It is Memorial Day weekend and you hear the song of the sandpipers and warblers as you watch the dawn light up a coastal mudflat. As the tide rises, a single, out of sync migrant bird stream begins to filter through. This week will be different as it offers the chance to see the peak of the season for some species of birds and to see a mix of shorebirds that will not be present any other week of the year. binoculars trained on a single
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Certain species do not concentrate in April or June due to atmospheric fronts, post-breeding movements, and specific stopover timing. The following sections explain where you should stand at dawn, which types of habitat have the most activity, and which field guides will help you identify a bird when it flies by.
1) Kirtland’s Warbler
A male bird is singing a thin, buzzed trill from low down in a jack pine stand. He has a bright yellow underside and heavily streaked flanks, and he is perched low, moving in short hops. This movement indicates he is doing active territory defense rather than just stopping over to migrate.
According to banding records and eBird arrival data, the highest number of northbound birds is recorded in the last week of May as they continue to Michigan and the Great Lakes to breed. The timing being this precise suggests that a single day of travel could cause sightings to move forward or backward an entire week. In young jack pine stands that have been recently cut or burned, listen for birds between dawn and mid-morning. Steady repetitive trills are good indicators of birds, and short jerky movements of birds will demonstrate this close to dense stands of young pines. These birds do not typically fly up to the mature pine forest.
The most distinct feature of this ID anchor is the bright yellow belly, pronounced flank streaking, and a song that is both buzzy and sung in a low voice from the pines. These three characteristics differentiate Kirtland’s from the other yellow warblers present in the pine patches in late May.
2) Black-and-white Warbler
A male crawls along a trunk. Its bold black and white stripes slide down like a nuthatch as it investigates the bark for insects. The movement is immediately identifiable as unhurried yet deliberate. This distinguishes him from the other more frantic creatures that are foraging in the same area.
Migration patterns indicate that most male birds begin arriving at their breeding grounds by late May, having travelled north on the coast and through river valleys. Unlike these males, this species leaves the South earlier, creating the Memorial Day window as an overlap region where migratory birds and early breeders of the same species are found in the same fully leafed out deciduous forest. During the morning, when foraging activity is at its peak, look at eye level on the trunks and thick branches of trees to catch foraging birds. A characteristic of this species is a stop-start, spiraling descent.
The distinctive behavior of walking vertically along bark rather than hopping and the bold zebra-like striping on the head and back of the bird provide clean separation from small warblers at close range.
3) Tennessee Warbler
An olive-green flash moves through low branches of spruce. Then, a short, high chirp note echoes off the tree trunks. Data from banding and eBird shows that many Tennessee Warblers are migrating through the eastern part of North America in late May as they follow the thawing of food sources in the boreal forest north of the Great Lakes.
Young birch stands, mixed conifer edges, and streamside spruce are reliable habitat anchors. He gleans insects from leaf undersides and feeds actively at mid to lower canopy, flicking wings when probing. Early morning sees the densest activity, and by late morning, quietude falls over most.
The plain gray head, fine bill, and bright white eye-ring constitute a visual frame. The olive back and the yellowish underparts along with the rapid thin chip call make this bird harder to confuse with other warblers of late May than its plain appearance would suggest.
4) Blackpoll Warbler
High spruce branches with bold black and white streaking and sharp chips signal that a Blackpoll is passing through. Banding and Doppler radar studies show the coastal passage peak around Memorial Day, after most earlier spring migrants have cleared the corridor.
Mid-morning mixed spruce-fir stands, shrubby parks, and coniferous edges become prime hunting grounds. Blackpolls flit to the treetops and then to the exposed twigs and fresh caterpillar clusters. Their anxious and rapid movement is in contrast to the deliberate foraging of the breeding residents who share the same trees.
In breeding-plumage males, the black cap and white underbelly bold streaking are unmistakable. The sharp chip call, pitched differently from the soft contact notes of the surrounding warblers, is useful too. Good light, orange-yellow legs settle any remaining doubts. thin, sharp chip call
The Blackpoll Warbler completes one of the longest overwater migrations of any songbird, flying nonstop from the northeastern U.S. coast to South America in fall, covering up to 2,500 miles over open ocean in roughly 72–88 hours. The birds passing through Memorial Day weekend are in the final leg of an equally impressive northbound journey.
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You can hear an oven bird singing its song which is repetitive and sounds like “teacher-teacher-teacher” before the bird is even visible. In the birding community, ovenbirds are well known to time their migration and breeding cycle with late May. This is because most of the insects that the birds eat are concentrated on the forest floor at this time. The ovenbird is part of the mass migration that most birds partake in at the end of May.
Mature deciduous woods with deep leaf litter are the main habitat for ovenbirds. Many bird watchers report them walking and hopping along the forest floor while they are singing their song. The song of the ovenbird carries very far, allowing it to be heard from a distance before the listener is able to see the bird singing.
The best way to identify an ovenbird in the pigmeted warbler family is by their bright orange eye ring and streaked breast. He is one of the few warblers that is very hard to observe as a birdwatcher. He is the most famous for his walking on the forest floor and repetitive song that draw so much attention to him. walking on the ground
6) Blue-winged Warbler
One of the first signs of the male blue warblers is a thin song and a small flash of pale blue in their wing. They like to perch on small shrubs. Most birdwatchers report that the blue-winged warblers arrive in areas to the north of where they are breeding by the end of May. This means that blue-winged warblers are some of the last species to arrive. In the beginning of May many birds stop here to rest on their migration north, but the blue-winged warblers’ stopover is further south than most of the other species.
The consistent search zone for young successional habitat is shrubby fields, wetlands dominated by alders and willows, and forest edges where dense low cover meets open ground. Males sing from low perches located midmorning to late afternoon and then probe leaves for caterpillars and gnats. A slow walk while playing brief, soft recordings will locate singing males faster than more active searching will. Slow walks and brief, soft playback
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The yellow face with a narrow black eye-line and pale blue wing-feather panels on a greenish back is the single best ID anchor. This bird is reliably separated from similar species working the same late-May scrub due to its voice, low perch habit, and wing flash.
7) Prothonotary Warbler
A flooded cedar snag has a golden yellow flash. It has a thin, high chip that sounds like a dropped coin. Adult males arrive in the bottomland forests from late April to May. After arriving, they settle into territories and as nesting activity begins, they reach their peak song intensity.
Core habitat which is wooded swamps, flooded tupelo, and river-edge thickets, Listen low in the understory near standing water at dawn and the early morning. Prothonotaries tend to move in small, confident hops along mossy trunks and root tangles. They will stay close to the water’s surface which concentrates them in predictable zones, even in large swamps.
A deep golden head and grayish wings that appear slate in shadow are the identification anchor. Their singing habits is from low, exposed perches. They will move directly into cavity-nest sites which distinguish them from brighter canopy foraging warblers.
“Peak caterpillar abundance and flowering maples in late May create food windows so short that a productive patch during Memorial Day can host many transient species for just one or two days.”
8) Baltimore Oriole
An orange blur flits among the elms, black bib and white wing bars catching the light as he probes one of the dangling flower clusters. Studies from the last 25 years of banding data show that as nectar and caterpillar masses peak, adult males arrive. This makes late May the reliable window for first arrivals across much of the breeding range.
Most productive time for activity to be seen is midmorning. This is when the sap and nectar have warmed making them more accessible from the flowers they are housed in. The song of the Baltimore Oriole is quite distinctive and can be identified over the noise of other songbirds quite easily. Watch the outer canopy and hanging flower clusters where orioles glean and sip. More often than not, they will return to the same branch repeatedly.
Bright orange and black is the most distinctive field mark. No other bird in the western backyard bird community holds a black and orange plumage. Females and juveniles display a wing pattern of warm orange covering the underparts, a feature which can be used to identify the species even when the striking male is absent.
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Slate-grey on the back, a conspicuous white tail, and a quick wing flick are characterisitcs of this bird announcing from a roadside perch. Most of the birds migrate through ebird and banding data the western lowlands around the Memorial Day holiday. Spring storms cause an increase in the abundance of insects and so the migration is timed in conjunction with this event.
Exposed wires, fence posts, and shrub edges close to mesic grasslands and open oak savanna are search zones to consider. Aerial insect activity occurs from mid-morning to late afternoon. The kingbird takes off from a high, and exposed perch and comes back with a quick and jerky flight, which is a field behavior that is worth learning.
A sharp, raspy, and distant “kip-kip” call with a pale tail edge assists identification from afar. The clean gray head and yellow belly, along with the behavior of constant sallying, separates him from other flycatchers without side by side comparison, and without requiring a close detailed study of wing formula or primary projection. sallying behavior
10) Swainson’s Hawk
Before the call of this hawk is heard, a slow and buoyant glide with a pale underwing band that flashes in sunlight often gives it away. Satellite tracking and banding studies show that the Great Plains passage peaks at Memorial Day weekend, where adults and juveniles are found to ride southerly winds towards their breeding grounds in the northern Plains and Canada.
From midmorning to late afternoon when thermals develop, fence lines, grasslands, and roadside utility poles are very productive. Swainson’s Hawks hunt low over fields for insects and small mammals. A practical strategy to use is to locate swarms of feeding swallows working along a field edge. That insect concentration attracts the attention of Swainson’s Hawks and the two species often share the same air column.
Long and thin wings with a contrasting two-tone pattern underneath is a key identifying trait of this species. There are dark colors in the outer wings and a paler color in the inner wings along with a light streaked belly. The strong contrast of the underwing plus the circling flight style with variable wing beats helps distinguish them from broader wings like the Red-tailed Hawk who share the same thermals.
11) American Golden-Plover
At the peak of migration in late May, the first indication of the presence of a plover is a small golden and black speck on a mudflat with a held high head. This is often before one of its calls is heard. Arctic breeding birds use favorable tailwinds and longer daylight increasing migratory activity.
The American Golden-Plover searches for food on coastal bays. During the exposed mud of falling tides and mid-morning, loose flocks work an area probing for small crustaceans and insects with a quick walking gait and brief pauses before striking.
The species identification is made easy by the bold and crisp contrast of the gold spangled back, short bill, and upright posture. At a distance, this species can also be identified fairly easily by its rounded wings and steady flight which is less fluttery when compared to other plover species.
12) Whimbrel
The call of a long-billed curlew pecks the mud flats near the salt ponds in North San Francisco Bay. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) peak northern migration is around the end of May due to the wind patterns and their breeding season in the Arctic. The end of May causes an upsurge in whimbrel numbers due to stopover fatigue and good wind for migration.
At low tide, the broad, open tidal flats and spartina edges hold the highest densities, often in small loose feeding flocks. Light during the early morning and late afternoon is best for reading field marks. Look for careful, deliberate probing and long pauses between steps, and this specific behavioral pattern should make identification easier by separating them from the more frenzied feeding behavior of the smaller shorebirds.
A long bill with a droop and a kink near the tip combined with a cinnamon-buff rump that is visible in flight is a reliable ID anchor in conjunction with a three-note whistle. Call and shape helps the observer distinguish a Whimbrel from similar peeps and curlews during this brief, concentrated window of minimal ambiguity.
Ecological Drivers Behind Late-May Avian Migration
Memorial Day week is when many migratory species move due to a mix of biological and weather-related cues. Things like temperature spikes, food availability, and breeding activities create opportunities for migratory movement, and are the reason we have a narrow window when we see certain species moving. Knowing this helps us understand why we are seeing certain birds at this time, and helps prioritize our field observations.
Short-Distance Versus Long-Distance Migrants
A nervous group of small warblers landing in the maple trees indicates short-distance migrants stopping to refuel for the next leg of their migration. These warblers depend on flexible cues such as local temperatures, the emergence of insects, and changes to day length. Many of these bird species winter within a few hundred miles and, in the spring, can shift their migration by days to coincide with a warm spring. Because of this, these birds are often in the area during cold snaps or rapid pulses of insect migrations.
The behavior of long-distance migrants is unique. Unlike short-distance migrants, they arrive at different places in different seasons based on their internal biological clocks and the photoperiods. Long-distance migrants arrive at consecutive locations based on predetermined arrival windows. When long-distance migrants arrive in late May, they arrive because continental weather systems pushed them to travel from one region to another. As you scan the edges of the forest and riparian zones, be sure to watch for flocks and listen for birds that are actively migrating. Long-distance migrants are arriving and unlike short-distance migrants, they have the ability to be highly directed.
Impact of Weather Fronts and Phenology
Migratory birds will travel cross country when a big cold front passes. This will blend Boreal Thrushes with Southern Orioles in the same woodlot. The cold front causes a change in temperature and a change in wind direction. The birds are then forced to land and refuel where there is cover. The cold front ends up determining how long the birds will stay. In late May, there is a peak abundance of caterpillars and flowering maples, which means a lot of food for the birds. Because of this, many species will exploit these areas for food before leaving.
Birds integrate certain immediate and seasonal cues to fine-tune their migrations. Immediate cues may include tailwind and storm edges, while seasonal cues may include changing day length and their own hormonal states. Banding studies indicate a greater abundance of food during stopover periods. A productive migratory food resource during a Memorial Day weekend, for example, may host dozens of transient species for only one or two days before they move on. Mid-morning foraging, increased vocal activity after weather fronts, and active singing are all behavioral signs of a bird species attempting to maximize their food intake.
Check Doppler radar the night before a planned outing. A broad, diffuse cloud of returns moving north across a clear night sky is biological radar clutter, meaning migrating birds. Heavy overnight movement almost always produces excellent morning counts at stopover sites, particularly along coastlines and river corridors where migrants funnel at dawn.
Optimal Observation Strategies for Transient Species
The greatest number of sightings results from specific choices regarding habitat and time. Look for edges, stopover wetlands, and shallow rivers where tides change. Choose days after south winds or frontal passages to catch migrants that get pushed off course and are concentrated in predictable pathways.
Selecting Ideal Habitats and Settings
One flash of rufous on a wing tip caught in coastal scrub signals migrants that use dense shrub edges during stopover. Banding data show many spring transients peak in late May because of an increase in insects and longer days. Microhabitats where insects are concentrated are also the most productive microhabitats: bramble tangles, willow carr, mudflats with exposed wrack, and hedgerows bordering open fields.
Covering a distance of one to two miles along edge, scrub, and open water will be more efficient if you do not cover too large an area. Move quietly along leeward edges and check low branches two to eight feet high. Migrants will often withdraw to a zone to feed and refuel and repeated catch ignitions or sudden fly-offs from the same area often signal this. Distance in this case does not replace the value of remaining.
Timing Your Watch for Maximum Success
The first clear note of the dawn chorus is often the signal that this feeding peak is about to start and then it will happen and it will be busy and feeding will happen and the birds will get full and then the flock will fly away. Local banding logs and radar studies show the heaviest migration in the two hours immediately following sunrise and in the hour preceding sunset. When planning migration watches, start at first light to get the feeding peak and be sure to stay as the sun goes down to catch the flock leaving.
Choose days following days with southern winds or after a cold front that has pushed birds towards the interior. Calm mornings with rising temperatures push migrants to visible roosts as they prepare for the next flight. Bring binoculars and a scope if the habitat warrants, as well as a small stool. Try to stay in one location longer than what you might consider optimal. For example, a birder who traverses a 3 mile stretch of trail will record far fewer species than the person who works a single thicket edge for two hours at first light.
The Memorial Day weekend will provide something that is gnerally very rare in the birder’s calendar. A time period when the tail end of spring migration overlaps with the very start of breeding behavior, while a unique food resource peak is also happening. The species on this list are here because of distinctly definable biological factors at this time, and are most likely to be in a breeding silence by late June. The mudflat at dawn will not wait for you to find a more convenient time.
