Pine Warbler
Here is a Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus) that I enjoying finding last weekend during less than optimal migratory conditions on one of those autumn days that feels like the definition of the seasonal transition. And would you look at that, what is it foraging in? Why a White Pine tree, naturally. They are also one of the first warblers to return in the spring when March is finally beginning to break winter’s hold on the Northeast. Pines are a bright little beacon of spring’s light coming in or summer’s glow heading out. We only have a few more weeks to enjoy a variety of...
Read MoreEarly Palm Warblers
If I had to pick out one theme of the overall autumn songbird migration thus far it would have to be how oddly scheduled our birds have been. Are they checking their calendars correctly? Different parts of the region are having often different sightings, possibly based on local conditions including drought and more than double the anticipated amount of rain in some areas, of birds that “should” or “should not” be seen. Lincoln’s Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and birds like these Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum) are October species to me with that being the...
Read MoreYellow Warbler on Queen Anne’s Lace
It turns out there are a lot of fans of Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota)! This Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia), photographed yesterday, is among them. The autumn migration continues (what?!) with birds heading south for the winter, and Yellow Warblers enjoy stopping in grasslands and shrublands to feed on the many insects they contain. The faster you can start your journey south the more food you will find along the way all while making a more relaxed trip. Suffice it to say this bird will not be facing the prospect of ice and snow as some warblers still migrating in October...
Read MoreBlue-winged Warbler
This was one chatty Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera)! You can practically hear the beeeeee bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz in these pictures. What have you been hearing lately?
Read MorePine Swamp Warbler
To answer yesterday’s quiz by RTPI Affiliate Sean Graesser, the Pine Swamp Warbler (Sylvia pusilla) was a bird Audubon originally painted as a new species of warbler. However, you may have figured out that it was the female Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens). This was an interesting mistake that highlighted the dimorphism between the male and female. It is one of the most drastic sexually dimorphic species of North American warblers.
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