Here in Missouri, spring migrants and summer avian residents begin to appear in March, led by eastern phoebes and tree swallows. Indeed, we often refer to them as messengers of spring.
Of course, the seasonal parade continues through April and into May; by mid-late May the procession is over, with one exception. Black terns, having wintered along the coasts of northern South America, often do not arrive until the second half of the month. I suppose they might be called the messengers of summer.
Attractive and, for me, nostalgic birds, they appear over shallow lakes and backwaters, flapping back and forth in search of insects and small fish; between sorties, they often rest on snags, posts or wood duck houses. This morning, I was fortunate to see two of these long-distance travelers at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area; stopping by two fuel up, they are on their way to wetlands across the Northern Plains where they will nest and raise their young.
