A Look back at May

 

King Rail found by Sue Palmer

   May is undoubtably the best month of the year if you are a birder. Having colorful migrants fly through on their way to their breeding grounds is always amazing to me. This May had a lot of rare birds and I think it is fun to look back while the memories are fresh. In the below post I am trying to credit the finders as much as I can. Some of the birds I heard about I do not know who found them so please don't beat me up. Also, I'm sure a lot of "good warblers and flycatchers" were found and not reported, below are birds I know about. With that said here is a look back

   The beginning of the month was cold. Many of my birder friends said "things are a week ahead of schedule this year", but I did not see it. Many years I'll have Black and White Warblers, Redstarts, and Yellow Warblers in late April, but not this year. I didn't get those birds until a few days into May. We did have very persistent NW winds and until they turned to a southernly quadrant things were slow.

   The best bird found the first week of May was a Yellow Throated Warbler at Swan Point by Sue Talbot. The bird was there a couple of days and I did end up seeing it with the help of Dick and Marge Bradley as I only had a few minutes to be there. 

   May 5 Barbara Seith had a Least Bittern at Trustom.  The bird has been calling on and off most of the month along with a report at Mud Pond. Also on May 5 was the first report of the year of our lonely Chuck Will's Widow at Tillinghast by Melissa Alexander

   May 6 Barbara Sherman reported the first Blackburnian of the year at Trustom. A day later Paul L'Etoile had one in his yard. Louise Ruggeri had one in at Mia as I was standing right next to her but she saw it first. Incidentally the one at Mia was a life bird for Ian and Jen Krider. That day at Mia was pretty good. We also had Black Throated Blues and many warblers to look at.

 

Canada Warbler found by Chris Veale

 Chris Veale found a Canada Warbler about this time, but I don't remember the exact date. I got to see it and got my best photo of a Canada to date thanks to his find.

   May 8 Drew Wheelan had a Boat Tailed Grackle on the Block

  There were three Kentucky Warblers found during May. Alan Kneidel had one at Swan Point, Steve Dziadosz had one in Foster. There was one found at Mia that was very accommodating for photos. 

   May 13 brought one of the craziest events ever in RI. Arctic Terns were everywhere over freshwater lakes and way up into the bay. Arctic Terns, which never visit RI were seen from Long Island Sound, up to the East Bay, Diamond Hill Reservoir, and into Mass at Quabbin and Wachusetts. Thanks to Peter Capobianco I saw them in Cumberland ( I was on my way home from two days at Plum Island).

   May 16 was probably the day to be at Mia or out birding in general. The Kentucky Warbler and a Cerulean, found by P Carl, were bathing together in a little pool.  Louise Ruggeri also found a Mourning Warbler that put on quite a show for photographers. 

Also on the 16th, Mississippi Kites were showing up everywhere. They were reported here and there throughout the month but the 16th they were in multiple places. 

 On back to back days Jess Bishop had great birds. On the 17th she found  a Mourning Warbler on Snuff Hill Rd. On the 18th she had a Prothonotary at the Bonnet Shores Community Center.

   May 20 Sue Talbot struck again with a Yellow Bellied Flycatcher at Swan Point. Also at Swan Point, Tim Metcalf found a  Lincoln's Sparrow.

    BJ Whitehouse had a White Faced Ibis at Ft. Getty.

May 21 Alan Kneidel crushed it again with a Cerulean on Ponagansett Rd.

Bird Club president Tom Younkin found a large flock of Red Knots at Napatree on May 22

Norther Fulmar

   On May 26 thirty two birders went out on a dedicated pelagic on a Francis Fleet Boat. The boat went out to Cox Ledge. One person saw a South Polar Skua ( Paul L'Etoile with photos), a few birders did see a Red Necked Phalarope. The highlight for most of us was a Northern Fulmar that put on quite a show behind the boat for thirty minutes. We also had Great Shearwaters, Sooty Shearwaters and Wilson's Storm Petrels in very good numbers. It was a perfect day to be on the water

May 28 Sue Palmer found a King Rail at Trustom Pond. Once found, this bird has been super cooperative staying right out in the open unphased by lurking birders and photographers for a couple days.

 The following day, Sue found a Cattle Egret in Matunack  hanging out with some Herefords.

Later in the month Francis Carter was the place to be Grasshopper Sparrows came back as did the Indigo Buntings, Prairie Warblers and Eastern Kingbirds. There have been two flyover Sandhill Cranes. Flyover Missisissippi Kites were seen and photographed by Tom Younkin There is a Dickcissel (found by Tim Metcalf) pair that has been seen mating. The Blue Grossbeaks have been seen but not regularly. Jess Bishop and Bill Thompson have recordings of an Alder Flycatcher from over the weekend.  

  For me personally, I saw many but not all of these birds. I was working through the Kentucky, Cerulean, and Mourning Warblers that were posing like runway models at Mia. I did hear the Cerulean on Ponagansett Rd, but was hoping for a photo. I did get photos of the King Rail which was probably my RI highlight besides the pelagic. My best bird that I found by myself was a Solitary Sandpiper that stuck around the Cumberland Monastery for a couple of days. 

Up north I went to Plum Island three days. I went Thursday and Friday May 13, 14. Thursday was tough and I had to work for every bird. Friday brought in a few more birds. I saw a Nashville, Blackpoll, and the common species. 

Blackburnian at Plum Island

   The following week was spectacular at Parker River. I was told that Monday (the 16th which was the best day of the month in RI also) was the best birding day on the island in fifty years.  The winds were just right to drop thousands of migrating birds out of the sky. I looked at some ebird reports and they were insane. One report had 102 species while another had 18 Blackburnians! The whole week was supposedly very good.

  I went Friday the 20th. I can't imagine the Monday being any better. Birding was so good at Plum I birded for eleven straight hours. My tally is absolutely ridiculous. 

18 species of warbler, 3 Blackburnians, 3 Northern Waterthrushes, 8 Wilson's, 6 Canadas, 15+ Bay Breasted, 10+ Chestnut Sided, Over 25 each Black and Whites, Mags, Black Throated Blue and Black Throated Greens. Over 100 Redstarts and Common Yellowthroats. One Scarlet Tanager and a pair of Cape Mays, and a Lincoln Sparrow. It was one of the best birding days of my life. I got six photo upgrades and one life photo (Wilson's Warbler). 

This amazing bird is a Kirtland's Warbler
Seen by the RI Audubon group at Magee Marsh, OH.
Photo credit goes to Dian Kriz

   Out of New England, a group of RI Audubon birders took a trip to Magee Marsh in Ohio and they saw a Kirkland's Warbler among other things!  Among those other things were Trumpeter Swans, Black Necked Stilt, Bald Eagles, Sandhill Cranes, Whip-poor-will, a Red Bat, not to mention all of the warblers!

   All in all May birding was very good in RI this year. There weren't two many days where birds were dripping from the trees, but almost all of the rare warblers showed up. In my opinion, it took a while to get going but from the middle of the month on there was usually something I wanted to see. Here's to hoping some June rarities show up!

 

Wilson's Warbler,
Plum Island,
May 20, 2022
Life Photo