Every day different migrating birds are showing up in my backyard. This is my favorite time of year to be a birdwatcher!
A small flock of about a dozen Dark-eyed Juncos hung out in my backyard over the winter, but now I have scores of them foraging under and on the birdfeeders and in my flowerbeds.
They are forming bigger flocks to migrate to Canada for the summer breeding season.
I won’t see them again until next November.
Meanwhile, this guy can be found year-round in many south, east and central states in the U.S., but their wintering grounds are just a little bit south of my location in southern Wisconsin.
As of about two weeks ago, Common Grackles have returned.
They definitely make themselves heard with their loud squawking. These birds have intense little yellow eyes that make me think they are up to something.
Usually it’s stealing all the peanuts from the birdfeeders.
Tree Swallows are back too. They mainly eat insects, so they don’t visit my backyard, but they are in the neighborhood. They hang out near bodies of water where insects are abundant.
I only have to walk a couple of blocks away from my house to see them swooping and diving for insects around a city golf course pond.
Tree Swallows spend winter in Mexico and on the coast of the southeast United States. They return to their summer breeding grounds earlier than many other bird species. It’s always exciting to see the first ones arrive each spring.
Right now, hundreds to tens of thousands of birds migrate over Wisconsin and other states each night. But as the days get longer and the weather continues to warm up, those numbers will soon be in the millions.
You can check the BirdCast dashboard to find out how many and which birds are flying over your location each night. You can also view a migration forecast map so you’ll know when it’s a good time to watch out for new bird species in your backyard, parks and nature areas!