April and May are months of transition for birds in the Susquehanna Valley.  Some of our familiar winter birds will be departing to nest to our north.  For example, you’re much less likely to see a Dark-eyed Junco in your yard after the middle of April.  They nest north of us and in the Appalachian Mountains to our west.  A few weeks after the juncos leave we’ll say goodbye (for now) to other common winter birds like White-throated Sparrows and Golden-crowned Kinglets.  Other winter birds that aren’t here during the summer include Winter Wrens, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Pine Siskins, and Purple Finches (not to be confused with the much more common House Finches).

As we lose our winter birds, we’ll gain several bird species that live south of us during the winter.  Among the common yard birds, Tree Swallows and Chipping Sparrows are already returning.  Over the course of April and early May we’ll also see Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Brown Thrashers, Gray Catbirds, House Wrens, Eastern Towhees, Baltimore Orioles, and Indigo Buntings.  Depending on how much native vegetation you have growing in your yard, many of those birds might be nesting right outside your home this summer.

In addition to all those migratory birds, remember that many species are found in the Susquehanna Valley all year, including most woodpeckers, Eastern Bluebirds, American Robins, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wrens, White-breasted Nuthatches, Song Sparrows, and Northern Cardinals.