually located a Black-throated Warbler(#125).

First of the season Black and White Warbler in the yard.

Day 5
   This morning at Ludington State Park I saw a pair of Piping Plovers. The blinged out male is shown below.

   Later in the morning a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird posed for photos at my feeding station.

Unnatural belly color is the reflection of the orange Oriole feeder.

Baltimore Oriole waiting his turn at the feeder.

    This evening I attempted to photograph the sunset phenomena known as the green flash.  The conditions weren't optimal so just a little bit of green fringe was visible in the photos at the top of the Sun.