You can easily tell when I have a big project to start work on. I procrastinate. I find excuses not to sit down and get to work. I currently have three writing assignments. One, already to my editor, is my latest product review for Birding Magazine on the new 50mm spotting scopes from Nikon and Minox. Done; only the edits to go. I’ve just sent in my book review, also for Birding Magazine, on the new Birding Maine book (short answer – maybe the worst birding guide that I have ever read, and it will NEVER see the light of day on our store’s shelves. Need I really say more? Or, do you want to know how I REALLY feel about it?). OK, that’s off to the respective editor as well now. So, it’s time to begin the third project.

I was asked to write an article on backyard bird feeding – encompassing all topics from seed to feeders to baths to houses to . . . – for New Jersey Audubon’s magazine. I was quite honored to be asked to do this, so of course I jumped at the assignment. The only problem that I have is that with major writing tasks, I need to just really sit down and get into the zone, and begin to write, err, type. But, it’s May, and it’s birdy out there!

So, even when I am not out birding, I have been doing an excellent of not starting this article (like writing this blog instead, for example!). One source of countless “wasted” time has been spent sitting in front of the window at the store. Our feeders have just been hopping, and I can’t get enough – especially when enough would entail getting to work in front of the computer! We have at least 3, maybe 4 Baltimore Orioles coming to the grape jelly. Two pairs of Gray Catbirds, plus a single interloper, are visiting both the jelly and the suet feeders, and their constant squabbling has been quite entertaining. Ya know, if they spent less time chasing each other, they wouldn’t have to eat as much jelly!

Meanwhile, a subadult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak has taken a fancy to our awesome new EZ Feeder with a WildBird Feast block. A single White-crowned Sparrow is still here, joining up to 4 Chipping and one pair of Song Sparrows under the feeders; I believe that this is the same pair that has been here since last year, having successfully overwintered at the feeders, although of course, I cannot be sure. A handful of Red-winged Blackbirds – one of the most beautiful birds around, in my opinion – come and go from the marsh across the street while our pair of Hairy Woodpeckers are busy flying off with large chunks of suet for hungry nestlings. And, of course, there’s the rest of our usual cast of characters. In fact, we’ve been seeing 26-28 species of birds at our feeding station each day over the past couple of weeks. Each week, we post a summary of our feeder birds on our website (the entry from the past week is here) This is a great way to see what’s in the area, and to find out what to be expecting in your yard as well. It also goes to show you how a wide variety of feeders and foodstuffs (from seed to mealworms to jelly to sugar water, etc), combined with some decent cover and some native plantings can really draw birds in – even when your garden is sandwiched between two parking lots!

Anyway, light winds, mostly west and southwest, overnight allowed for another decent push of migrants, although more birds departed than arrived, it seems. However, I was greeted by my first Eastern Wood-Pewee out the window this morning as I awoke. Here are the 10:00pm, 1:00am, and 4:00am radar images:

Looking at the radar, it seems that the stronger flight was inland. I would be that the shoreline of Sebago Lake – like Sebago Lake State Park - was hopping this morning. If I lived closer, this would be a spot I would check regularly, especially on mornings with a radar image showing an inland flight.

Meanwhile, I did stay closer to home, and visited Old Townhouse Park. Once again, I found very few obvious migrants – this park really just doesn’t seem to pull in migrant passerines in the spring. However, it was still quite birdy today with breeding species, especially Bobolinks. A Wood Thrush singing in the woods was my first for this park.

OK, now back to doing something else, other than beginning my next article!