By Lorraine Cherry, Friends of West 11th Street Park

The spring bird migration will be underway by the time you are reading this. The migration of birds is one of the great spectacles of nature.  It takes many forms, from large hawks circling high overhead to small songbirds making long, nocturnal flights.  The migrating birds seen in and above West 11th Street Park from March to May typically winter in Central or South America, and fly north in spring to breeding destinations stretching from Texas to northern Canada.

Many interesting and colorful birds have been seen at West 11th Street Park during the spring migration.  They include Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Summer Tanager, Scarlet Tanager, two kinds of thrush (Veery and Swainson’s Thrush), other colorful species, including Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, and Hooded Warblers, hummingbirds, and Painted Bunting. For a link to the Audubon Society’s e-Bird website and a short description of birding how-to’s for beginners, visit our website at: http://www.west11thstreetpark.org/index.php?page=birds