I guess we just were being impatient and couldn’t wait for the migrants to make it north, so Jeannette and I drove south. We’re back down in Jersey for a couple of days, and hopefully we’ll have some time to get outside – and with the forecast looking good for a hawk flight in the next couple of days, we’ll be working hard to get the chance to visit one of the area’s hawkwatches.

Spring has definitely sprung down here: grass is green, trees are blooming, some bushes are getting leaves, and many more migrants have arrived. This morning, a walk at nearby Duke Island Park in Bridgewater produced a smattering of migrants, larger numbers of some species that are just now making it into Maine (such as Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers) and others that have not yet arrived (like Northern Rough-winged Swallow and Ruby-crowned Kinglet). Lots of birds were singing there this morning, including Eastern Bluebirds, Carolina Wrens, and things that at least sounded like Carolina Chickadees (here in the zone of overlap, I tend to leave all chickadees identified as only “Chickadee species.”). And, as always, lots of raucous Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

Meanwhile, on the way south yesterday, Jeannette and I spent an hour or so at Fort Foster in Kittery. In addition to a total of seven Phoebes, we heard one Virginia Rail (always a treat) calling from the marsh, and we also had a good view of a 1st cycle Iceland Gull in the river.