May birding at the refuge
By DON MORROW
It is early May at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Wild Rose is blooming and dragonflies are swarming along the levees. Chuck-wills-widows calling loudly in the night, give way to singing Marsh Wrens as the sun rises. Our breeding birds are already consumed by territorial defense and nesting as the refuge slides inexorably into summer.
Spring migration is mostly over. There are still a few boreal forest-nesting songbirds and arctic-bound shorebirds moving through, but their numbers have peaked and are dropping.
Ah, but April!
Always the big month for Spring migration, this year saw almost six million shorebirds, ducks, sparrows, vireos, waders, flycatchers, warblers, orioles, thrushes, tanagers, and grosbeaks transit the refuge.
There was a notably strong April migration this year. These birds launched from Caribbean islands, South America, and the Yucatan peninsula directed by a primal urge to head north to their breeding grounds. The random chance of winds and storm fronts pushed some of them towards St. Marks. A few were bound for the refuge and stopped here. Most just glanced down in the darkness as they passed over. Others landed here to feed before continuing their journey. Perhaps another million birds will move through before Spring migration ends in June.
Each day in April is different. St. Marks saw four big pulses of migrant songbirds over the month and one big pulse of ducks. Shorebirds tend to move through more steadily.
April weather was favorable for transiting songbirds and, yet, the refuge still saw 24 warbler species drop in. Some, like Cerulean, Kentucky, Yellow and Magnolia were scarce, but others like Palm, Black-and-white & Northern Parula came through in large numbers.
By April, most of our over-wintering ducks are gone. April always sees a spike of migrant Blue-winged Teal and Northern Shovelers at the refuge. Last month, 160 teal and 72 shovelers came through on one day in mid-month. The shovelers are now gone; the teal, which winter as far south as Brazil, will continue to trickle through into June.
This was a robust year for shorebird migration. Thirty-two species of shorebirds were reported, including Piping and American Golden Plovers; Solitary, Stilt, Baird’s, Pectoral and White-rumped Sandpipers and Wilson’s Phalarope. Shorebird numbers have dropped by over 50% from their February peak. They will continue to drop as the remaining late migrants finish moving through from South America.
Birds are still moving, but you should come down to the refuge soon if you want to catch the last few Spring migrants.
Even if you don’t, there is still a lot to see at the refuge. Beautyberry and Partridge Pea are about to flower. Otter kits will soon start following their mothers on foraging trips. Bobwhites are calling in the morning from the flatwoods and the eternal miracle of morning sunlight playing across the marshes is happening daily.
Don Morrow can be reached at donaldcmorrow@gmail.com.
