Migration? Seems Like Such An Understatement....

Wow... just... wow. Migration this year has been incredible! I have seen so much in the past week, from Warblers to Cuckoos, to Nightjars, to Sparrows, to Flycatchers. Every morning, I find myself awake at 5:30 A.M. getting my oldest daughters off to school and heading out as the sun is rising to hike the local trails and migrant traps. I even saw a Connecticut Warbler, which is a pretty great find for Alabama!

But nothing more exciting than visiting Winfred Thomas Agricultural Research Station- the farm for Alabama A&M University. It's open to the public most days, and accessible for birding. I find it to be one of my favorite spots in northern Alabama. It's the place that gave me a surprise Smith's Longspur back at the end of February and another birder here a Northern Goshawk in early March. In summer, I go to watch and photograph the Grasshopper Sparrows and Dickcissels. And sometimes, you get to see the nesting pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers that come back year after year.

What I didn't know was that Bobolinks migrate through, stopping at the farm in large numbers. I absolutely adore these birds, and it's been almost a year since I last saw one. So, when I visited on the first... I was greeted to large flocks, appearing out of the grass left and right from my van as I slowly traveled down the dirt road.

Amongst the Bobolinks, you could spot Dickcissels also.

Barn Swallows were also there in decent numbers.

After spending a little over an hour birding, I got a nice surprise of this Scissor-tailed Flycatcher putting on a short show.

If you haven't been getting out- hurry up and do so. Migration radar tonight is exploding over Alabama. I expect some awesome birding tomorrow morning, and will be out getting my bird on. 

Until next time- happy birding, y'all!