[birdky] RPT: Wonderful passerine fallout in Louisville May 12

I've been under the weather most of the week, but when you step outside
first thing in the morning and are confronted with a Blackpoll, two
Magnolias, a Cape May, a Tennessee, an Ovenbird, Wood and Swainson's
thrushes, and a Lincoln's Sparrow all singing within earshot of the back
door, you have to spend a little time walking around. Predawn rain showers
to the north and the back door cool front that passed thru northeast KY
yesterday must have been responsible for as nice a grounding of migrants as
I have seen on our family farm in several years. I've noticed a good bit of
song this week, but yesterday it had built to a crescendo. In walking around
only a part of the farm I had 22 species of warblers and more. It was a day
of multiple Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Blackpoll, Blackburnian, and American
Redstarts, some lingerers like Yellow-rumped, Nashville and Black-throated
Greens (several of each), and a couple of late ones (Canada and Mourning); I
even had some birds like Kentucky and Hooded (2), which are quite uncommon
(and usually earlier in the season) as migrants here. Two Common
Yellowthroats and a Yellow-breasted Chats were flushed from wooded areas!
Who would think that I'd have about half-a-dozen Black-and-white Warblers on
12 May when local breeders in the Knobs of Kentucky have been back for over
a month! Thrushes and Gray Catbirds were skulking about in the company of
Lincoln's Sparrows. It was a good Empidonax flycatcher day with multiple
calling Leasts and a Yellow-bellied, plus a Traill's type that I think was a
Willow. The best "farm bird" of the day was an Osprey circling overhead
before coasting northward.  

Migration is certainly a really neat thing to experience in the context of a
local place you know well. I thought that last week's relatively hot weather
would cause birds to zoom through after being delayed by about 10 days of
abnormally cool weather, but it seems that has not been the case. Last night
the sun set with the winds blowing out of the northeast at 5-10, so I
suspect most of the birds stayed the night. Tonight may be another matter,
but overnight storms may cause another wave to drop in. 

bpb, Louisville
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