Spring Migration at Mount Auburn Cemetery 2015

It seems counter-intuitive to go from my suburban hometown with open space aplenty to go bird watching in the city BUT the way it works is Mt Auburn Cemetery is an amazingly beautiful arboretum-like compound with a a handful of ponds, that serves as an oasis for migrating birds to rest in during their migration north.  The migrating birds arrive in high concentration every May just around Mother's Day.  Yesterday was a bonanza for birders at Mt. Auburn.

I arrived at 7:45am and was amazed at how many cars were already there, all typical parking areas filled with the overflow crowd just parking along the many lanes.  I was amused at how many Prius were present as I parked mine in a row with 3 others. 

You don't need a field guide on days like these because there are so many experienced birders around that all you have to do is ask your question out loud and several people chime in with their opinions.  I flitted around the cemetery from group to group not unlike the many warblers flitting around in the trees.  It's pretty fun for a bird nerd to be around so many kindred souls.

Yellow-rumped warblers were everywhere.  I can't say how many times I heard people say "oh, it's just a yellow-rumped". A woman I met taught me the term "butter butts"....just another butter butt.

I didn't bring my camera so I could relax and enjoy the birds rather than get myself distracted trying to catch a good shot.  Regretted the decision a few times but had a great time anyways. The above photo was taken with my cell phone.I passed a bush closely and out flew a robin.  And there in plain view was the nest.

Here is a list of the birds I saw....I composed the list after I got home so there might actually be more than 41 species.  I just don't clearly recall seeing a house sparrow or a song sparrow, for instance, which were highly likely to be there but can't write what I don't recall.

in no particular order- (out of laziness I am not going to use capital letters)
turkey
bald eagle
great horned owl
robin
great blue heron
mourning dove (it gets better sone I promise)
blue jay
catbird
grackle
baltimore oriole
orchard oriole
solitary vireo
scarlet tanager
phoebe
mallards
white throated sparrow
eastern kingbird
chickadee
tufted titmouse
redwing blackbird
chipping sparrow
crow
chimney swift
red tail hawk
cardinal
and 16 species of warblers
 black and white
 cape may
 chestnut-sided
 black-throated blue
 black-throated green
 yellow
 tennessee
 nashville
 parula
 palm
 pine
 common yellowthroat
 blue-winged
 yellow-rumped
 blackburnian
 wilson's