One of the South Fork’s Natural Wonders: Spring Migration

By Frank Quevedo

Executive Director of the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton

It is, without a doubt, a natural wonder that occurs each May here on the South Fork. Millions of songbirds, including warblers, tanagers, buntings, thrushes, orioles, and sparrows leave their wintering grounds in Central and South America. They will begin making their trek north and feed urgently through our region on their way to their breeding grounds. Their goal is to arrive as quickly as possible and establish territory for mating and nesting.

Many bird species will pass through and continue north, but many will stop here, such as the black and white warbler, scarlet tanager, Baltimore oriole, blue-winged warbler, indigo bunting, purple martin, and many more that call the East End their breeding home.

This northerly migration occurs once a year, and now is the time to grab your binoculars and go outdoors to view this magical spectacle. A small window of opportunity occurs from May 10 through May 25. After that, the birds have theoretically reached their destination and bird movement will slowly diminish.

Because of their purpose and urgency to pair up with a mate, the most beautiful bird songs are most typically heard during this time … sweet-sweet, chew-chew of the indigo bunting, or sweet-sweet-I-am-sweet call of the yellow warbler. The Carolina wren’s tee-kettle-tee-kettle-tee-kettle call is loud for a small bird. My favorite is the flutelike ee-o-lay call of a wood thrush, most notably heard in the dawn hours throughout the Northwest Woods of East Hampton.

For me, birding is not a hobby, but a lifestyle that allows me to absorb everything nature has to offer. Many varieties of birds utilize every habitat on the South Fork. From woodlands, wetlands, grasslands, dunes, and ocean, they have evolved and adapted to nest or feed in all, allowing my birding explorations to be different every time. Not only is it a challenge to find birds, but it also fulfills that primitive hunting instinct that exists in all of us.

Through the season and into the summer months, my passion for birds and the natural environment will lead me on explorations and up-close encounters with wildlife.

Check out SOFO’s Spring calendar at sofo.org and join us on our many outdoor adventures and live through the magical wonders of our natural world.