Birding

Spring Has Sprung – Where Are the Migrants?

May 6, 2013 by Corey 11 Comments

It is 6 May. We New York birders should be awash in migrating wood-warblers, flycatchers, vireos, tanagers, and a host of other birds right now. Instead, the spring migration of 2013 has been largely a bust. Sure, the expected wood-warblers that overshoot their breeding range are showing up and even the occasional rarity has appeared, but this spring has largely been dreadful for we northeasterners. It’s 6 May and I haven’t seen a Black-throated Green Warbler yet! That is just not right at all.

While the winds and weather systems have conspired to keep the bulk of migrating birds west of New York City we have seen many of local breeders show up as expected. And, of course, we always have our resident birds as well as the long-staying winter visitors, so it is not as if there is no birding to be done. Nonetheless, I could really go for a double-digit wood-warbler day already, and I am pretty disgusted that I have not yet had one this year.

Rather than let this cloud of lousiness that has lingered over my spring birding get me down I thought I would offer up the following images of spring to the powers that be and to you, dear reader, with the hope that someone, somewhere, will be reminded that it is indeed spring and LET ME SEE SOME FRICKING WOOD-WARBLERS ALREADY!

Brant and daffodils

Brant stay in New York until May because they like daffodils.

Warbling Vireo

The Warbling Vireo is the bird that nobody misses.

Spring Peeper

I have sunk so low that I have been reduced to taking pictures of frogs like this Spring Peeper.

spring in Central Park

This picture of flowers in Central Park was taken a month ago. Where are the birds?

American Robin

You know that when I am taking pictures of an American Robin in May that migration is really, really, lousy.

Yellow Warbler

Yellow Warbler! Spring birdified. More, please.

If this doesn’t work I swear I am going to give up birding and take up trainspotting.

…

Written by Corey
Corey is a New Yorker who lived most of his life in upstate New York but has lived in Queens since 2008. He's only been birding since 2005 but has garnered a respectable life list by birding whenever he wasn't working as a union representative or spending time with his family. He lives in Forest Hills with Daisy and Desmond Shearwater. His bird photographs have appeared on the Today Show, in Birding, Living Bird Magazine, Bird Watcher's Digest, and many other fine publications. He is also the author of the American Birding Association Field Guide to the Birds of New York.