Just when I think I’m going to get caught up with all the photos I’ve taken in the last few days, let alone weeks, I go out and take more photos and, well, the rest will be history. I’m going to try one day at a time here. How about May 19?

Swallows are back on the river. There was a profusion of Barn Swallows that day, more than I have seen in a long time. But there were also Northern Rough-winged, Tree and Bank Swallows.

I was lucky to find a couple perched young Barn Swallows. They were a shot of welcome color on a gray day.

Ring-billed gulls were busy looking for prey in the shallow river.

The gull below looks like a Herring Gull.

I encountered a pair of Baltimore Orioles on the ground in the midst of a courtship display

I caught a brief glimpse of a Brown Thrasher. The camera didn’t do it justice.

After hearing about Wilson’s Warblers from other people, I finally found one.

I kept seeing Swainson’s and Gray-cheeked Thrushes that morning and found quite a bit of variation in the photos.

I took note of a Common Grackle. These birds have been hanging out on the shoreline.

The thrush below is a Gray-cheeked Thrush.

I did see one rather distant Indigo Bunting. I hear them more often than I see them at this location.

Red-eyed Vireos have been everywhere and they are singing.

A Blue Jay with nesting material posed for me, a rather uncommon occurrence.

An Eastern Phoebe was blending in with all the gray.

I am always hearing Song Sparrows but I don’t always see them. This little guy wanted me to pay attention to him.

Brown-headed Cowbirds are here and there. I am not seeing lek-like groups of males anymore.

The bird below is a Gray-cheeked Thrush. The last photo of the bird standing on the ground is a different individual but also a Gray-cheeked.

I was quite surprised to find a Wood Thrush hiding in my photos.

I glanced behind me out toward the river and saw a Great Blue Heron being monitored by a Red-winged Blackbird.

I think the light or the lack thereof was playing tricks on me that morning.

After having gone quite a while without seeing any warblers, I found a couple. Below is a male Yellow Warbler. I often hear these birds singing but they’re getting harder to find.

The warbler below is a first-summer male American Redstart.

Too much cooperation will yield too many photos. This was such a nice, colorful individual.

At the end of the trail, I found a male Magnolia Warbler.

I will be back sooner, I hope. The frantic pace of spring migration is winding down, and concurrently, so are the demands of my social life. I have a little more time before I start working in the garden. Somewhat frustrated, I have been battling a virus that seems to be going around. I don’t feel so bad, it hasn’t kept me from birding, swimming, or even singing – although maybe I should have abandoned the latter activity – but it’s just a real messy wet cough and beyond that, I can’t smell what I’m cooking. It’s also been surprising to me how many birders I know who have had the same thing, so it almost feels inevitable, even for somebody like me who thinks she doesn’t get sick. I’m sleeping well, I have enough energy, and I am gradually getting better. It looks like a nice weekend – a bit on the cool side, but at least we have sunshine. Choir season is over, so I can quit trying to sing for a while and just get over it. Thanks for checking in.