All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence you know- Hemingway
I had known that line before the Ernest Hemingway documentary came on PBS last week. However it always confused me. Where does one start with the truest sentence they know? As you may have noticed I haven't wrote any posts for a while. There are a combination of factors including working crazy hours, not seeing much of anything worth writing about, but mostly writers block. So I put to use Papa's advice and the truest sentence I can think of (at least for the near future) is: Spring Migration is the most fun part of birding throughout the year.
Spring Migration is the most fun part of birding throughout the year. Right now we are in the beginning of migration. The early migrants came in late March and early April. These include Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Osprey, Great Egret, Wilson's Snipe, and the toughest for me, Blue Winged Teal.
Throughout the rest of April we will start to get some of the migrants. Black and White Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, and American Redstarts, and Broadwing Hawks are either starting to trickle in or will be soon.
However, May is what it is all about. There is nothing like the first three weeks of May. I write this now to give you advice to take some vacation days between May7-20. Peak migration only lasts for a short amount of time so try to spend as much time as you can in the field.
Many people are already asking where to go. First off, these birds need a place to land, eat, and rest so they could be anywhere when the sun comes up. That said, there are obviously some migrant traps all around the state. Up north, the best place is Swan Point Cemetery in Providence. During May, the guards open the gates at 7 am to let birders walk in. There is a standard crew that is there almost every morning. Sometimes there are twenty five or more birders walking the roads. The best two spots are the North Woods and the paths near the Mausoleum. Another good northern location is Hunts Mill in East Providence
On the west side of the bay, Trustom is the hotspot. It can be very birdy. Some good rarities have shown up there such as Yellow Throated Warbler and Summer Tanager.
In the middle of the state is Ponaganset Road in Scituate. For the life of me I do not know why it is a hot spot. It has woods habitat and a lake, but so do dozens of places around the state. That said, it is a great spot. You will likely see Scarlet Tanagers, a variety of warblers and thrushes while walking the road. The land on both sides of the road is off limits to protect the drinking water. So road walking is your only option. It is far away from the other hot spots but I do try to bird there a couple of times during May. A Cerulean Warbler was calling there for hours last year much to the delight of dozens of birders.
In my opinion the best warbler spot in the state is Miantonomi Park in Newport. There is plenty of on street parking near the park. Swan Point used to be the place to be, but I think that has changed to Mia for whatever reason. On a good day you should see orioles, tanagers, grosbeaks, and many warbler species. Hopefully there will be a Swainson's Thrush around too. You can tell pretty quickly if the place has a lot of birds or is dead. If it is dead, go somewhere else because the birds won't arrive past mid-morning. Though, if Mia is dead, chances aren't too good for finding birds elsewhere.
Last May 16th was the best day ever in Rhode Island for spring birds. There was a massive fallout at Mia. You've heard the phrase "the trees were dripping with birds". Well that day it wasn't a cliché. Eighteen species of warblers were counted including Canada, Prothornatary, and Tennessee. There were multiple birds on every tree. One tree I was looking at had a Cape May, and Indigo Bunting, a Scarlet Tanager, and a Blackburnian!!! There were so many Bay Breasted Warblers, I stopped getting photos of them. There were cuckoos, vireos, and flycatchers. It was insane.
There had been northeast winds for over a week prior. These winds kept the birds grounded. There was a huge back up of birds south of us for a week just building in number. The evening of the 15th the wind turned southwest. All of these birds took off by the millions. They were all behind schedule. Unfortunately for the birds, around 10 pm the wind turned again and it started to rain. So the birds landed wherever it was safe and that place was Mia. Even the most experienced birders said they never saw a day like that. Will conditions line up like that again this year? Probably not, but if there is one place to be, it is Miantonomi .
An often overlooked place is Great Swamp. Great Swamp has everyone of the early migrants I mentioned at the top. However, it can be good for May migrants also. I usually go someplace else in the morning and make Great Swamp my afternoon walk. Birding is not as good as it would be in the morning, but it is still a beautiful walk.
I started this post with the truest sentence I could think of so I will end it with a few more. May goes by way too quickly. Spend as much time birding as you can. Home improvements can wait till June and you can do your garden in the afternoon. Enjoy it while it is going on because in the birding world, NOTHING is going on in June in Rhode Island.
