Through the Window: May 2014

May is always a month rich in birds. We noted 31 species! FOY stands for First of the Year; Bold text indicates the species we did not see last month.

• Black-capped Chickadee
• American Goldfinch
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Red-winged Blackbird
• White-throated Sparrow
• Hairy Woodpecker
• Downy Woodpecker
• Northern Cardinal
• Sparp-shinned Hawk
• Brown-headed Cowbird
• White-breasted Nuthatch
• Blue Jay
• Song Sparrow
• Chipping Sparrow
• Mourning Dove
• Rose-breasted Grosbeak (FOY 5/4/2014)
• Purple Finch (FOY 5/5/2014)
• White-crowned Sparrow (5/9 and 5/15)
• Turkey Vulture
• Evening Grosbeak
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird (FOY male 5/10/2014, female 5/15/2014)
• Indigo Bunting (FOY 5/13/2014)
• Raven (5/23/2014)
• American Robin
• Common Grackle
• Rusty Blackbird (5/16/2014)
• Northern Goshawk 
• Gray Catbird (5/16/2014)
• Broadwing Hawk (5/16/2014)
• American Crow
• Baltimore Oriole (FOY 5/18/2014 male and female)

Additional friends and neighbors: Woodchuck, Eastern Chipmunk, Red squirrel, Gray Squirrel, Raccoon, and Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (on May 20).

Come see them for yourself! We’re open daily from 10-4 and we have great art, cool science, and astonishingly detailed woodcarvings, as well as live birds outside. Check out our calendar of events for special things to do and see.

The “Through the Window” series is an informal record of observations made by staff, volunteers, and visitors. Anyone at the Museum may add to this list. Observations are usually through our viewing window: a large window with a film to make it more difficult for birds to see the watchers. We have chairs and binoculars to try there, a white board, and many identification guides. Outdoors, several feeders are attached on a single, bear-resistant pole. A small pond, flowers and water plants, shrubs and trees add cover and (seasonally) other food choices . You can sometimes see what we see via our webcam.