May birding in Calhoun County continued

Sunday May 14th I tried to head back to Woodland to see if migration had started in earnest.  FOY Scarlet Tanager and Black-throated Green Warbler showed up, along with Lincoln's Sparrow and a very shy Veery.  The Black-throated is a bird I would have expected to see much earlier, and in far greater numbers.  The Lincoln's Sparrow gave excellent looks back in the flooded area across the footbridge.  

While back there I kept trying to get looks at some small groups of warblers.  It certainly wasn't any kind of fallout, but at least it was some birds.  I did manage some decent shots of a warbler flitting around the bushes.  I called it a female Black-throated Blue Warbler while out there, and moved on.  Later that night after looking at this bird closer I struggled over it.  I thought the white patch on the front of the wing was a Black-throated marker, and this heavy grey hood on the head, along with strong facial markings really threw me off.  I was all over my Warbler Guide, Sibley's and the interwebz.  Finally as I look at my pictures for the dozenth time I finally notice the orange-tinted feathers on the head....Orange-crowned Warbler.  The previous looks I have had at these birds they have never showed that much gray up top.  Not sure it is enough to try to say it is a different subspecies than we should see around here, but definitely not what I am used to seeing.  

May 15th I managed to find another Orchard Oriole at the Airport.  A juvenile male this time.  May 17th the morning brought me the FOY Eastern Wood-Pewee in the yard.  

May 20th was the last KBS FOC Field Trip to Kellogg Forest.  50 birds showed up, with the highlight some good looks at a male and female Hooded Warbler.  A probable pair of nesting Great Crested Flycatcher, were seen.  12 Warblers were finally cause for some hope that migration was in process.  Chestnut-sided Warblers gave some excellent looks, as well as one of the participants finding a nest being built by one.  ​I swung by Woodland Park afterwards and found my Calhoun FOY Chestnut-sided Warbler.  

The next day I headed right back to Woodland Park to see if things were continuing to happen.  It paid off with 7 more FOY birds.  I was greeted by a very vocal Gray-cheeked Thrush at the entrance.  A skittish Northern Waterthrush was just off the initial path near where the small bluebird path branches off.  I got good looks at it with binoculars, but it disappeared before I could snap a pic.   The back woods brought me a Red-eyed Vireo, Alder Flycatcher and my best ever looks at a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.    Getting back to the Jeep there was a Philadelphia Vireo calling from the large tree at the entrance.  As I'm getting ready to leave a loud call starts to come from the woods near the South-east corner of the lawn.  Very similar to a Carolina Wren, but a bit more musical on the notes.  I recorded it and jumped to my Warbler Guide app.  I had a hunch on Mourning Warbler, and sure enough it matched up.  I later looked at it in Audition and the spectrogram matched up nearly exactly.  FOY Mourning Warbler.  That made a 12 Warbler day for me.  Very nice.  Finally migration showed up.  

The Airport added FOY Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Willow Flycatcher.  The Cuckoo I initially thought was just some noises from Fort Custer.  Possibly some yelling over speakers.  It wasn't until I had moved farther down the road, and the starting to hear the cooing from behind me it dawned on me it was a Cuckoo.  Very softly, but a Yellow-billed nonetheless.  I also witnessed two Warbling Vireos attacking a Blue Jay, likely trying to defend a nest.  

For Calhoun County May would end up with 166 birds seen this year.  Not a Big Year number, but respectable and definitely some good birds and good looks.