Do you know why May is a New Englander’s favorite month for birdwatching? It is because it’s the peak of spring migration! Neotropical birds are passing through the area on the way to their breeding grounds, or are staying the summer. Plus they are sporting their best and brightest plumage to attract a mate, which means they are extra colorful!

Did you know you can utilize free GIS technology to help you find the best spots to go birdwatching in your area? Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird Program has a web application that utilizes citizen science data, which allows you to do this and much more!  CLEAR has created an exercise that will walk you through the process for finding the best birding hotspots on eBird. No account is needed to to try our Tools for Finding Birding Hotspots exercises!

 

Here are some birds you might see in Connecticut this Spring!

Snowy Egret                                    Little Blue Heron

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