Bay-breasted Warblers
We are getting to the end of the spring migration season, and as hard as that is to believe our later arriving species are trickling through as many of the species that arrived earlier are getting down to nesting. One of my favorite passing migrants is the Bay-breasted Warbler (Setophaga castanea), a large and gorgeous species that I believe seems more rare than it is. Bay-breasted Warblers start passing through the region as most of the other spring birds are peaking. These birds remain mostly high in the canopy – above eye-level and out of sight behind recently emerged leaves, and...
Read MoreWarbling Vireo
One of the more drab and plain May migrant birds in the Northeast is the Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus). Their subtle shades of brown, gray and olive combined with their tendency to hang up in the canopy makes it difficult to get an eyeful of the species – and you are far more likely to have an earful of their dynamic, fast and bold warbling song. This individual was foraging on a recent morning at a migratory hotspot, coming to eye-level and pausing on the phragmites just long enough for me to snap a shot. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MorePrairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor)
Here’s a Throwback Thursday to a Prairie Warbler (Setophaga discolor) that I photographed several years ago. The species begins to return to us in the Northeast right abouttttt…now! I hope to be able to spot one or two in migration so that I can get some better shots and enjoy their buzzy, rising song. Look for them in scrub or shrub habitat, old fields, power line cuts, or even forests – just not the prairies. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreNonstop Song
How do Song Sparrows even have time to breed and raise young? All they do is sing, sing, and sing…
Read MoreMale Yellow Warbler
This male Yellow Warbler is ready to take up residence in your garden! Their abundance, friendliness, and usage of habitats in open areas and often near people help make them an easy target for Brown-headed Cowbirds. After the Yellows build their nest a female Cowbird may end up putting an egg in it as well. While some Yellow Warblers will end up raising this young bird to the detriment of its own, others will build another nest over the original parasitized one. It is always an odd sight to spot a huge Cowbird fledgling being fed by the little Yellow parent. But for now all this guy is...
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