It seems we are now going to pay the price for the glorious weather of the last two weeks! An unsettled pattern should develop, thanks to a large trough of low pressure. However, we can actually use the rain now, as this prolonged dry period has parched the surface enough that we are seeing very high fire danger here in Southern Maine at the moment. Plus, our gardens could use a good quenching – and I’ll be happy not to be behind the hose watering my new fruiting bushes for a few days.

After above-normal temperatures for the better part of the past two weeks, we are now due to see a period of below-normal temps. That, combined with the wet flow off the still-cold ocean, will produce some rather raw weather. Insects, especially flying ones, will not be abundant, and flowering plants may get delayed again. Therefore, with hummingbirds and orioles, among others, due to arrive in the very near future, make sure your feeding station is well stocked with fruit, jelly, and nectar. Remember, in those hummingbird feeders – DO NOT USE RED DYE! In fact, use NOTHING other than pure, white, granulated table sugar – which is 100% sucrose, which is what flower nectar essentially is (in a one-part sugar to four parts water ratio. Boil. Cool. Refill every 3-5 days, at this time of year, more often in the summer. Nothing more, nothing less!). While we are happy to provide the convenience of an “instant sugar” here at the store - that saves the boiling and cooling step - PLEASE avoid any of these commercial mixes that include things that a hummingbird doesn’t need, want, or even worse – could be deadly. In fact, the Red 40 used in many mixes, which is made from coal tar (!), has been linked with kidney failure and cancerous lesions. At the very least, you are wasting your money, and at the worst, we are killing our hummingbirds with kindness. Meanwhile, oranges and grape jelly (especially together on its own feeder) is exceptionally popular with early-arriving orioles, tanagers, catbirds, and others. And don’t forget mealworms – both live and dried – for those hungry insectivores! My guess is that the next week will produce some good feeder-watching, from hoards of White-throated Sparrows feasting on white millet on the ground to Pine Warblers snacking on suet cakes.

OK, moving on . . .With a light northerly flow overnight Thursday into Friday, very few birds were on the move. However, I did enjoy a nice aggregation of 75+ “Yellow” Palm Warblers and 50+ Yellow-rumped Warblers at Florida Lake. My guess is that these birds arrived earlier, possibly in the mini-fallout of Thursday morning. This park also tends to hold these two species for days after they arrive, thanks to a plethora of small, flying midges that hatch here this time of year. In fact, this park is probably my favorite late-April patch. On Friday, I also spotted my first Cliff Swallow of the year, cruising around with the local gang of Tree Swallows.

It was back to Florida Lake on Saturday morning with my birdwalk group, and it did not disappoint. My first Green Heron of the year flew over Rte 136 on our way to the park, and we also spotted my first Black-and-white Warbler of the year. A female Rusty Blackbird was a real crowd-pleaser, but the stars of the show this morning were the 150+ Yellow-rumped and 100+ “Yellow” Palm Warblers covering the edges of the park. (A complete run-down of the outing is on our website). The radar was down for maintenance, so I couldn’t download the radar images. However, my guess is that a moderate flight occurred on the light and variable winds overnight.

Not a whole lot moved Saturday night into Sunday, but a small flight of Yellow-rumped Warblers was still detectable in the morning. However, at Old Town House Park, I found very, very few migrants, although a nice look at a Wilson’s Snipe and a pair of nest-building Brown Creepers made the trip worthwhile. Then, I headed up to the Hawkwatch to see if there were any raptors moving on the calm winds ahead of an approaching front. Unfortunately, there were few – only 3 Osprey and 4 Broad-winged Hawks when I left at 11:30 (with a light drizzle beginning to fall). I think we saw our “pre-frontal flight” yesterday – 98 raptors, including an immature Northern Goshawk and TWO Black Vultures! However, there was a steady trickle of passerines - mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers and Purple Finches, but also a group of 7 Evening Grosbeaks.

Meanwhile, my guess is that we’ll be seeing a much slower hawkwcount this week than we have seen in the past 2 weeks due to the aforementioned weather pattern shift. However, at this time of year, birds have little time to dilly-dally, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see some decent flights – especially of small falcons – on less-than-ideal conditions. Furthermore, we have not yet seen our pulse of immature Broad-winged Hawks yet, so another wave of birds is still on the way. There’s a reason we count until May 15th!