Weather was not ideal but May 19 was still quite good bird-wise. Despite the extensive storm damage as mentioned by others, there were moments on Thursday that felt very much like the old Magee. In particular, there was a "magic" tree viewed from the parking lot as I arrived on Thursday around 9:15am that had 7 species of warbler (usually 2-3 of each species) & at least 2 different vireos zipping around so fast it was hard to get on them all but I saw Cape May, N Parula, B&W, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian plus Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos. Excellent looks at Philadelphia Vireos later.

The boardwalk is a very different experience now--much more open with many big trees downed & the canopy gone. Even the tower near the W entrance is gone. This makes for sunnier (& warmer) birding but the hardest is all the fallen trees/brush which has eliminated a great deal of the viewable understory. Now finding Connecticut & Mourning Warblers is much harder & I dipped on both altho I missed a Mourning by seconds & 2 CTs (or perhaps the same bird twice) by minutes. 

The boardwalk has been repaired in many places but unfortunately the N segment of the E loop is cordoned off b/c of damage so you can't walk the loop. If you enter from the E entrance, if you turn right, you will have to return whence you came to that junction to continue W. Coming W, you have to turn right as the closed section is straight ahead. This made for longer treks.

The better birding was last week & earlier this week but there were still a fair number of birds around. Bay-breasted, Yellow, Redstarts & Prothonotary were the most numerous warblers.

Winds and temps started picking up Thurs afternoon. Friday was OK in the early morning but the temps & humidity as well as the winds increased & it became rather miserable for birding so I did not stay another night, leaving mid-afternoon. Birds were still around but in fewer numbers & variety than Thursday. I did pick up one Yellow-billed Cuckoo in flight, my only one for the trip. Missed a flyby Black-billed. FCs were good: great looks at Least & Yellow-bellied plus Willow, Great-crested & Peewee.

Other highlights were a couple E Screech-Owls including looks at 2 nestlings that appeared to have just branched, a Common Nighthawk on its day roost, Prothonotaries so close I could have reached out and grabbed one! and a male Scarlet Tanager glowing in the sun at Metzger. Metzger also had a singing male Blackpoll that gave great views.

I camped at the State Park this trip & was delighted to see then hear the booming & beeping of Com Nighthawks--a sound I've loved since my childhood in S Indiana. Birds I saw this trip that I don't always see: White Pelican, Common Tern, Black-necked Stilt.

My short trip yielded 18 warblers (which seemed low but the weather/migration timing was the issue most likely) and a total of 95 species.

N Parula

Magnolia

Bay-breasted

Blackburnian

Yellow

Chestnut-sided

Blackpoll

Black-throated Blue

Palm

BT Green

Canada

Wilson's