May 5th -

The fifth day of the month saw a return to cooler conditions accompanied by a stiff northerly breeze. While sunny and pleasant enough to be outside, it was still a chilly 37 deg F at dawn but did warm up to a comfortable 61 deg F by early evening. The Gill area saw notable arrivals of Ovenbirds, Wood Thrushes and Blue-winged Warblers this morning along with the discovery of a brand new site for Virginia Rail - I heard and saw a single individual giving 'grunt' calls in a suitable breeding area in mid-morning. It wasn't my most active day of local birding but a Black-throated Green Warbler was singing in our Northfield yard around noon, and in the evening migrant Yellow-rumped Warblers appeared to be plentiful around Gill Elementary School along with a couple of recently arrived Chimney Swifts and Baltimore Orioles.