What to look for in nature in Pennsylvania this May

When is the warbler peak in Pennsylvania, and where do you see it?

• Presque Isle in mid-May

  Mid-May for warblers; April through May for early migrants · Presque Isle State Park, Erie; the Gull Point observation platform and the lagoon trails

  An Audubon magazine guide explains the trap: birds that follow the shore run out of land at the peninsula's tip, where water nearly surrounds them, and the crowding can make for excellent days. Weather decides which days; a night of south wind brings new arrivals, while a cold north wind holds them back. Bring binoculars and a list. A checklist is sold at the center's nature shop.

• Tanagers, grosbeaks, orioles and buntings

  Through May, as the leaves open · Woodland edges, hedgerows and the tops of trees statewide

  Penn State Extension's phenology notes describe the color arriving: scarlet tanagers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, Baltimore orioles and indigo buntings show up at woodland edges and in treetops in bright breeding plumage, while summer tanagers, blackpoll warblers and gray-cheeked thrushes reappear through the month. The notes give no exact days, so go out on several mornings.

• A banding station in its 66th year

  Spring migration season; check the schedule · Erie Bird Observatory, Presque Isle

  The Erie Bird Observatory calls its Presque Isle landbird banding program its 66th year, and also lists spring and fall waterbird counts on Pennsylvania's Lake Erie shore. It sends visitors to its bird walk and event calendars, so check them for May walks.

• The Festival of the Birds

  Annual, in mid-May in 2026; check the 2027 dates · Presque Isle State Park, hosted by Presque Isle Audubon

  Presque Isle Audubon held its 2026 festival on May 15, 16 and 17, with field trips, workshops, a trip to the banding station and hawk watch, optional kayaking in the lagoons and a Friday reception, capped at 150 people. Its page showed no 2027 dates when we looked, so treat it as an annual event and ask the organizer.

• Kettle Creek's birding festival

  Saturday, May 8, 2027, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. · Kettle Creek State Park, western Clinton County

  DCNR's calendar lists Kettle Creek's Annual Birding Festival for Saturday, May 8, 2027, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free, tagged for birding, education and festivals. It gives no program, so call the park at 570-923-6004. The park covers 1,793 acres of mountain valley in the Pennsylvania Wilds.

• Migration forecasts and lights out

  Forecast tools run March 1 to June 15 · Your own county; turn off unneeded lights at night

  BirdCast's forecast maps and county dashboard run from March 1 to June 15 in spring. It reports that over 80 percent of North American migratory species fly at night, and that lit windows and glass are dangerous along their routes. On big nights, switch off outdoor lights and close blinds.

What is nesting on the Lake Erie shore in May, and why is Gull Point closed?

• Gull Point's observation platform

  April 1 through November 30 for the closure · Gull Point Hiking Trail, Presque Isle State Park

  You can still look. DCNR and the Tom Ridge center send visitors along the Gull Point Hiking Trail to an observation platform and ask them to stay on the marked trail. Bring a spotting scope, because the birds on the sand sit far enough away to be left alone.

• Piping plovers and common terns

  Plovers arrive in April; chicks hatch from late May to early June in the species account · Presque Isle's beaches; viewed from the platform only

  The Erie Bird Observatory lists monitoring of Pennsylvania's only nesting piping plovers, and of common terns, on Presque Isle. The Great Lakes piping plover carries a federal endangered listing dating to December 11, 1985. The federal species account puts courtship and nesting in mid-to-late April, hatching between late May and early June, and fledging 25 to 35 days after hatching. That account is not about Pennsylvania in particular, so read it as the general sequence. Stay off the closed beach.

• Ospreys and eagles over the water

  Sightings during May migration · Presque Isle and the Lake Erie shore

  DCNR says ospreys and bald eagles are sighted at Presque Isle during May migration. Scan the lagoons and open lake for a bird hovering before a plunge.

• Erie National Wildlife Refuge

  Waterfowl peak earlier in spring; May is for songbirds and families · Crawford County, south of Erie

  The refuge, in Crawford County, lists waterfowl migrations from March to early April, with Canada geese, wood ducks and mallards. An observation blind on Boland/Ritchie Road overlooks Reitz's Pond. Children can collect a free Let's Go Birding booklet at the office and earn a patch. No May programs were listed, so ask the staff.

Are hawks still migrating in May, and when do eaglets leave the nest?

• The last days of the Hawk Mountain count

  The count has run April 1 to May 15 in recent years; confirm 2027 · North Lookout, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Berks County

  The sanctuary’s own pages describe an annual count on the North Lookout from April 1 through May 15, daily from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m., and its 2026 season recap closed the count on May 15. The flight typically peaks in mid to late April, so May is the tail end. The sanctuary had not posted 2027 hours that we could find, so confirm them before you drive.

• Bald eaglets in the nest

  Most eggs hatch in April; young leave the nest about 8 to 14 weeks later · Nests along rivers and lakes statewide

  The Game Commission says most eggs are laid between mid-February and mid-March and take about 35 days to hatch, commonly in April. Young leave the nest 8 to 14 weeks after hatching, around 12 weeks on average, so in May the eaglets are big and brown but still at home, fledging by the end of June or in July. Stay at least 1,000 feet away from an active nest and never flush an eagle off it.

• Eagle cams

  Through the nesting season · Hanover, York County, and the farm country nest

  The Game Commission lists the Hanover Bald Eagle Nest Cam, streamed since 2015, and a farm-country cam whose pair has reared three young in most years. It does not say what either shows in May, so check the live streams.

When do ruby-throated hummingbirds arrive, and when should you put out a feeder?

• Arrival

  Typically around May 1, with some early birds in warm springs · Feeders, gardens and woodland edges statewide

  A Pennsylvania news report said ruby-throated hummingbirds typically arrive around May 1, with some early birds in warm springs. Males come first and often go straight to last year's feeder.

• Feeders and flowers

  Put the feeder out by late April · A yard with a few tubular flowers

  The report advised hanging the feeder before the neighbors do and adding natural food: tubular flowers such as coralbells, salvia, trumpet vine and honeysuckle. It cautioned against relying on invasive mimosa.

• Add your sighting

  Spring migration, as the birds arrive · Journey North's hummingbird report page

  Journey North takes hummingbird reports from Mexico to Canada, and its maps show the birds moving north in spring. Its page gives no Northeast dates, so your first bird adds to the record.

What should you do if you find a fawn, a grouse chick or a bear cub?

• White-tailed fawns

  Late May into early June · Fields, hedgerows and the edges of yards

  The Game Commission says fawning season approaches in late May, and Penn State Extension places doe births from late May into early June. Fawns have reddish-brown coats dappled with white that serve as camouflage, so one lying still in tall grass is doing its job. Leash dogs, check before you mow and walk away.

• Elk calves

  Late May or early June · Elk Country, Elk and Cameron Counties; the public viewing area near Benezette

  A cow has one calf, about 30 pounds, able to stand at 20 minutes old. The Game Commission asks viewers to keep at least 100 yards away, never approach and never feed elk, and cows defend calves, so give mothers extra room. The Elk Country Visitor Center on Winslow Hill Road is a good stop, and a live elk cam runs at Benezette.

• Ruffed grouse broods

  Chicks leave the nest within a day of hatching · Young forest, brushy edges and old logging roads

  Clutches hold 6 to 16 eggs, laid in a leaf-lined scrape under a log or by a tree base, and the hen sits roughly 24 days. Chicks are precocial and she usually leads them off within a day. They flutter in their first week and fly well by three weeks. The Game Commission says over three-quarters die within 35 days, mostly from predators or exposure, and that cold, wet springs make it worse. If a hen flutters at your feet, back away.

• Black bears and their yearlings

  Spring, when family groups break up · Forests of the north and center; also edges of towns

  Cubs are born in January and leave the den at about three months, the Game Commission says. In spring the family splits when the mother is ready to breed again: male yearlings, about 16 months old, disperse, and females settle nearby. A young bear passing through a yard in May is often one of these. Bears follow their noses, so BearWise advises locking up food, garbage and recycling, bringing in pet food and removing bird feeders when bears are active.

• Bat pups

  May and June · Barns, attics and tree hollows

  The Game Commission's bat note lists when bats return, maternity colonies, when pups are born (May to June) and white-nose syndrome. If bats use your building, ask the commission before sealing it.

What blooms and leafs out in Pennsylvania in May, and is the last frost over?

• Mayapples, trillium and lady's slippers

  Late spring, as the canopy closes · Rich woods, creek terraces and shaded slopes

  The extension's May notes list mayapples, trillium and yellow and pink lady's slippers among the late-spring flowers. Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve says its woodland trails are vivid with spring ephemerals from mid-April through May. Look and photograph, but leave plants in place; many take years to flower from seed.

• Cherry, sassafras and oak flowers

  May · Hillsides and woodland edges

  Black cherry, sassafras, red oaks and blackhaw viburnum are flowering, the same notes say. Red oak catkins are easy to miss, but yellow dust on a parked car gives them away. More butterflies are active too: the spring azure lays eggs on dogwood, blueberry and viburnum buds, and the Eastern tiger swallowtail feeds on black cherry blooms.

• Dryad's saddle

  Overlaps with morel season · Base of dead or dying elm trees

  Dryad's saddle (Polyporus squamosus), a bracket fungus, appears at the base of dead or dying elms, overlapping morel season. We give no morel dates because the sources we read give none; ask an extension office before eating any wild mushroom.

What are spotted lanternfly nymphs and ticks doing in May?

• Spotted lanternfly nymphs

  Hatching from late April to June · Tree trunks, vines and tender new growth

  Penn State Extension says spotted lanternfly eggs hatch from late April to June. Newborn nymphs are about an eighth of an inch and can pass for ticks or spiders. The first three stages are black with white spots, and the fourth is red with white dots and black stripes. They jump, move constantly and feed on tender new growth, and adults emerge in July. The guide advises early traps, regular scouting and reporting sightings outside the known range.

• Blacklegged tick nymphs

  May through July · Leaf litter, tall grass and trail edges

  Blacklegged ticks are the main biters in Pennsylvania, and the extension names May through July as the time to be most careful. It says Pennsylvania ranks first in Lyme disease cases but gives no total. Walk down the center of the path, tuck trousers into socks and look yourself over afterward. The CDC adds that an attached tick should come off promptly and that a shower soon after coming indoors helps.

How much daylight does Pennsylvania gain in May?

What is May weather like in Pennsylvania, and what hazards should you expect?

What can you see in the Pennsylvania night sky in May 2027?

• The Flower Moon and a seasonal Blue Moon

  Full at 6:59 a.m. Thursday, May 20; best evening is Wednesday, May 19 · Rising in the east around dusk

  Because the full instant comes in the morning, the evening of May 19 is when the Moon rises nearest to full. By our calculation moonrise that evening is about 8:05 p.m. at Harrisburg, 8:18 p.m. at Pittsburgh and 8:25 p.m. at Erie, shortly before sunset in each. The Moon also looks full on May 18 and 20. Old Farmer's Almanac calls it the Flower Moon. Four full moons fall in spring as astronomers count it (equinox to solstice): March 22, then April 20, this month's May 20 and June 19. Old almanac custom reserves “Blue” for the third in a set of four, so under that older rule this one qualifies. The newer test (two full moons in one calendar month) never comes up in 2027.

• The Eta Aquariid meteors

  Best mornings of May 5, 6 and 7, before dawn; peak night May 5 to 6 · Any dark yard with a clear view east

  A new moon on May 6 leaves only a thin crescent, which makes the shower's peak night, May 5 to 6, a good one. The American Meteor Society cites somewhere around 10 to 30 an hour in the final stretch before daybreak across the southern states. This far north the constellation Aquarius climbs into view only shortly before dawn, so Pennsylvania should count fewer. Recline in the last two hours of darkness and face east.

• Venus and Saturn close together

  Friday, May 7, before sunrise (also the mornings of May 6 and 8) · Very low in the east, with binoculars and a flat horizon

  On the 7th the two planets lie roughly 0.6 degrees apart (their closest moment comes after sunrise), and close to a degree apart on the mornings around it. In Pisces, they stand a mere 3 to 6 degrees up in the half hour before sunrise, at about 40 degrees north. Brilliant Venus (magnitude -3.9) is easy; Saturn (+0.7) is faint beside it. Choose a spot with an open view east and bring binoculars.

• The Moon beside Jupiter

  Wednesday evening, May 12 · High in the evening sky, after dark

  The almost-first-quarter Moon passes about 1.2 degrees from Jupiter, closest at 5:52 p.m., before dark. After sunset they stay close and high, and no equipment is needed.

• Mercury at its best evening of the year

  Evenings of May 12 to June 5, with greatest elongation on May 27 and 28 · Low in the west-northwest, 45 to 90 minutes after sunset

  Friday, May 28 at 9:14 a.m. is when Mercury stands widest from the Sun on its eastern side, at 22.8 degrees, so you can pick either evening, the 27th or the 28th. By May 15 it follows the Sun down by about an hour and a half (magnitude -0.6), and by June 1 by nearly two hours, though it dims fast through June. Northern observers get their best evening look at the planet all year. A hazy west-northwest sky calls for binoculars.

• Milky Way, after midnight

  May 1 to 14 and May 25 to 31, around the new moon of May 6 · Dark sites; low in the south and south-southeast late at night

  Our figures for 40 degrees north, the latitude of Harrisburg, show up to roughly 3.8 hours when the galaxy's bright core stands over the horizon under dark, moonless skies, with less in the north where nights run short. Treat the hours as approximate.

What are good May nature outings for families in Pennsylvania?

Safety notes for May in Pennsylvania