Robert A. Culbert
The longest daylight of the year was on June 21, which is relevant to this column because the volume and frequency of birds singing quiets considerably.
The species mentioned here are sporadic breeders that mostly pass through on their way north or back south: purple martin, bobolink, snowy egret and saw-whet owl. Only occasionally do they stay to nest.
Strong winds may cause birds to get blown off-course, ending up some place they did not intend to go. But most birds recover after the storm, with their internal GPS device getting them to where they intended to go.
May is rapidly coming to a close and with May’s disappearance the northward migration mostly ends.
Birding in early to mid-May can be good even though many migrants do not venture this far east, preferring a more direct path northward bypassing the Cape and Islands.
There are a lot of transient species passing through on their way north, while others are arriving to stay for the summer.