May List

Our best month so far. 179 species. We bracketed our Ohio odyssey with 2 trips to Brigantine before we had to pretty much shut down the birding for some personal stuff. But, even while spending a couple of days mostly waiting at Staten Island University Hospital I did manage to see a few interesting birds, the most amusing being this hen turkey right off the parking lot.

We now enter the summer doldrums. Already the birds seem to have stopped singing, either because of the recent heat or, more likely, because they're nesting.  This makes birds harder to find and of course the migrants have already passed through. I've pretty much "used up" all the birds in the Whiting WMA, our backyard, and Crestwood Village for my Bird A Day contest. I've had to use way too many "reliable" birds this last week. In June I'll be looking and/or listening for thrushes and flycatchers but my real concentration will have to be on shorebirds if I want to continue the challenge. 

For those of you following along at home or those of you studying OCD, here is May's list:

Counties birded:

New Jersey: Atlantic, Burlington, Ocean

New York: Richmond

Ohio: Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky

Ontario: Essex

Key: First of year, LIFE BIRD, Rare bird

Species      First Sighting

Brant      Brigantine

Canada Goose      Horicon Lake

Mute Swan      Manahawkin WMA

Trumpeter Swan      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Wood Duck      Ottawa NWR--Boss Unit

Gadwall      Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

American Wigeon      Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

American Black Duck      Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Mallard      Horicon Lake

Blue-winged Teal      Ottawa NWR--Boss Unit

Northern Shoveler      Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Green-winged Teal      Brigantine

Lesser Scaup      Point Pelee National Park

Hooded Merganser      Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Red-breasted Merganser      Leamington--Harbour

Wild Turkey      35 Sunset Rd

Pied-billed Grebe      Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Double-crested Cormorant      Manahawkin WMA

American White Pelican      Magee Marsh--Beach East

Great Blue Heron      Horicon Lake

Great Egret      Manahawkin WMA

Snowy Egret      Manahawkin WMA

Little Blue Heron      Manahawkin WMA

Green Heron      Pearson Metropark

Glossy Ibis      Manahawkin WMA

Turkey Vulture      Horicon Lake

Osprey      Brigantine

Northern Harrier      Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Cooper's Hawk      Pearson Metropark

Bald Eagle      Brigantine

Red-shouldered Hawk      Ottawa NWR--Boss Unit

Red-tailed Hawk      Horicon Lake

Clapper Rail      Brigantine

Sora      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Common Gallinule      Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

American Coot      Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Sandhill Crane      Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Black-bellied Plover      Brigantine

Semipalmated Plover      Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

Killdeer      Pearson Metropark

American Oystercatcher      Brigantine

Black-necked Stilt      Manahawkin WMA

Spotted Sandpiper      Pearson Metropark

Solitary Sandpiper      Pearson Metropark

Greater Yellowlegs      Manahawkin WMA

Willet      Manahawkin WMA

Lesser Yellowlegs      Brigantine

Whimbrel      Brigantine

Ruddy Turnstone      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Semipalmated Sandpiper      Brigantine

Least Sandpiper      Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat

White-rumped Sandpiper      Brigantine

Dunlin      Brigantine

Short-billed Dowitcher      Brigantine

American Woodcock      Magee Marsh Parking Lot

Bonaparte's Gull      Point Pelee National Park

Laughing Gull      Brigantine

Ring-billed Gull      Point Pelee National Park

Herring Gull      Manahawkin WMA

Great Black-backed Gull      Manahawkin WMA

Least Tern      Brigantine

Gull-billed Tern      Brigantine

Caspian Tern      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Black Tern      Point Pelee National Park

Common Tern      Leamington--Harbour

Forster's Tern      Manahawkin WMA

Black Skimmer      Brigantine

Rock Pigeon      Oak Harbor

Mourning Dove      Horicon Lake

Yellow-billed Cuckoo      Colliers Mills WMA

Great Horned Owl      Magee Marsh Parking Lot

Common Nighthawk      Magee Marsh Parking Lot

Eastern Whip-poor-will      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Chimney Swift      Oak Harbor

Ruby-throated Hummingbird      35 Sunset Rd

Belted Kingfisher      Horicon Lake

Red-headed Woodpecker      Point Pelee National Park

Red-bellied Woodpecker      Crestwood Village

Downy Woodpecker      Crestwood Village

Hairy Woodpecker      Colliers Mills WMA

Northern Flicker      Horicon Lake

Olive-sided Flycatcher      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Eastern Wood-Pewee      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Least Flycatcher      Pearson Metropark

Eastern Phoebe      Horicon Lake

Great Crested Flycatcher      Crestwood Village

Eastern Kingbird      Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Yellow-throated Vireo      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Warbling Vireo      Point Pelee National Park

Red-eyed Vireo      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Blue Jay      Horicon Lake

American Crow      Crestwood Village

Fish Crow      Horicon Lake

Northern Rough-winged Swallow      Horicon Lake

Purple Martin      Horicon Lake

Tree Swallow      Horicon Lake

Barn Swallow      Horicon Lake

Cliff Swallow      Port Clinton--Put in Bay Ferry

Carolina Chickadee      Horicon Lake

Black-capped Chickadee      Pearson Metropark

Tufted Titmouse      Horicon Lake

Red-breasted Nuthatch      Pearson Metropark

White-breasted Nuthatch      35 Sunset Rd

House Wren      Whiting WMA

Marsh Wren      Pickerel Creek Wildlife Area

Carolina Wren      Horicon Lake

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher      Horicon Lake

Golden-crowned Kinglet      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Ruby-crowned Kinglet      Point Pelee National Park

Eastern Bluebird      Whiting WMA

Veery      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Swainson's Thrush      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Hermit Thrush      Point Pelee National Park

Wood Thrush      Pearson Metropark

American Robin      Horicon Lake

Gray Catbird      Horicon Lake

Northern Mockingbird      Horicon Lake

Brown Thrasher      Horicon Lake

European Starling      Horicon Lake

American Pipit      Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Cedar Waxwing      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Ovenbird      Horicon Lake

Louisiana Waterthrush      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Northern Waterthrush      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Blue-winged Warbler      Point Pelee National Park

GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER      Oak Openings Preserve Metropark

Black-and-white Warbler      Horicon Lake

Prothonotary Warbler      Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

TENNESSEE WARBLER      Pearson Metropark

Nashville Warbler      Pearson Metropark

Mourning Warbler      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Common Yellowthroat      Horicon Lake

American Redstart      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

êKIRTLAND'S WARBLER      Magee Marsh--Beach East

Cape May Warbler      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Northern Parula      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Magnolia Warbler      Pearson Metropark

Bay-breasted Warbler      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Blackburnian Warbler      Point Pelee National Park

Yellow Warbler      Brigantine

Chestnut-sided Warbler      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Blackpoll Warbler      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Black-throated Blue Warbler      Pearson Metropark

Palm Warbler      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Pine Warbler      Horicon Lake

Yellow-rumped Warbler      Metzger Marsh Wildlife Area

Yellow-throated Warbler      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Prairie Warbler      Crestwood Village

Black-throated Green Warbler      Point Pelee National Park

Wilson's Warbler      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

Eastern Towhee      Horicon Lake

Chipping Sparrow      Horicon Lake

CLAY-COLORED SPARROW      Ottawa NWR--Estuary Trail

Field Sparrow      Brigantine

Lark Sparrow      Oak Openings Preserve Metropark

Savannah Sparrow      Pearson Metropark

Seaside Sparrow      Cattus Island County Park

Song Sparrow      Horicon Lake

Lincoln's Sparrow      Magee Marsh--Boardwalk

White-throated Sparrow      35 Sunset Rd

White-crowned Sparrow      Maumee Bay SP

Scarlet Tanager      Magee Marsh Parking Lot

Northern Cardinal      Horicon Lake

Rose-breasted Grosbeak      Point Pelee National Park

Indigo Bunting      Pearson Metropark

Bobolink      Harder grasslands

Red-winged Blackbird      Horicon Lake

Eastern Meadowlark      Harder grasslands

Common Grackle      Horicon Lake

Boat-tailed Grackle      Brigantine

Brown-headed Cowbird      Horicon Lake

Orchard Oriole      Point Pelee National Park

Baltimore Oriole      Point Pelee National Park

Purple Finch      Oak Openings Preserve Metropark

House Finch      35 Sunset Rd

Pine Siskin      Oak Openings Preserve Metropark

American Goldfinch      35 Sunset Rd

House Sparrow      35 Sunset Rd