(Click on the photo for a larger image.)

Northerly winds create pretty skyscapes. May is a few days away. The long-range forecast has Monday, May 4 as the next day to have southerly flavored winds.

Check your memory bank if you think the forecast is unusual. Here is a direct quote from last year’s mocosocoBirds post on April 27, 2014:

“Every birder who follows weather patterns and watches bird migration radar knows that the northeast is in the midst of a migration stall and crawl. Species are trickling through but in general the timing of arrivals is late and, other than Yellow-rumped Warblers, Palm Warblers and the typical species of the region, the number of migrating individuals is Silent Spring-like. All of migration is to our west and south, so far. It does not look to change until next weekend at the earliest.”

This sounds too familiar.

Cliff Swallows Return to Boonton Reservoir

7 acrobatic Cliff Swallows flew energetically this afternoon high above the Rt. 202 bridge at the north end of Boonton Reservoir. Cliff Swallows have nested here each year under the bridge since at least 2012. This is the only known nest site for this species in Morris County.

Other Field Notes

North New Jersey’s first Red-eyed Vireo was spotted at Troy Meadows today (Roger Johnson). Wilson’s Snipe, Northern Waterthrush, Northern Harrier and Purple Finches are some other highlights.

Shorebirds are scant in the area. Solitary Sandpipers were at Glenhurst Meadows(David Bernstein) and Ann Van Middlesworth Park, Hillsborough Twp. (Vicki Schwartz). Lesser Yellowlegs was at Negri-Nepote Native Grassland Preserve (Elizabeth Roedell).

Wood Thrushes and Purple Finches are reported from Warrenville Rd., Warren Twp. (Jason Denesevich).

The following photographs are by Mitch van Beekum, taken today at Loantaka Brook Reservation.

There are many reports this time of year, too many to include in a daily newsletter. For further details and to see what people are seeing in the mocosocoBirds region, see local eBirdChecklists viewed via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:

The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.

@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted throughout the day. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.

Finis