After several days of lackluster flights and north winds slowing things down, migration finally picked up again at the tower on May 6. We kicked off the morning under much better skies and ended with a solid showing across the board.
The highlight was a strong Blue Jay movement, with over 1,000 jays heading east. Not quite a record, but a noticeable surge after the quiet stretch. We’ve topped 7,000 in a day before, so there’s still time to see a true blue blizzard, but this was a good start to what’s often a multi-day run leading right into IDBF.
Warbler diversity is starting to come around, too. We logged 13 species for the morning yesterday, including a few first-of-season birds and some regulars building in number. A good showing of Nashville Warbler with seven tallied, followed by Palm Warbler (10) and several Yellow-rumped and Yellow Warblers. A singing Pine Warbler was back near the tower as well, likely the same territorial male from previous years.
Baltimore Orioles picked up noticeably, with nearly 100 birds tallied. Orchard Orioles are also arriving in small numbers. It should only get better from here. The rest of the flight included a nice mix of other migrants like Scarlet Tanager, Indigo Bunting, and multiple flycatcher species.
This flight brought us to over 100 species for the month from the tower. That milestone always feels good this early in May, especially knowing we’re heading into the peak stretch. Check out the full May list here.
Looking ahead, the forecast is promising. Starting Monday, we’re expecting warmer temps and south winds, which should open the door for daily pulses of migrants right into the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival weekend. We’ve got three Big Sits scheduled with Red Hill Birding on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. As always, festival-goers can stop by the tower and chat with our tower bird counters, who’ll be keeping track of the morning flights.
Things are finally moving again—hopefully it stays that way.
Blue Jay Cover Photo by Ryan Sanderson.
