May Migration Challenge - Day 11
May 11, 2025 | 6:03am
Date: May 11, 2025
Location: Seabrook Town Forest
Start Time: 6:03am
Duration: 2 hr, 21 min
Daily Highlights:
Total species observed: 69
Warbler species observed: 17
Notable species: Canada Warbler
Merlin’s Bird of the Day: Lesser Yellowlegs
Goal Progress:
Seabrook Town Forest Life List: 138 / 140
Seabrook Town Forest Species Month Total: 93/87+
Warbler Species Total: 21/20 COMPLETE
Single Checklist Record: 69/64+ (May 11th)
Vagrant Species Found?: No
Merlin Bird of the Day Streak: 0 (Longest Streak: 4)
Photo of the Day:
Daily Recap:
After a full week of rain, the Town Forest finally erupted with activity, giving me my best day of the month yet with 69 species!
Not only did I reach a new daily high, but I also added three new warbler species, bringing my warbler total to 21—officially completing my goal of 20+ warbler species for the month! On top of that, I picked up six new species overall, bringing my monthly total to 93.
The new warblers for the day were Tennessee, Canada, and Blackpoll. I found the Canada Warbler on an off-trail into the woods after hearing an unfamiliar song. I pulled out Merlin to help ID it and followed it up with a couple of pishes. Moments later, a beautiful male Canada Warbler popped out of the bramble, singing by himself. Thankfully, he gave great views and I was able to capture several photos.
In addition to the three new warblers, I also added Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and Veery to my month list—bringing me to 93 species for May so far. No new additions to the Town Forest life list since May 3rd, but it’s hard to complain with how productive the month has already been.
According to the BirdCast map, tomorrow marks the end of our official peak migration window, so I plan to take full advantage of the nice weather while it lasts. I’ll be back at the Town Forest at sunrise, hoping to catch every last bit of movement before the pace begins to slow.