May has been a busy month for birding. With migrations in full swing, there are birds absolutely everywhere, and I’ve seen a TON of really cool species, and found a total of 28 new lifers. I saw a whopping 45 species during the month of May, and the total for the year so far is now 126. The first batch of birds are some new species I found while birding on a trip to Nevada and California.
California Quail has been on my list to photograph for quite sometime, and they were extremely plentiful while I was there. And of course it wouldn’t be a good month if I didn’t get to add a new woodpecker, and I was able to get some really cute shots of this Acorn Woodpecker. Check out that piercing white eye!
California Quail, Acorn Woodpecker
I have seen crossbills before, and at first glance I thought this might be the same species we have out here in the Midwest. I was wrong however, as this bird is a Red Crossbill, and not the White-winged Crossbill. These color is similar, but I think these guys might be a little bit bigger. This Northern Pintail drake was absolutely stunning, and lazily walked and swam about while I got some cool shots.
Red Crossbill, Northern Pintail
Black Phoebe and Brewers’s Blackbirds were both extremely plentiful and I saw a lot of them at almost every place I stopped to look for birds. The phoebe were relatively tame and didn’t have any problems with getting up close and personal. The Brewer’s Blackbirds look like cute tiny little grackles with their iridescent blue plumage.
Black Phoebe, Brewer’s Blackbird
Gadwall aren’t a duck I see very often, so I was excited to see some and get a nice photo. I really wasn’t expecting to see Magpie at all, and these birds were everywhere in almost every orchard that we drove by. I’d love to get some photos of them not on a sprinkler next time!
Gadwall, Yellow-billed Magpie
This. Bird. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would find an owl in California. My dad thought it was a hawk, so I almost didn’t look at it. Then he says, well maybe it’s an owl. And when I did look, I could have just squealed. This Great Horned Owl swooped right across the road and perched in a tree and just waited while I snapped my photos.
Great Horned Owl
The final and most elusive bird of my trip was the California Scrub Jay. I managed to get this photo on my last full day there, and they really are a neat looking bird. I was really lucky and found this beautiful Black and White Warbler in my front yard. This was a bird I’ve definitely had my eye on for quite sometime.
California Scrub Jay, Black and White Warbler
May is when the Baltimore Orioles make their return, and the come hungry! My feeders were over run as soon as the jelly was put out. I was happy to get some really pretty shots of them up in the trees, and not just on the feeders. I’m not sure why, but I have been seeing Yellow Warblers EVERYWHERE. I’m not complaining, because just look at how adorable and yellow they are! I’ve been loving finding them in my front yard.
Baltimore Oriole, Yellow Warbler
The Blue-headed Vireo was another sneaky little guy that was in my front yard, and while I didn’t get to take a lot of photos, they still turned out really pretty. I’ve never seen any type of Thrush before, and for whatever reason my front yard feeders were a big hit with a small group of Swainson’s Thrush this year.
Blue-headed Vireo, Swainson’s Thrush
When you hear a House Wren chattering you definitely know. These little birds are the noisiest and sassiest little critters, but they are a ton of fun to watch. Last year, I could hardly find Green Heron to save my life. This year, we’ve been seeing them pretty frequently at Lake Bella and I was super excited to get this shot of one perching in a tree.
House Wren, Green Heron
I love Indigo Bunting! So blue, so little, and so cute. This is the second year I’ve had them coming back to my feeders and they are just a delight. And another pretty blue bird, the Barn Swallow. This bird was gathering mud and grass to make their nest.
Indigo Bunting, Barn Swallow
I’ve never seen these birds at Lake Bella before, and this spring the Black Terns were here in droves. They were so fast and it was hard to get photos, but I did manage to get a few! And what do you know, another woodpecker! I’ve been seeing Red-headed woodpeckers much more often than I did last year, and have loved getting more photos of them.
Black Tern, Red-headed Woodpecker
I don’t think I’ve ever taken a photo of an Eastern Kingbird I didn’t like. They always pose so beautifully, and look amazing on whatever they perch on. I think I like them best on barb wire or fence posts. Lark Sparrow was a fun little find in the grass at the lake, and I almost passed it up thinking it was just another bird I’ve seen before.
Eastern Kingbird, Lark Sparrow
I’ve been seeing Spotted Sandpipers quite a bit at Lake Bella recently. They’re a cute little shore bird and sort of just peck around like a little water chicken. I haven’t seen Easter Kingbirds in Iowa before, and we’ve seen them a few times in different locations.
Spotted Sandpiper, Western Kingbird
After the owl, the Ruby-throated Humming bird is my second favorite bird for May. I worked really hard to get them to come to my feeders, and it finally happened. Look at that shiny red gorget! Orchard Oriole is my favorite of the two species we get here in the Midwest. I just can’t get enough of the rusty burnt orange color. These guys are shy and so it was definitely a challenge for me to get a photo of him in the tree.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Orchard Oriole
Another shy guy I struggled to get photos in the tree, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I only see these beauties for a short time come to my feeder, so I really wanted to make sure I could get some pretty shots of him on a branch. Last spring, I only saw a Gray Catbird one time. This year, I see one almost every other day. I love hearing them sing outside the window, but I think it drives my kitties a little crazy, lol.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Gray Catbird
I can never be sure if any Flycatcher I see will be a different species, so I always make sure to take a lot of photos, and use Merlin to ID it from different angles if I can. This olive colored cutie turn out to be a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher. Common Yellowthroat are usually a tricky one for me to shoot, but this particular bird was super curious and hopped around me for quite a while. I love his little black bandit mask.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Common Yellowthroat
Bobolink are another spring time favorite. If you’re looking for a bird with a really unique song, look no further. Josh and I like to think that they sound like a little droid from Star Wars. I have photo’d Least Flycatcher before, but just look at how cute and round this little one was. I’ve been seeing flycatchers around everywhere this spring.
Bobolink, Least Flycatcher
A Blackpolled Warbler graced me with her presence in my front yard, and while I really would have loved to see the male, she was a lovely warbler to add to my lifer list. As is said before, I’ve been seeing Flycatchers everywhere. I found this Alder Flycatcher in one of my favorite places to bird, Gull Point State Park.
Blackpoll Warbler, Alder Flycatcher
Alongside the flycatchers, May has also been the month of the warblers. I’ve never seen so many different species before, and I got these two species right next to each other. Just look at those colors! The yellow of the Magnolia Warbler, and the bright orange of the American Redstart are just stunning.
Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart
Two more great finds in Gull Point State Park, the Broad-winged Hawk, and a really beautiful Great Crested Flycatcher. Yes, another one. This hawk was swooping through the woods gathering materials to make her nest, and it was really cool to see.
Broad-winged Hawk, Great Crested Flycatcher
Another warbler! In typical fashion as most of the others, this beauty was in my front yard and I was super excited to see him and get his photo. I don’t see Clay-colored sparrows often, but they are cute and make a really wretched sound, lol.
Chestnut-sided Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow
This Summer Tanager was an extremely unexpected delight to find at Lake Bella. He was very strategically hanging out around some bee boxes, and made a meal of several bees. The colors of his plumage were beautiful, and I hope to find one again on a sunny day. Next up, is the Grasshopper Sparrow. Again I thought this bird was something I’ve already seen before and almost didn’t take any photos of it. It was extremely small, which I can only assume that is where the name comes from.
Summer Tanager, Grasshopper Sparrow
On the last day of May, I managed to squeak in two more little shore birds, and additionally two more lifers. These two species were in a mixed flock together, and while the Dunlin was pretty easy to identify, the Merlin app really struggled with the Semipalmated Plover. Ultimately of the three or so different photos I used to identify, this one looked spot on the to Plover.
Dunlin, Semipalmated Plover
