Front may bring birds

The cold front that will be passing tonight will probably bring in a wave of migrants along with the cool weather.  We may notice an arrival of Yellow-rumped Warblers.

Most birds will, like the Yellowrumps, be species that winter in our area.  However, we tend to see many of them in especially high numbers after November fronts compared to the numbers that will spend the winter.  Many species that do not normally winter in urban landscapes are likely to show up immediately after a front at this season, before seeking out their preferred winter haunts outside the city.  For instance, a Hermit Thrush or Swamp Sparrow is more likely to turn up in your garden now than in January.

Also, several species that usually winter north of Lake Pontchartrain overshoot to the South Shore with such fronts.  These include Winter Wren, Brown Creeper, Vesper Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, and others.

If it remains rainy tonight, things may be slow still tomorrow- with the main pulse of birds delayed to Friday night.  Of course, with migration, nothing is entirely predictable!

Peter

for a copy of Birding Made Easy-New Orleans, email me at birding.made.easy.new.orleans@gmail.com, or look for it at the Garden District or Maple Street Book Shops, or the City Park Botanical Garden gift shop.