A male painted bunting, one of the more colorful birds you will see, was spotted by Maureen Williams in her yard on May 18.

The northward migration of birds is peaking and the torrent of migrants will continue through the month of May.

This has been another amazing week, with lots of birds spotted.

Another week another rarity. Last week we reported the black-whiskered vireo; this week’s specialties are shorebirds.

Our recent strong southerly winds have unleashed a torrent of migrants, torrent that will now continue for the next month or so as our breeding songbirds and waterbirds return from their winter haunts.

Indigo buntings often show up in the spring when southerly winds carry them beyond their breeding grounds. These bright bluebirds do not nest here every year; why this is so is unexplained, since they breed just about everywhere else in New England.