Global Big Day for birds is May 8!

If you love birds—and who doesn’t?— get ready for the Big Day of birding. May 8 is World Migratory Bird Day, when migratory birds follow their ancient routes to their breeding grounds across North America.

If you sign up with eBird at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, you can add your bird sightings to an amazing crowdsourced database that has already revealed many hidden secrets of bird behavior. Last year more than 50,000 people from 175 countries submitted a staggering 120,000 checklists with eBird, setting a new world record for a single day of birding. The Lab is hoping to exceed that record this spring.

So what can you expect to see in Sherborn on May 8? This winter, I saw plenty of birds at my backyard bird feeders. There were flocks of goldfinches, house finches, nuthatches, downy woodpeckers, chickadees and tufted titmice. A pair of cardinals spent the winter, as well as a pair of mourning doves. Dark eyed juncos, white throated sparrows, a Carolina Wren and red bellied woodpeckers rounded out the list of feathered friends. Many of these birds will still be around, with the exception of juncos which breed further north.

But many more will arrive in May from winter haunts in southern climes. Just last week, the house wren claimed its nest box in my yard for another season and scolded me when I got too close. May is famous for the warbler migration, some of whom nest locally, while others pass through on their way to Northern forests. These pretty little birds dart about in the treetops where the leaves are barely emerging, looking for insects and pollen. alerting me to their presence with the sound of an unfamiliar snatch of song. In May, I usually see a Baltimore Oriole foraging in treetops, too, showing off its brilliant orange and black plumage.

If you’re a photographer, you can’t ask for more photogenic subjects. If you’re a beginning birder overwhelmed by identification woes, join the Birding Eastern Mass group on Facebook for lots of friendly help with ID from fellow birders. There are great apps to try, like the Sibley Birds app. Personally, I find that a good field guide can work well, too, because you can see several images on the same page.

If you and your family have gotten into birds this winter, why not sign up for eBird and add to one of the largest citizen science projects in the world? Representing Sherborn Birds! Rah!