Singing male Prairie Warbler photographed in the southerntier.
Scoping May
It's showtime! This is the month we have all been waiting for! The possibilities are endless. The beauty of May is that you can basically go birding anywhere and expect to see migrants. The birds arrive in pulses, usually accompanying a warm front. On the third Sunday of the month is the annual May Bird Census. Please join us by volunteering some of your time on this day! This year's compiler is Bob DeLeon, please contact him if you can assist with the count at [email protected].
There is an art to birding in May. Weather plays a huge part on when birds arrive and where they make landfall. Generally speaking, locations along the immediate lakeshores can sometimes be loaded with birds. This is most likely to happen after the passage of a warm front followed by a cold front resulting in rain. The precipitation can ground birds and produce fallout conditions. Of course the planets have to align in order for a fallout to occur, but when it does, it's magnificent!
The traditional migrant hotspots are the popular focus in May: Forest Lawn Cemetery, Tifft Nature Preserve, Reinstein Woods, Goat Island, Four Mile Creek State Park and Fort Niagara State Park. On years with cooler weather, leaf bud is delayed the closer you are to the lake shores. Inland locations will tend to leaf out earlier and therefore be more attractive to migrants. Forest Lawn Cemetery is widely acclaimed as a spring destination for Neotropical migrants. This is due to its inland location resulting in earlier leaf out as well as its oasis-like appeal to birds looking for a resting place after a long night of migration. The list of rarities located here is long. Unfortunately, migrants this time of year don't tend to linger. These birds are on a race to get back to their breeding grounds.
May still offers hawk flights at the Hamburg Hawkwatch. By this stage of the spring raptor migration, immature Broad-winged Hawks make up the bulk of the numbers as well as young Bald Eagles and Sharp-shinned Hawks. In the early mornings at the hawkwatch site, you can test your skills at identifying overhead passerines. These birds are dispersing inland away from the lakeshore to find suitable foraging habitat for the day.
WNY is not known as a great spring shorebird site, but they do pass through the region in May. The traditional locations are the best area to check: Woodlawn Beach SP, Batavia WWTP and Iroquois NWR. Also worth checking are the farm fields in Niagara and Orleans Counties - especially after a heavy rain. Not only does the rain create temporary mud puddles in agricultural fields for the shorebirds to forage in, but precip events will also ground the birds during their overhead passage. One of the most stunning sandpipers to cross paths with this time of year is the Dunlin. Species such as Solitary and Spotted Sandpipers can be found along creeks and pond edges at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Reinstein Woods and Delaware Park Lake.
Later migrants are still sifting through towards the end of the month, species such as Yellow-bellied and Olive-sided Flycatchers, Mourning and Blackpoll Warblers and Gray-cheeked Thrush.
Memorial Day weekend is the traditional time to look for migrant Whimbrel along the Fort Erie Lakeshore just west of the Peace Bridge. Most Whimbrel migrating through the region cross the fetch of Lake Ontario and there is a watch set up near Toronto to record the thousand-plus birds that pass through annually, all within a few short days. Every year a few birds end up along the rocky shoreline of Fort Erie. Check the end of Kraft Road, Windmill Point and Rock Point Provincial Park. The breakwalls along the Buffalo Outer Harbor would also be worth scoping.
The Buffalo Ornithological Society, Inc. (BOS) was established in 1929 to promote the study of the birds of the Niagara Frontier Region. Annual grants are awarded by the BOS to fund member-sponsored avian research projects. We are proud of our extensive scientific research databases, our continuing involvement in environmental and conservation activities that impact birds, and our promotion of the enjoyment of ornithology.
The BOS coverage area includes Western New York and parts of nearby Ontario, Canada. This region is rich in bird life with over 380 species and 25 recognizable subspecies of birds recorded. Explore our site to learn more about where to report and find birds, both regional specialties and rare visitors.
The Buffalo Ornithological Society has something to offer to anyone passionate about birds: from the backyard feeder- watcher, the avid lister or the environmental activist, to the dedicated citizen scientist or the professional ornithologist. Society activities include regular programs, field trips, intensive long-term bird counts, checklist and date guide development, varied research activities, and involvement in local conservation efforts. We invite you to join in the activities of the society!
JOIN the BOS
Reflections on "What the BOS Means to . . . "
. . . BOS Vice President, Vicky Rothman
I had always been watching birds from feeders at my parent's and my best friend's parent's homes. Both had binoculars and birds guides. Somewhere around 12 years old I had the courage to call the birding hotline to report a yellow warbler (not that special) but the person on the other end of the line was very fostering and made me feel as though it was. He gave me information
about meetings and places to see birds. Although I didn't have a chance at the time to take these opportunities, I always kept it in mind, what a nice organization it must be. Mainly knowing there was a group that cared about conservation, an overall knowledge of birds, habitats, hikes, arrival and departure dates of migration and so much more. Prior to that, I thought birding was a warbler gem show of spring migration and birds at feeders. Who knew this obsession could be taken throughout the year and other birders were willing to tell you where and when to find them?!? Such a wonderfully diverse group of sweet, giving people! Who could ask for more?
Upcoming Field Trips and Events
For a full list of our upcoming field trips, meetings, and events, visit our calendar page. You don't have to be a member to join our field trips or meetings! (Note that meetings run from September through June.)
Oct 31, 2026 (Saturday)
Field Trip - Lake Ontario Plains with Willie D’anna and Joel Strong
Details: (click for more info)
Top's Market in Wrights Corners, north of Lockport, NY
Saturday, October 31, 2026 - Lake Ontario Plain Field Trip for fall migrants.
Meet at 8 AM at Tops Market in Wright's Corners. This is on the east side of Route 78 at Route 104, north of Lockport. Leaders are Willie D’Anna and Joel Strong.
Leaders:
Willie D'Anna
P: 716-471-7595 or E: [email protected]
Joel Strong
P: 727-519-4043 or E: [email protected]
|
Nov 11, 2026 (Wednesday)
Meeting - Chris Rockwell takes the BOS to Northern Colombia
Details: (click for more info)
Buffalo Museum of Science
Meet at 7 pm in the Cummings Room at the Buffalo Museum of Science.
In January of 2026, a group of BOS members flew to Bogota, Colombia to begin a 13-day tour through the northern part of the country. We visited the famous Santa Marta Mountains with its many endemic species, staying at Mountain House Lodge. We birded north to the Guajira Peninsula, then to Perija (the northernmost extension of the Andes) and ending the trip at Sumapaz NP seeing the exquisite Green-bearded Helmetcrest!
Chris will take you on a photographic journey of our route which ended with close to 400 species. We made new friends along the way with Pablo and Luz, our guides from Adventures Colombia, and look forward to seeing them again when the BOS goes back to Colombia in January of 2028 for a different birding itinerary through the region called the Coffee Triangle!
|
Nov 21, 2026 (Saturday)
Field Trip - Dunkirk Harbor with Devin Banning and Katelyn Davis
Details: (click for more info)
Dunkirk City Pier
Leaders: Katelyn Davis and Devin Banning (716-260-8889) [email protected]
Date: Saturday, November 21, 2026
Meeting time: 9:00am
Place: Dunkirk Harbor Pier
Alternate meeting place (to be used if pier is closed): Dunkirk Memorial Park (just west of the pier on Route 5)
This trip will be targeting newly arrived waterfowl that use the Dunkirk Harbor and the surrounding area to winter. It is not unusual to see over a dozen species of waterfowl in a morning here!
We will also be looking for gulls and shorebirds along the way, as well as the harbor’s resident Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons. Previous year’s highlights have included Snowy Owl, Brant, Glaucous Gull and Red-throated Loon. Bring a scope if you have one, if not we can share!
Depending on recent bird reports from surrounding hotspots, we may choose to bird Point Gratiot, the Berry Road Marsh and/or Lake Erie SP after birding the harbor. Dress for the weather, there is often a breeze coming off the lake.
Link to the 2025 trip report…
Https://eBird.org/trip report/551590
Photo of a Long-tailed Duck taken by Bill Massaro on November 20, 2021.
|
Nov 29, 2026 (Sunday)
Field Trip - Niagara River with Tom O’Donnell and the RBA
Details: (click for more info)
Ft Niagara SP, Youngstown, NY
Leader is Tom O’Donnell
[email protected]
(716) 622-5185
This is a joint field trip with the Rochester Birding Association
Meet at 9:00 a.m. Sunday, Nov 29 at the large parking lot overlooking Lake Ontario at Fort Niagara State Park in Youngstown. From here we will scope the lake for waterfowl, loons and gulls. This is a good location for White-winged Scoter and Long-tailed Ducks. This location has hosted rarer birds such as King Eider, Razorbill and Western Grebe in years past.
We will check the usual locations on the US side before crossing into Canada; Goat Island/Three Sisters and the Whirlpool. A stop at St Peter’s Church on Center Street in Lewiston should add wintering Turkey and Black Vultures to our day list.
This will be an all-day trip that will cross through customs into Canada. Participants MUST bring passport or Enhanced Driver’s License if you want to continue the trip into Canada. Here we will peer down upon the lower Niagara for white-winged gulls as well as possible Little Gulls.
Be prepared for potentially cold weather/wind. Would be easiest for participants to bring their own lunches/snacks and beverages…dig out your thermos! If you have a spotting scope, this would be a great trip to bring it along on!
Leader: Tom O’Donnell of the Buffalo Ornithological Society (BOS) 716-622-5185 or [email protected]
Photo of White-winged Scoters and a solo Black Scoter taken by Ryan Griffiths on November 23, 2025 from Fort Mississauga, Niagara.
|
See Our Full List of Events