7 May 2020, Day 2 after a front

In the wake of the violent front that blew through here just before midnight on the 5th, clear skies, north winds, and cooler temperatures settled in over Acadiana. The storm seems to have knocked birds down, as evidenced by yesterday's decent showing. Judging by today's suspiciously similar core list of migrants, I'd say that a good number of birds spent the night instead of taking off yesterday evening.

The backyard had a three ring circus of activity around the trio of toothache trees along the northern edge of the yard. Four American Redstarts, a Magnolia Warbler, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, and a Hooded Warbler juggled airspace high and low in their foraging sallies. They were joined off and on by a couple of Red-eyed Vireos that were alternating between catching bugs and plucking fruit from the cherry tree just across the fence in Neighborland.

 The vine tangle and understory connecting the trees provided a corridor for the warblers and vireos to stretch their feeding areas. The cherry trees held the same basic group as yesterday, heavy on thrushes, but with reinforcements.

A Veery was an addition to yesterday's Swainson's and Gray-cheeked thrushes, and there seemed to be more Swainson's in the group as well.

I've always wondered if birds that show up inland on Day 2 after fronts such as this one are brand new arrivals or birds that were grounded to the south of us on Day 1 that are matriculating their way northward before taking giant steps for birdkind into the heart of the continent. That question returned to my mind today as I watched small stuff that seemed to be drifting solo or in small, disjointed groups that left the environs of the yard and just seemed to keep going, picking its way across the oak forest of the subdivision.


"New" birds not recorded yesterday in that latter category included Black-and-white Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Ovenbird, and the Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Veery mentioned above.  The Blackburnian and Ovenbird were my first of the year and were welcome sights; I've managed to see almost all of the area's expected spring warblers this spring without ever leaving the yard. My two-day warbler total after the front was 10 species, not a bad total at all.

I got a close look at a Painted Bunting yesterday when it landed within 2 feet of me, and today I got to watch it mâcher the spent stalks of Lyreleaf Sage to work the seeds free.

I have a feeling that there'll be a big liftoff tonight and not much will be around tomorrow. It was nice to enjoy it while it lasted.