Stopped at Gilman Ponds again this morning: Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling across the street, good number of late shorebirds (although the Willet has moved on).
Have been monitoring warbler migration discussions on various listservs, decided to look over my own numbers/trends for this spring. These would cover Sherburne, Mille Lacs and (to a lesser degree) Aitkin Counties - birded 5-6 days per week throughout the month, primarily morning walks. * Relatively frequent sightings during migration (10-100+ sighting/hearings) - Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Palm, Black-and-White, American Redstart, Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Common Yellowthroat * Less frequent (4-9 sightings/hearings) - Tennessee, Nashville (both surprising), Cape May, Black-throated Green, Pine, Wilson's * Barely there (1-3 sightings/hearings) - Orange-crowned, Northern Parula, Magnolia (unusual), Blackburnian (same), Blackpoll, Connecticut, Mourning (they nest here) - many of these only one * Non-existent - Bay-breasted, Canada (usually have multiples of both), Black-throated Blue (not surprising), southern warblers Virtually no waves (two, both primarily Yellow-rumped early). High day was 17 (historically break 20 one to three times per season, both in southern WI & here). From this birder's somewhat subjective viewpoint, it was a slow spring. Am also eighteen overall species behind last year's totals through 5/31. Good birding to all! Al Schirmacher Princeton, MN Mille Lacs & Sherburne Counties
