Moments of Nature: May 2022

This month’s photos celebrate the richness and diversity of the birds that pass through Central Texas during the spring migration, as well as those that remain with us for the summer. May is also the time when we mark World Migratory Bird Day.

Every year, roughly 400 bird species—numbering in the millions—migrate through Texas along the Central Flyway. These include a great many warblers, along with yellow-billed cuckoos, purple martins, hummingbirds, and a number of shorebirds, just to name a few.

The birds included here were all photographed in San Marcos, though not in the Natural Areas. That said, they can be found in wooded areas around town, provided there is sufficient food and water available. Of the species that follow, two are year ‘round residents—the blue-gray gnatcatcher and Carolina wren—and three are summer residents—the indigo bunting, painted bunting, and summer tanager (a juvenile pictured here). The rest are migratory birds. If you missed these beauties this spring, they’ll be passing through again in the fall.

(Photos by Susan Hanson)

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