Waiting Game

We are in a period of unfavorable winds for concentrating large numbers of migrants along the Atlantic coast, with strong easterly winds forecast through the foreseeable future. A bit disappointing as we enter the peak of the season, but this is the prevailing wind direction and bird migration has evolved accordingly. Songbirds traveling between North, Central and South America in spring generally are following paths to the west of their southbound routes in fall; a phenomenon known as loop migration. The end result of this for observers in Florida is that we see fewer species overall in spring than in fall, but certain species such as the Blackpoll Warbler are much more common in spring. Some species, such as the Black-throated Blue Warbler whose winter range is almost entirely in the Greater Antilles, are common here in both spring and fall.

Still, new species are trickling in. Here are some of the recent highlights:

Spring 2022 Totals (from March 15)

SPECIES	NEW	RETURN
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1	–
Common Ground-dove	1	–
Chuck-will’s Widow	4	–
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	1	–
Blue-headed Vireo	1	–
Black-whiskered Vireo	1	–
Wood Thrush	1	–
Gray Catbird	59	4
Northern Parula	7	–
Cape May Warbler	2	–
Black-throated Blue Warbler	20	–
Prairie Warbler	70	–
Western Palm Warbler	5	–
Black & white Warbler	27	3
American Redstart	28	1
Worm-eating Warbler	33	–
Swainson’s Warbler	12	–
Ovenbird	12	3
Northern Waterthrush	19	–
Louisiana Waterthrush	3	–
Kentucky Warbler	2	–
Common Yellowthroat	14	1
Hooded Warbler	1	–
Northern Cardinal	5	11
Indigo Bunting	1	–
Painted Bunting	2	1
Common Grackle	1	–

	# BIRDS CAPTURED	# SPECIES	# NETS	NET HOURS	CAPTURE RATE (BIRDS/100NH)
SEASON TOTAL	358	27	25	4689	8.13