Here and there 5/3/07

I often try to bird before work during the month of May to look for new arrivals, of course ... so does nearly every other birder in the north east...even if its just a few minutes. Today I stopped, at the bike path, across from Mount Wachusett Community College and a few "road-side" stops along Kelton Street in Gardner. Still no big influx of migrants, perhaps last night's winds were unfavorable. A few new arrivals were a single Ovenbird and Black and White Warbler (though usually I "get" my first Black and White before May 1st).

Tree Swallows caught in "THE act"!

I got out at noon for about 20 minutes, where I walked the bike path off Broad Meadow Road in Groton. Hoping to see Baltimore Oriole(s), or any other "year birds" along the path was unsuccessfull. I did hear a Red-bellied Woodpecker, but couldn't find it, eventually I noticed a nest hole, it ended up poking its head out and made a nice showing. 25 years ago a nesting Red-bellied Woodpecker would've been a big deal, but their range has crept north and now they're quite common. A few digi-binned images are below. Red-bellied Woodpecker "peeking out"
Red-bellied Woodpecker

I stopped at High Ridge WMA, during the evening, where many Yellow-rumped Warblers were flycatching from the the edge of the marsh, mixed in with a few Palm Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. I heard a Virgina Rail calling from where the edge of the marsh "brushes" up to Neighborhood Road, but there was no evidence of the American Bitterns tonight.
Red-winged Blackbird on territory