May bird watching is a spectrum of color, a symphony of sound
Painted Bunting
May truly is the best month for observing migratory birds along Nebraska’s Chicken Dance Trail. Obviously we have had some outstanding “migration moments” already, with the spectacle of the Sandhill Cranes and other waterfowl across the state, but May is just different. During May, the colors and sounds of your back yard, favorite park or natural area can literally change daily as more and more migratory birds arrive.
May is the month when that pair of Kingbirds (which may be eastern or western) show up in your yard and noisily proclaim their territory from well before sunrise to just after sunset. It is the month when strange, beautiful sounds resonate through the woods as tiny warblers move about the tree tops or forest floor, remaining maddeningly out of sight even to those of us patiently searching for them.
To the east, the Wood Thrush arrives and begins to sing its haunting yet endearing song from deep in the woods as an Ovenbird, American Redstart and others chime in. In the west, the prairies are coming alive with the songs of Lark Buntings, Cassin’s Sparrows, Brewer’s Sparrows and Upland Sandpipers. And somewhere in between, in both location and habitats, we find that Brown Thrasher doing “double time” on his repertoire of calls — each done twice — from a plum thicket or glade of trees; the Dickcissel calling his own name near a weed patch or in an alfalfa field; and the Common Nighthawk “peenting” over towns, grasslands and lakes.
The colors of the rainbow are all represented by the migratory movement in May:
- Red – Red-headed Woodpecker, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Summer and Scarlet Tanagers
- Orange – Baltimore, Orchard and Bullock’s Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks
- Yellow – Yellow Warbler and Prothonotary Warbler as well as several other beautiful warblers
- Green – Tree and Violet-green Swallows, Painted Bunting, and Green Heron
- Blue – Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Eastern and Mountain Bluebirds
- Purple – Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Purple Martin and Common Grackles (OK, purple is a bit of a stretch for the last two, but at the right angle in the right light...).
And as an added bonus, May still has great opportunities for seeing displaying Greater Prairie-chickens, Sharp-tailed Grouse and other gamebirds like Wild Turkeys and Ring-necked Pheasants. Better yet, there is still a fair amount of shorebird migration going on as well, so keep watching those wetlands, rivers and puddles in the fields.
May is prime birding on the Chicken Dance Trail. Get out there and enjoy it.
T. J. Walker
Wildlife Biologist
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission,
North Platte
About the Chicken Dance Trail
Not exactly a trail as you might say, the Chicken Dance Trail is actually a collection of great bird watching locations in southwest and south central Nebraska, between the Platte and Republican Rivers.
Because the area includes the narrowest section of the hourglass-shaped Central Flyway, the Chicken Dance Trail is uniquely situated for birders. Millions of different birds come through here during spring and fall migrations, making the Chicken Dance Trail one of the best places in the country to see a wide variety of species in a relatively small area.
Our bird watching sites were developed by local naturalists and birding experts and are collected into a series of bird watching “adventures” which are described in detail, along with interactive maps, on our Web site at www.chickendancetrail.com. Other resources include a birding chart, useful birding links, and guides to restaurants, lodging and activities in the area.
Come and visit and learn why we say, “Birds love this part of Nebraska...and you will too!”
Special Thanks to:
Nebraska Game and Parks, Birds of Nebraska
www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/guides/birds/findbirds.asp