The Brilliant and Beautiful Birds of May
The male scarlet tanager is an eye-popping brilliant red that makes many people, on seeing one for the first time, assume it is a rarity from the tropics that has mistakenly made its way to Maine. In reality, scarlet tanagers are a relatively common and widespread bird of mature deciduous forest across the state. Courtesy of Allison Wells
The northern parula is a tiny warbler that breeds from southeastern Canada south to the Gulf Coast and is found throughout Maine. It builds its nest using the light green “old man’s beard” moss that can be seen in many coniferous trees here in Maine. Courtesy of Jeff Wells
At first sight, the black cap of the blackpoll warbler may cause some people to mistake it for our familiar black-capped chickadee. But while chickadees are permanent residents here in Maine, the blackpoll warbler migrates north from northern South America each spring. Some breed in the patches of spruce habitat at the high elevations of Maine’s mountains. Most continue north into the Boreal Forest of Canada and Alaska to nest. Courtesy of Jeff Wells
Many a non-birder has mistaken the red on the breast of a rose-breasted grosbeak for blood and called the local bird rehabilitation center to suggest they come to save it. In migration, these birds will sometimes come to feeding stations where their breeding plumage can be admired up close. Courtesy of Allison Wells
The male scarlet tanager is an eye-popping brilliant red that makes many people, on seeing one for the first time, assume it is a rarity from the tropics that has mistakenly made its way to Maine. In reality, scarlet tanagers are a relatively common and widespread bird of mature deciduous forest across the state. Courtesy of Allison Wells
The northern parula is a tiny warbler that breeds from southeastern Canada south to the Gulf Coast and is found throughout Maine. It builds its nest using the light green “old man’s beard” moss that can be seen in many coniferous trees here in Maine. Courtesy of Jeff Wells
At first sight, the black cap of the blackpoll warbler may cause some people to mistake it for our familiar black-capped chickadee. But while chickadees are permanent residents here in Maine, the blackpoll warbler migrates north from northern South America each spring. Some breed in the patches of spruce habitat at the high elevations of Maine’s mountains. Most continue north into the Boreal Forest of Canada and Alaska to nest. Courtesy of Jeff Wells
Many a non-birder has mistaken the red on the breast of a rose-breasted grosbeak for blood and called the local bird rehabilitation center to suggest they come to save it. In migration, these birds will sometimes come to feeding stations where their breeding plumage can be admired up close. Courtesy of Allison Wells
For birders here in Maine, the end of May is often seen as the end of the spring migration season and the beginning of the summer breeding season. Many birds are indeed on territory and are nesting or soon will be. But there are also lots of birds, especially those traveling farther north into Canada, that will be migrating even through the first week or so of June. Just last night we heard lots of Swainson’s thrushes giving their nocturnal flight calls as they flew north unseen in the starry midnight sky. In celebration of the spring migration season that is winding down, we share with you some of the colorful birds that have blessed our spring migration seasons over the years.
Jeffrey V. Wells, Ph.D., is a Fellow of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Vice President of Boreal Conservation for National Audubon. Dr. Wells is one of the nation's leading bird experts and conservation biologists and author of the “Birder’s Conservation Handbook.” His grandfather, the late John Chase, was a columnist for the Boothbay Register for many years. Allison Childs Wells, formerly of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, is a senior director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine, a nonprofit membership organization working statewide to protect the nature of Maine. Both are widely published natural history writers and are the authors of the popular books, “Maine’s Favorite Birds” (Tilbury House) and “Birds of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao: A Site and Field Guide,” (Cornell University Press).
