{"id":5552,"date":"2015-06-10T10:05:27","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T14:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=5552"},"modified":"2015-06-11T10:44:36","modified_gmt":"2015-06-11T14:44:36","slug":"last-month-in-birding-may-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-may-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Month in Birding: May 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each month we take a look at a few of the previous month\u2019s bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Here are five of May’s\u00a0most exciting observations.<\/p>\n

Little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutes<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

True to its name, this bird is the world\u2019s smallest gull. It is common across much of Europe and Asia. In North America, a few little gulls\u00a0have been breeding on the east coast since at least 1960, but this bird\u00a0is still a rare sight. Last month, Massachusetts birders were amazed to note this species at three locations, including at least 10 birds at Hatches Harbor in Provincetown.<\/p>\n

\"Little

Little gulls (and one larger Bonaparte’s gull), Hatches Harbor, Provincetown \u00a9 Ryan Merrill<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cLawrence\u2019s warbler\u201d (Vermivora pinus x chrysoptera<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

This fascinating bird is a hybrid, the result of a pairing between a blue-winged warbler (Vermivora pinus<\/em>) and a golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera<\/em>). The offspring of these closely-related birds are usually fertile, and they generally fall within two broad color categories: the grey and white \u201cBrewster\u2019s warbler\u201d and the golden \u201cLawrence\u2019s warbler\u201d. The Lawrence\u2019s is the rarest possible outcome, since its traits are recessive. Two of these stunning birds were seen in May\u2014one in Petersham and one in West Newbury.<\/p>\n

\"Lawrence's

Lawrence’s warbler in West Newbury \u00a9 Margo and Steve, webirdtoo<\/p><\/div>\n

Mississippi kite (Ictinia mississippiensis<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

A graceful raptor, the Mississippi kite eats insects. It is most commonly found in the Great Plains and the US southeast, but its range has been expanding by leaps and bounds, and it is now spotted almost every year in Massachusetts. In fact, this species has even been found nesting in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire in recent years. The reasons for its spread are probably numerous, but here is one contributing factor: Mississippi kites like open areas with scattered trees, a landscape pattern that people frequently\u00a0create. Last month, several birds were seen on the Outer Cape, and individuals were also seen in Westboro and Amesbury.<\/p>\n

\"Mississippi

Mississippi kite, Westboro \u00a9 Steve Arena<\/p><\/div>\n

Brown booby (Sula leucogaster<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

This sleek seabird lives in many tropical oceans throughout much of the world, where it executes dramatic plunge dives for its prey, especially flying fish. It is related to the famous blue-footed booby, but its feet are yellowish. It does not currently breed in the US mainland. Last month during our annual Bird-a-thon<\/a> fundraiser, two participants on a whale watch trip were thrilled to spot a brown booby off of Gloucester. No doubt it was a prized addition to their lists, as well as to the whole Bird-a-thon!<\/p>\n

\"Brown

Brown booby in a more tropical locale, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0<\/a> Mark Yokoyama<\/p><\/div>\n

Chuck-will\u2019s-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis<\/em>)<\/h3>\n

Perhaps you\u2019ve heard the night call of this species\u2019 better-known relative, the whip-poor-will. The chuck-will\u2019s-widow breeds mostly in the southeastern US, and it is the largest North American member of the group of aerial insect-eaters known as nightjars. Despite its size, this bird is hard to spot. Its feathers match the pattern of bark and leaves. However, its namesake nocturnal \u201cchuck-will\u2019s-widow\u201d call is loud and incessant. One was heard calling in East Orleans during Mass Audubon’s Bird-a-thon fundraiser.<\/p>\n

\""Chuck-wills-widow

Chuck-will’s-widow CC BY-SA 3.0<\/a> Dick Daniels (carolinabirds.org)<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Each month we take a look at a few of the previous month\u2019s bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Here are five of May’s\u00a0most exciting observations. Little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutes) True to its name, this bird is the world\u2019s smallest gull. It is common across much of Europe and Asia. In North America, a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[160,27,28],"class_list":["post-5552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nature-notes","tag-bird-sightings","tag-birding","tag-birds"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-1ry","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7184,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-february-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":5552,"position":0},"title":"Last Month in Birding: February 2016","author":"Rosemary","date":"March 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Here are five\u00a0incredible bird sightings from last month as suggested by Mass Audubon's experts. Yellow-billed Loon\u00a0(Gavia\u00a0adamsii) The largest loon species\u00a0in the world, this bird\u00a0breeds on the high Arctic tundra, farther north than our familiar common loon. Scientists still have much to learn about its\u00a0habits. Outside of certain Arctic and west\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/mystery-gull.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/mystery-gull.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2016\/03\/mystery-gull.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5135,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-march-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":5552,"position":1},"title":"Last Month in Birding: March 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"April 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We take a\u00a0look back at five\u00a0of March's\u00a0most interesting bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) This fast and powerful bird is the largest falcon in the world. It breeds\u00a0in the arctic and irregularly winters farther south, but is rarely seen as far south as Massachusetts. The gyrfalcon\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/04\/GWFG_640x424.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/04\/GWFG_640x424.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/04\/GWFG_640x424.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4889,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-february-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":5552,"position":2},"title":"Last Month in Birding: February 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"March 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019re excited to announce a new blog feature that highlights some of the previous\u00a0month\u2019s most interesting bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Here are five discoveries from February. Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) x Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) Hybrid A hybrid of these two species appeared\u00a0in the Annisquam River in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/bohemian.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/bohemian.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/bohemian.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6278,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-september-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":5552,"position":3},"title":"Last Month in Birding: September 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"October 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Every month we feature\u00a0five of the past month's bird sightings as suggested by our experts. Here are a few remarkable observations from September. White-faced Storm-petrel (Pelagodroma marina) This small seabird bird often hovers low over the surface of the water, searching for food by gliding back and forth and bouncing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/bellsvireo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/bellsvireo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/10\/bellsvireo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5790,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/last-month-in-birding-june-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":5552,"position":4},"title":"Last Month in Birding: June 2015","author":"Rosemary","date":"July 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"It was another interesting month in Massachusetts birding. Let's\u00a0take a look at a few of the most exciting bird sightings as suggested by our experts. \"Brewster\u2019s warbler\" (Vermivora pinus x chrysoptera) This beautiful animal\u00a0is the fertile hybrid of two closely-related birds, the blue-winged warbler (Vermivora pinus) and the golden-winged warbler\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/07\/ycnh1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9387,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/bird-a-thon-2017-in-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":5552,"position":5},"title":"Bird-a-thon 2017 in Review","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"June 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Bird-a-thon, Mass Audubon's annual birding competition and fundraiser, took place on May 12-13. Here, Mass Audubon's Director of Important Bird Areas Wayne Petersen, gives a run-down of the birding portion of the event. Now that the dust following Bird-a-thon 2017 has settled and spring migration has finally come to a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Get Involved"","block_context":{"text":"Get Involved","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/get-involved\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/06\/We-won-edited.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/06\/We-won-edited.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2017\/06\/We-won-edited.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5552"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5552\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5625,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5552\/revisions\/5625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}