This last week I missed a few days due to a family reunion so only a few days were covered with some help from other birders. I was around however for the best day of the year at Kleinstuck which was on Monday May 13. There was a strong push of birds Sunday night and when I arrived Monday morning it was noisy with lots of activity. I finished the day with 71 species (season high) and had close to 20 species of warblers. The Tennessee Warblers were so loud it was hard to get an accurate count. There was also loads of Swainson’s Thrush singing and found up in the trees as opposed to the ground so I am sure I missed a few that day. In all I added 5 new species for the year and all were found on Monday. They were Blackpoll, Canada, and Mourning Warblers and Olive-sided and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers. All of these species are late migrating species and signify the migration is coming to an end soon. Later in the week I finally got a glimpse of a Bay-breasted Warbler. I have been hearing them for a few days now but they had eluded me until then. The Olive-sided Flycatcher that was seen was right where I thought it would be in a dead snag just west of the cement bench. This dead tree I have nicknamed the “Hummingbird Tree” because I see a Hummingbird in it every day since they have arrived back in early May. The Olive-sided Flycatcher likes to sit in dead trees or snags out in the open so it can fly out and snag food. They are larger than most flycatchers and have a vest in the front with white “Coattails” in the back.
– John Brenneman, KNC Senior Avian Biologist
Pictured: Mourning Warbler by John Brenneman
