I took the day off today, May 16, in anticipation of the south winds and expected bird bonanza at Montrose. I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve been birding Montrose for 35 years and I’ve had some great days there, but I can say that today was the best day I’ve ever had, and I can back that claim up with numbers. I ended up with 110 species in about 9 hours of birding (split over morning and afternoon visits), besting my previous personal high by 7 species. Passerines were the highlight, with good numbers of warblers, thrushes, and flycatchers. I also picked up several bonus birds that helped pad my total. My highlights include<\/p>\n
Osprey – 1
\nYellow-billed Cuckoo – 1
\nRed-headed Woodpecker – 1
\nAlder Flycatcher – 3
\nWillow Flycatcher – 2
\nBlue-headed Vireo – 1
\nPhiladelphia Vireo – 2
\nRed-breasted Nuthatch – 1
\nEastern Bluebird – 2
\nVeery – 8
\nGray-cheeked Thrush – 6
\nSwainson’s Thrush – 20
\nWood Thrush – 1
\nNorthern Mockingbird – 1
\nAmerican Pipit – 1
\n26 species of warblers, including
\nOrange-crowned Warbler – 1
\nConnecticut Warbler – 2
\nMourning Warbler – 2
\nHooded Warbler – 2
\nNorthern Parula – 1
\nBay-breasted Warbler – 10
\nBlackburnian Warbler – 5
\nBlack-throated Blue Warbler – 1
\nCanada Warbler – 4
\nDickcissel – 1
\nBobolink – 1<\/p>\n
According to eBird, 128 species total were seen at Montrose today, which I’m guessing is a single day high count for us. Yes, it was that good. Link to my eBird checklist below.<\/p>\n