The first tree swallows have returned.

If you think that our blue jays, cardinals, goldfinches and other feeder birds are colorful enough, help may be on the way.

Once again, the west arm of the Lagoon Pond comes through.

Singing birds can now be heard on most mornings: chickadees, titmice, Carolina wrens, cardinals and robins have been singing for most of February.

By the end of September, most of our ruby-throated hummingbirds will have left.

State wildlife officials and the Mass Audubon bird conservation group are advising residents to bring in their bird feeders and birdbaths until more is known about a mysterious avian ailment.

The annual piping plover census was June 1 through 9.

May is rapidly coming to a close and with May’s disappearance the northward migration mostly ends.

Birding in early to mid-May can be good even though many migrants do not venture this far east, preferring a more direct path northward bypassing the Cape and Islands.

There are a lot of transient species passing through on their way north, while others are arriving to stay for the summer.