Massive movements of orioles, hummingbirds and hundreds of other Neotropical migrants occurred during the last week! David Aborn's last weather report set the stage for what people witnessed across the eastern U.S. and Canada. Just as he predicted, after the stationary front finally moved, a flurry of migration activity followed in its wake. Migration that had been stalled for several days finally moved northward.
An event known as a "fallout" occurred, in which rain and wind causes massive numbers of migrating birds to land at once. This weather system affected millions of birds, from shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Erie to the south coast of Nova Scotia. As you'll read more detail below:
* In Chicago, rain and cold temperatures forced exhausted birds to feed on the ground. Almost every available patch of vegetation downtown Chicago and along the Chicago River were covered with birds. Many birds were too tired to move out of the way and were struck by passing cars. As you'll read below, there were so few insects available when the temperatures were so cold that many birds were starving.
* In Nova Scotia, due to the fallout one observer saw 130 orioles in one place at one time! In a typical spring there are fewer than 20 white-crowned sparrows noted province-wide; on Sunday the 12th a census turned up an astonishing 530 birds in one small area !!!
* In Illinois, students on a field trip spotted the first orioles of the season and spontaneously shared the oranges from their lunch with the hungry travellers.
Try This!
*************************************************************
The Following Migration Sightings Collected by the Volunteers of the National Birding Hotline Cooperative and Journey North:
NORTHERN ORIOLES
Apr 30 New Canaan, CT
May 3 Rockford, IL
May 4 Chicago, IL
May 4 Portland, ME
May 4 Brunswick, ME
May 4 York, Dauphin, Lebanon and Perry County, PA
May 5 Baltimore, MD
May 7 Dodgeville, WI
May 8 Madison, WI
May 8 Statewide, CT
May 8 Nashville, TN
May 8 Northampton, MA
May 8 Springfield, MA
May 9 Ancaster, Ontario
May 9 Burlington (SW of Toronto), Ontario
May 9 Cleveland, OH
May 10 Manchester, NH
May 10 Jamestown, NY
May 11 Boston, MA
May 11 Minneapolis, MN
May 12 Brier Island, Nova Scotia
May 13 Almont, CO (near Crested Butte)
May 13 Minneapolis, MN
May 13 Fulton Coounty, NY
May 14 Fairport, New York
May 15 White Bear Lake, MN
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RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS
Apr 30 New Canaan, CT
May 2 Western, NY
May 4 Springfield, IL
May 4 Chicago, IL
May 4 Portland, ME
May 4 Reading, PA
May 7 Nantucket Island, MA
May 8 Amherst, MA
May 8 Statewide, CT
May 9 Ancaster, Ontario
May 9 Burlington (SW of Toronto)
May 10 Manchester, NH
May 10 West Kingston, RI
May 11 Haverhill, MA
May 11 Brier Island, Nova Scotia
May 12 Haverhill, MA
May 13 Belmont, NY
*************************************************************
Comments From Observers
(WARNING: This report contains 11 pages of sightings! Print with caution!)
From CONNECTICUT:
April 30
The first real vanguard of spring warbler migration arrived in a big
way statewide on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 30th and May 1st, in
spite of, or perhaps because of the foggy rainy weather. Examples
are twelve species of warblers at the New Canaan Nature Center on
Tuesday, and twelve species of warblers in southeastern Connecticut
on Wednesday, and fourteen species at Cove Island Park in Stamford,
also last Wednesday. Recent spring arrivals include: RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRD and BALTIMORE ORIOLE
From Western NEW YORK:
Western New York and adjacent Ontario
May 2
This week's spring arrivals include RUBY-T. HUMMINGBIRD.
From ILLINOIS:
May 3
A single oriole was seen on May 3rd and one more on May 9th.
Suddenly, on May 10th, all kinds of them were spotted!! There were
3-4 males seen all at one time and some females. The school children
were so excited to see orioles and decided to save their oranges
from their lunches so that they could give them to the orioles.
Weather is still cool and in fact, the day the orioles showed up,
the weather was not good--it was cold and rainy. The first ruby-
throated hummingbird was seen on May 9th.
Holly Hofreiter & Don Miller
Severson Dells Environmental Education Center
Rockford, Illinois
From ILLINOIS:
May 4, 1996
The cold temperatures are letting only a few migrants a day get through.
Certain segments of the migrant populations are just not here- such as
Red-eyed Vireos, several warblers, and Veeries. However, a few have come in.
New birds May 4 in Sangamon Co.(South of Springfield ) were RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRD, BELL'S VIREO, and BOBOLINK.
From ILLINOIS:
May 4, 1996
>From DuPage County
In a yard in southern Downers Grove(West of Chicago)- On Saturday, near the
end of the day, a BALTIMORE ORIOLE was spotted.
From MAINE:
May 4
A RUBY THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was seen elsewhere in Westbrook (West of
Portland). In Gray (North of Portland), there was a NORTHERN ORIOLE.
In Georgetown (SE of Brunswick) 1 NORTHERN ORIOLE.
From Central PENNSYLVANIA:
May 4 & 5, 1996
Last week brought in a lot of interesting migrants. including
BALTIMORE ORIOLES were reported from many different sites in York,
Dauphin, Lebanon, and Perry counties. Around Memorial Lake at Fort
Indiantown Gap, Lebanon County (West of Reading) there were RUBY-
THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS
From MARYLAND:
May 5, 1996
Phoenix Pond and Rail Trail (Baltimore area) on Sunday, with many
BALTIMORE ORIOLES near the pond.
From WISCONSIN
May 7, 1996
One Northern oriole sited close to Iowa-Grant school
in southwest Wisconsin, west of Dodgeville,WI
by a 6th grader. Stephanie Dirks, Iowa-Grant School District
Livingston, WI dirks@cybertown.net
From MASSACHUSETTS:
Nantucket Island
May 7
Even harder to spot, but then if luck is with you, you may be one of the
few to see one of the RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS migrating through our
area. A birder on Polpis Road near Reyes Pond had one buzz by his
head on 5/7.
From WISCONSIN
May 8, 1996
Madison area backyard sightings include NORTHERN ORIOLE.
From CONNECTICUT:
May 8, 1996
Recent arrivals statewide include: A slew of migrants arrived this
past weekend with many observers reporting 13-15 species of warblers.
Other migrants reported included RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS,
NORTHERN ORIOLES
From TENNESSEE:
May 8, 1996
At Radnor Lake, Nashville, on the NTOS walk on the 8th, there were
77 species observed. Highlights included: both ORIOLES.
From MASSACHUSETTS:
May 8, 1996
In Hatfield (West of Amherst) 2 RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS were
spotted there. At the Oxbow N.W.R. in Easthampton (SW of
Northampton) a NORTHERN ORIOLE was reported. Longmeadow (South of
Springfield): At Pondside today with many other migrants were: 5
NORTHERN ORIOLES.
From ONTARIO:
May 9, 1996
Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
New migrant sightings this week in our area include BOBOLINK, NORTHERN
ORIOLE, and RUBY- THROATED HUMMINGBIRD.
From NEW JERSEY:
May 9, 1996
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are regular at CMBO's feeders (Cape May).
(CREDIT: Cape May Bird Observatory staff)
From ONTARIO:
May 9, 1996
Last night's rain and this morning's fog contributed to a major
fallout of birds on the North shore of Lake Erie and inland at least
as far as Burlington (SW of Toronto). At least 22 species of warbler
were at Long Point and 16 at Selkirk PP and Nanticoke and more were
also seen on the Lake Ontario shoreline at the Beach Canal and in
Burlington. Listeners watching activity in their yards today
reported RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, and NORTHERN ORIOLE. Tonight's
weather forecast suggests that many of today's arrivals will still
be around tomorrow.
From ILLINOIS:
May 9 & 10, 1996
Chicago area
Friday, May 10, at 11:30pm.
The huge migration fallout was even better today than yesterday
along the Lake Michigan shoreline, with thousands of passerines
being seen on the ground almost everywhere along the lakefront.
Almost every available patch of vegetation downtown and along the
Chicago River were covered with birds today. Large numbers of
passerines are also being reported further west along the Des
Plaines River, and I have received over a dozen feeder reports with
feeders in backyards containing up to 16 ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS,
seven ORIOLES, 15 INDIGO BUNTINGS, CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, CHATS,
and WHIP-POOR-WILLS. Tonights freezing cold rainy weather and
strong north winds certainly means that most of these birds won't
be migrating, much less surviving as the insect-eating species are
having a difficult time finding food and keeping dry.
From NEW YORK:
May 10 & May 13
A Baltimore/Northern Oriole near Jamestown, NY (Chatauqua County) on 5/10.
A Rubythroat Hummingbird near Belmont, NY (Allegany County) on 5/13.
Both of these sightings are relatively close to the NY/PA border
Mark_Fitzsimons@cabo.wnyric.org (Mark Fitzsimons)
From OHIO:
May 10, 1996
Friday, May 10th was an excellent day along the lakefront. 112 Species
were counted at Mentor Headlands (NE of Cleveland) Additionally many
species were noted in high number at Headlands (NE of Cleveland) including:
BALTIMORE ORIOLE
From NEW HAMPSHIRE:
May 10, 1996
New spring arrivals include Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Bobolink and Oriole,
Many of these reports were from Pawtuckaway State Park in Deerfield (NE of
Manchester), Ballard Marsh in Derry (SE of Manchester), Clough State Park
in Weare (NW of Manchester), and the Mascoma Lake area of Enfield (NE of
Lebanon).
From MISSOURI
Statewide
May 10, 1996
Amazing numbers of CATBIRDS, WARBLING VIREOS, SUMMER TANAGERS and
particularly ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS are being reported across the
central part of the state with the assumption being that their
northward migration has been halted by the number of storm fronts
with the accompanying heavy rains keeping the birds here in the
middle of the state.
From RHODE ISLAND:
May 10, 1996
Near West Kingston1 RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was seen.
From RHODE ISLAND:
May 10, 1996
FROM CENTRAL AND NORTHERN RHODE ISLAND: At Swan Point, 1 BALTIMORE
ORIOLE was seen.
From Eastern MASSACHUSETTS:
May 10, 1996
Reported from Nantucket (Nantucket Island) was a RUBY-THROATED
HUMMINGBIRD. Rising temperatures combined with a southerly airflow
overnight on the 10th could make for some fine birding over the
weekend. Indeed, the stage is set for the first real migrant wave
of the season.
From MINNESOTA:
May 11
I heard a familiar whistle at 7 am on Saturday morning and spotted
my first oriole of the season. Stormy weather and strong north
winds blew all day Friday but had cleared by Saturday morning. This
male was an early bird; no more arrived in my neighborhood until
the morning of the 16th. Elizabeth Donnelly, Journey North
Minneapolis, MN jnorth@learner.org
From NOVA SCOTIA:
May 11
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) - 2 on Brier Island
May 11. First report(s) for the spring.
From ILLINOIS:
May 11
This is the Chicago Audubon Society bird report for
Saturday, May 11, at 10:00pm.
Greater Chicagoland Area
Last night's 45 mile and hour north winds blew most of the migrants
away from the lakefront. Huge numbers of warblers are being seen
inland, especially along the Des Plaines River forest preserves.
Incredible looks are being obtained of all species, as they are all
on the ground looking for insects. Not only are many of the birds
underweight and starving, but many are also being hit by cars. I had
over 20 species of warblers this evening on the driving roads in
Schiller Woods. The starving warblers are totally oblivious to
people or to cars, and can easily be approached to within three or
four feet. They will even feed under the car if you park it for a
few seconds. Hundreds of warblers are being hit by cars along the
faster main roads that border the forest preserves. Over 60 dead
birds were seen today on Montrose Beach (North side of Downtown
Chicago). Tomorrow will be no different, as the high is only
predicted to be 55 degrees. If the weather doesn't warm up soon, it
may have a disastrous impact on many of these insect eating species.
Some of the more interesting feeder reports today include 10 BALTIMORE and three HUMMINGBIRDS.
From MASSACHUSETTS:
May 11 & 12, 1996
As anticipated this past weekend saw a massive fallout of
migrant birds all across Massachusetts north at least as far
as southern Maine. The weather dam that had huge numbers
of overdue migrants pinned down in the mid-Atlantic states
for the past week or so finally broke with the strong southerly
air flow on Friday evening. When the advancing tide of migrant
birds ran into Saturday afternoon's cold front, thousands of
migrants dropped out all over central New England. Whenever
such propitious weather conditions occur at the peak of
migration, the result for birders can be truly AWESOME. While
it is impossible to enumerate all the bird reports received
from this spectacular event, a summary of some the more
notable concentrations convey the story.
Migrants counted at Eastern Point in Gloucester (NE of Boston) included 40 BALTIMORE ORIOLES . Among the total of over 700 wood warblers noted along the South Shore between the Glades and North Scituate, and Fairy Hill Thicket and Cherry Hill Conservation Area in Marshfield (SE of Boston) were 32 BALTIMORE ORIOLES
From NOVA SCOTIA:
May 11 & 12, 1996
The on-set of NE winds in the southern Bay of Fundy (Near Saint
John) early in the afternoon of May 11 caused a spectacular, and
completely unexpected, fall-out of birds on southern off-shore
islands in Nova Scotia. Two islands reported on this event, Brier
and Cape Sable. Persistent fog on Brier Island May 12 kept the
birds land-bound, allowing a systematic census that resulted in some
record-high counts of certain species for theprovince.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) - 2 on Brier Island May 11. First report(s) for the spring.
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) - A census on Brier Island May 12 turned up an impressive 130 birds, in all age groups and plumages. This count is a provincial high for spring. Occurrence related to the fall-out in the afternoon of May 11, along the south coast of Nova Scotia.
From WISCONSIN
May 12
One male and female Northern Oriole was sighted near Iowa-Grant School
west of Dodgeville, WI. Also sighted was a Ruby Throated Hummingbird.
Stephanie Dirks, Iowa-Grant School District
Livingston, WI dirks@cybertown.net
From MASSACHUSETTS:
May 12
Reporting from the Consentino School in Haverhill, MA. one of our
students, Greg Corthell, saw a light-green colored hummingbird in
his backyard on may 12. Also Jeremy McGraw saw a hummingbird with
green flecked wings and a bright red chest on May 11, 1996. We find
your reports to be quite interesting. pbrown@IDEA.uml.edu
From COLORADO:
May 13
Two pair of Northen Orioles in Almont, Colorado. This is the first
sighting at my house. They were initially attacted by hummingbird
nectar. Almont is 17 miles south of Crested Butte.
Patti Bippus, Principal, Crested Butte School
shoffman@teal.csn.org
From MINNESOTA:
May 13, 1996
The wait is over! I put out my part grape jelly, part water mixture
in my oriole feeder around the beginning of May hoping to see this
beautiful migrant return. Spring is behind schedule this year and,
in fact, the trees don't have much canopy yet in my neighborhood so
I didn't know when they would finally arrive from their distant
wintering grounds.Then around 6:30 p.m.on May 13th I caught a
glimpse in the corner of my eye of what looked like a flying
fireball. It was a beautiful male baltimore (northern) oriole coming
to get a well-deserved drink. Welcome back, you have been missed! J.
Brophy, Minneapolis, MN Journey North jb@inet-serv.com
From NEW YORK:
May 13
Hi! My name is Nancy D. from Fulton Co., New York. WE are at the
base of the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. On May 13th I
sighted my first northern oriole in my backyard. I have orange
slices, strawberries and cantalope slices in a plum bush in my
backyard. Apparently it works because since May 12, Mother's Day, I
have had a rose breasted grossbeak, a scarlet tanager and the
northern oriole all pay a visit. The oriole is hanging around. I
also have two male ruby throated hummingbirds fighting over two
feeders in my fruit trees. Happy birding! If you would like to
comment please e-mail me at lexprod@klink.net
From NEW YORK:
May 14
It was at a pond across from Fairport school bus garage. IT was fascinating.
43.10N 77.36W
Kevin Lindner and Stephen Patt
Mrs. Bies Class, Grade 5
Brooks Hill School
Fairport, New York
ccarlsen@monroe.edu
From MINNESOTA:
May 15
My mom has kept records for many years. Until this year, the latest date
for the orioles to return to their feeder was May 12. They arrived this
morning! She saw them at 7:15 a.m. visiting her nectar feeder.
Susan Sedro, Centerpoint Elementary, White Bear Lake, MN
Centerpoint Elementary
0624cpel@InforMNs.k12.MN.US - *A Community of Learners*
Mary Jo Rollins,Cammie Knudsen, Kate O'Brien, John Leininger, Judy Ross,
Kent Peterson, Sandy Kris-Herbert, Sue Donsker, Susan Sedro, Thom Green
************************************************************
Comments About Weather's Effect on Migration.
(Drawn from the
National Birding Hotline Cooperative.)
From ILLINOIS:
May 9-12
A huge migration fallout occurred on Thursday and Friday along the
Lake Michigan shoreline, with thousands of passerines being seen on
the ground almost everywhere along the lakefront. Almost every
available patch of vegetation downtown and along the Chicago River
were covered with birds Friday. Large numbers of passerines are also
being reported further west along the Des Plaines River, and I have
received over a dozen feeder reports with feeders in backyards
containing up to 16 ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAKS, seven ORIOLES, 15
INDIGO BUNTINGS, CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, CHATS, and WHIP-POOR-WILLS.
Friday night's freezing cold rainy weather and strong north winds
certainly means that most of these birds won't be migrating, much
less surviving as the insect-eating species are having a difficult
time finding food and keeping dry.
Friday night's 45 mile and hour north winds blew most of the migrants away from the lakefront. Huge numbers of warblers are being seen inland, especially along the Des Plaines River forest preserves. Incredible looks are being obtained of all species, as they are all on the ground looking for insects. Not only are many of the birds underweight and starving, but many are also being hit by cars. I had over 20 species of warblers this evening on the driving roads in Schiller Woods. The starving warblers are totally oblivious to people or to cars, and can easily be approached to within three or four feet. They will even feed under the car if you park it for a few seconds. Hundreds of warblers are being hit by cars along the faster main roads that border the forest preserves. Over 60 dead birds were seen today on Montrose Beach. One observer barely missed hitting a flock of 10 ORIOLES in the middle of Central Road in Arlington Heights. Tomorrow will be no different, as the high is only predicted to be 55 degrees. If the weather doesn't warm up soon, it may have a disastrous impact on many of these insect eating species.
This phenomenon is not occuring only in the Chicago area, but also in Indiana and probably other states as well, so it may well have a disastrous effect on our warbler population. The only good news is that if the birds are able to survive Sunday night's record freeze, it is expected to get up to 60 degrees tomorrow.
From EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS -
May 10.
The cool and rainy weather much of the week has slowed down
spring migration somewhat, although most of the expected
early May species have been reported, even if only in small numbers.
Rising temperatures combined with a southerly airflow overnight
could make for some fine birding over the weekend. Indeed, the
stage is set for the first real migrant wave of the season.
(From: Voice of Audubon)
From ONTARIO:
At 10:00AM Friday, May 10, 1996, this is an update to last evening's
Hamilton Naturalists' Club Birding Hotline report.
The update is to advise listeners that with last night's rain (May 9) and this morning's fog there has been a major fallout of birds along the north shore of Lake Erie and at least as far north as Hamilton. At least one early birder saw 18 species of warbler in a short period.
With conditions like this, the only message is to get out to the nearest
woodlot if at all possible and look around.
Mike Street, Ancaster, Ontario,
From IOWA:
(IOWA RBA for May 13, 1996)
The migration is still delayed, but the storm last week did create quite a
fallout of passerines, at least in the southern portion of the state.
From NOVA SCOTIA:
(RBA Nova Scotia13 May 1996 (Monday)
The on-set of NE winds in the southern Bay of Fundy early in the
afternoon of May 11 caused a spectacular, and completely unexpected,
fall-out of birds on southern off-shore islands in Nova Scotia. Two
islands reported on this event, Brier and Cape Sable. Persistent
fog on Brier Island May 12 kept the birds land-bound, allowing a
systematic census that resulted in some record-high counts of
certain species for the province.
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula) - A census on Brier Island May 12 turned up an impressive 130 birds, in all age groups and plumages. A further 10 were seen in an hour visit to Freeport, Long Island. This count is a provincial high for spring. Occurrence related to the fall-out in the afternoon of May 11, along the south coast of Nova Scotia.
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) - A census on Brier Island May 12 turned up an astonishing 530 (!!!) birds, all concentrated at feeders in Westport, and along Camp Road. In a typical spring there are fewer than 20 birds noted province-wide. At one feeder 70 birds were in view at one time. A one-hour search of Freeport on nearby Long Island found an additional 120 birds. This count is a provincial high, surpassing record autumn counts, when this species is more expected. Occurrence related to the fall-out in the afternoon of May 11, along the south coast of Nova Scotia.
From NEW YORK:
May 13
On Sunday, observers all over Syracuse found these birds feeding on
the ground, forced down by the snow and cold weather.
From IOWA:
May 13, 1996
The migration is still delayed, but the storm last week did create
quite a fallout of passerines, at least in the southern portion of
the state.
The Next Northern Oriole and Hummingbird Migration Update Will be Posted on May 23, 1996.