Message From The Pews- May 15, 2026

Birding as Spiritual Practice- May 9^th Notes on Local Birds

We are in peak migration right now, and the foliage is not completely out so it is an ideal time to bird. By next week there will be slightly more species of birds around, but they will be a little harder to find.

It is not an exaggeration to say that avian migration is one of nature’s truly  miraculous events. We have a small but mighty group of resident birds that we see in the winter, but in late February/early March a few short-distance migrants start showing up and then they trickle in for weeks until there is a huge influx of birds in May. Short distance migrants are birds that might winter in the southern part of the United States or Mexico, so their journey north and arrival here occurs on the early side.  Many of our migrant birds travel from Central America and even South America, which when you think about it is really wild. The Bobolink, for example, has a round trip of 12,000 miles! (That is not a typo!)

In order to manage these long migrations birds have to fatten up before they depart and some of their internal organs actually shrink so that they are lighter and able to carry more fat (energy). Some migrants stop along the way to eat and some of them fly nonstop. Most birds migrate at night.  A few of the migrant birds we will see drop in for a day or so to eat and rest after their journey and then continue on to northern New England and Canada to breed. But many of them stay here including the lovely Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore Orioles and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.

On May 9^th, Carol found 34 species in North Andover at Osgood Hill, Half-Mile Hill and Weir Hill, many of which she did not see but heard. (Birdsong is a big part of bird identification.) They were:

Canada Goose, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Great-crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, Eastern Warbling Vireo, Red-eyed Vireo, Blue Jay, Fish Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Gray Catbird, Eastern Bluebird, Wood Thrush (listen to their song!), American Robin, House Finch, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Bobolink, Baltimore Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Ovenbird, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, Black-throated Green Warbler, Northern Cardinal, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.

Happy birding,

Carol Disney and Patty Brayden

(You can bid on their birding walk at the Red Bow Fair.)