Nature Done Wright

  A lot of people know that the Celery Farm Natural Area attracts all sorts of exquisite birds, from great blue herons and belted kingfishers to all sorts of warblers.

   But few people know when these birds are likely to arrive — until now.

   After nearly a decade of careful record-keeping, top birder Rob Fanning has compiled a list of birds that may be seen each year, the earliest date they have been spotted, and the average date for their annual arrival.

  Take early April.

  This week, expected arrivals include snipes, American bitterns, pine warblers, plam warblers, yellow-rumps, purple finches, rough-winged swallows, and black-crowned night herons. 

   (Sure enough: On Sunday birders saw a snipe and an American bittern.)

  With the help of fellow birder John Workman, Rob has posted this useful information on the Fyke Nature Association’s Web site.

  The compilation is in Excel spreadsheet format, including a second tab that provides spring arrivals by date instead of species order.

  To see the list, click here: Celery Farm arrivals spreadsheet