Migration Approaches

I've been going to Prospect Park every day for the past week...Prospect Park is my default birding spot, and it's close by, so if there's no reason to go elsewhere I generally wind up there, with the occasional trip to Jones Beach or Jamaica Bay for variation. The birds are definitely starting to move--these are the early stages of the big migration that will happen in a few weeks. Last week seemed to be "Eastern Phoebe Day", with hundreds of these birds showing in the park. At one cluster of phragmite reeds there were a dozen Phoebes, and wherever you looked you'd see one of these birds flitting off its perch to catch an insect out of the air. Now we have Pine and Palm Warblers in the park, and their numbers seem to be increasing. Yesterday there were three kinds of swallows working the lake for bugs (Tree, Rough Winged, and Barn), darting back and forth and always on the move. Soon it will be Louisiana Waterthrush, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, and then all the myriad of spring warblers that many birders anticipate all year. On a good day in April or May you might see twenty or more species of warbler, all flitting through the trees and singing their various calls, and flashing their brilliant colors. It's an exciting time of year, and it's hard to remain patient for all the great birds that are on their way.