Warbler Watch

This time of year is the best time for me to be watching for warbler species in my yard.  The year before last, I identified 9 different warblers over the summer months.  Last year, I had almost no time to go looking at birds, so I only saw a few.  I am hoping to see more this year.  It's good to watch for them at this time of year because they are in full breeding plumage, which often makes them more easily recognizable.

Last week, I managed to spend about 45 minutes "stalking" warblers in my woods.  They tend to be up high in the trees and they move fast, so it can be difficult to photograph them.  Fortunately, I was able to spot three different species during my short time of looking for them, so I'm blogging about my finds so I remember which species I saw this year.

These aren't fabulous pictures - but they are pictures that had enough characteristics for me to identify the species.  I'll try to keep up with any more species I see this year.

Blackburnian Warbler - June 1, 2018
This is the male Blackburnian warbler.  It's the first time I've seen one of these.  It's the only species in this area with the orange head with black markings, so it's very easily identified if you can manage to catch it on film!  He was moving fast!

Yellow-rumped Warbler - June 1, 2018
This is the male yellow-rumped warbler.  Again, he was moving fast, but his markings are distinct, so these pictures were enough to identify him.  This is a fairly common warbler.  There is a difference between the plumage in the western form and eastern form of this bird.  This is (obviously) the eastern plumage.

Here's an "in motion" shot.

Magnolia Warbler - June 1, 2018
I was really excited to see this little ray of sunshine in the woods.

His markings are unmistakable.

This is the male magnolia warbler, and it's the first time I've seen one of these.

At the end of May, I managed to photograph a few other species of warblers.

Black-throated Blue Warbler - May 24, 2018
This is the female black-throated blue warbler.  She really doesn't look anything like her mate, so she can be a bit tricky to identify, but that white wing patch is a distinctive clue, as is the white 'eyebrow' marking.

You can see the white wing patch more clearly here.

Wilson's Warbler - May 24, 2018
See that blurry little yellow guy?  That's a male Wilson's warbler.  Terrible shot, I know, but because of his little black hat and yellow plumage, it's a giveaway identification.  I'm only including this shot for my own records so I can remember what I saw.  Hopefully I'll get a better shot next time!

Bay-breasted Warbler - May 24, 2018
This is the female bay-breasted warbler. This one is particularly exciting because it is classed as "vulnerable."  It feeds heavily on spruce budworms, so increased use of pesticide sprays has caused a significant reduction in population.  I'd like to see the male as well - hopefully they will visit again.

American Redstart - May 24, 2018
Although this bird doesn't have "warbler" in its name, it's still in the same family as the warblers and is therefore classified as one.  This is another fast-moving bird who is difficult to photograph well.  He was also really high in the tree.  I'm glad to have a good zoom lens when I'm trying to photograph warblers.

So, I'm off to a good start with 7 warbler species identified in my yard so far in 2018.  Hopefully I'll have more time to spend outside with the camera so I can capture a few more!