Date: 6/1/25 7:25 pm From: Matt S. <accipiter22...> Subject: [MASSBIRD] June 1, 2025 - Quiet out. End of migration season wrap-up
Hi All,
Earlier this week my yard got very quiet; most days you could hear at least a few warblers species calling from migrants passing through, along with residents like the Ovenbird. By Thursday I was noticing that even the Ovenbird had quieted down largely. The Veery tapered off as well. I felt the migration winding down, which is why I wanted to bring my daughter out earlier in the week for her first "big girl" trip.
This was an interesting migration season. I hate being so far away from Rock Meadow & Mount Auburn, even 45 minutes is a chasm for places I love that much. The season kicked off so early, in late April we were getting "May 12th-ish" species, and then that first week of May was so damp and rainy. Some seasons stick out in my head; last year was that double-dip where we had a really early peak, things died, then picked up again towards the end of May. 2014 was a monster year for spring migration, 2013 was largely a dud. I think this year there were a few really good days; I think May 8th from reports sounded really nice too. The tern fallout on the 23rd after the nor'easter was probably the highlight for me, and that little patch of Sandy Point was its own encapsulated monster day. I've never seen anything like that, ever.
Overall, I think a lot of stuff moved through that last week of April, and so numbers, again to me anyway, seemed lower through the month of May. All the usual folks were there, but I do not recall numbers being overwhelming for any particular species, just a steady even flow. That Kentucky at Mount Auburn was probably the bird of the Spring, but I do not recall many other big overshoots otherwise. This is the 2nd straight year we have had a very early start to migration; last year we had that early peak as the first of what I perceived as two huge pulses coming through. Part of me hopes that birds are starting to adapt to the warming climate and getting up here quicker to stay in synch with things.
For me personally, I still got to Rock Meadow and Mount Auburn, but not as much as I had hoped when moving. A big part of that was the weather the first week of May though. Being closer to Parker River is nice, but it's still almost a half hour distant, and it's a big spot, so it's not like being 15 minutes from Mount Auburn or something. The yard birds have been fantastic, 18 warbler species moved through, along with whip-poor-wills, veeries, YB Fly, Nighthawk, etc. I cannot complain about the breadth of species that come to this yard, not one bit.
Now on to summer birding! I hope everyone had a pleasant migration season, and i look forward to bumping into folks out in the wild.
