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| Pink headed Warbler, Rincon Suizo, Tecpan, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018 |
Yet another year is now just about over and it was another great year of warblers for me. I finished the year with a total of 51 species of warblers with several being new ones for me including Chiriqui Yellowthroat, Crescent chested Warbler, Golden browed Warbler, Pink headed Warbler, Goldman's Warbler, Red faced Warbler and Fan tailed Warbler. I have now seen a total of 75 warbler species as I continue on my quest to see them all. There are more details on warblers overall, by month and in Hampshire County at the bottom of the post.
January started out incredibly cold with
record cold for the first week that made it feel like the arctic. Despite the extreme cold I managed to turn up a
Yellow rumped Warbler at Arcadia on January 2nd (my first warbler record in the county in January)
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| Chiriqui Yellowthroat, San Vito Airport marshes, San Vito Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2018 |
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| Common Yellowthroat, San Vito Airport marshes, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2018 |
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| Chiriqui Yellowthroat habitat, San Vito Airport marshes, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2018 |
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| Rufous capped Warbler, Casa Botanica, San Vito, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2018 |
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| Slate throated Redstart, Casa Botanica, San Vito, Costa Rica, Jan 18, 2018 |
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| Collared Redstart, Savegre Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2018 |
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| Wilson's Warbler, Savegre Lodge, San Gerardo de Dota, Costa Rica, Jan 16, 2018 |
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| Chestnut sided Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 17, 2018 |
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| Mourning Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 23, 2018 |
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| Golden winged Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 23, 2018 |
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| Buff rumped Warbler, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 20, 2018 |
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| Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Rio Magnolia Lodge, Costa Rica, Jan 21, 2018 |
The middle of January found us making another trip down to Costa Rica which produced a total of 20 warbler species with the highlight being a new warbler species for me, Chiriqui Yellowthroat, down near the Panama border near the town of San Vito...a species I have wanted to get down there to see and finally succeeded in finding. Chiriqui Yellowthroat is considered a separate species by some sources (including myself) while others consider it a subspecies of Olive crowned Yellowthroat. I also found a Worm eating Warbler at Rio Magnolia Lodge, which was a new warbler species for me in Costa Rica (bringing my total there to 30 species). The most numerous warbler species was about a tie between Tennessee Warbler and Chestnut sided Warbler (nice to see larger than typical numbers of Tennessee Warblers which corresponds nicely with the above normal numbers seen around here during the fall migration).
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| Pink headed Warbler, Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018 |
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| Crescent chested Warbler, Rincon Suzio trails, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018 |
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| Golden browed Warbler, Rincon Suzio trails, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018 |
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| Goldman's Warbler, Todos Santos Regional Municipal Park, Guatemala, Feb 10, 2018 |
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| Red faced Warbler, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018 |
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| Fan tailed Warbler, La Reunion resort, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018 |
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| Rufous capped Warbler (Chestnut capped subspecies), La Reunion resort, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018 |
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| Golden crowned Warbler (Stripe crowned subspecies), Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018 |
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| Ovenbird, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018 |
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| Tennessee Warbler, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018 |
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| Nashville Warbler, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018 |
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| Magnolia Warbler, La Reunion Resort, Guatemala, Feb 12, 2018 |
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| Townsend's Warbler, Unicornio Azul Lodge, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018 |
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| Wilson's Warbler, Finca el Pilar, Guatemala, Feb 11, 2018 |
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| Slate throated Redstart, Rincón Suizo, Tecpan, Guatemala, Feb 9, 2018 |
I took another trip down to the tropics in early February with my destination this time being Guatemala. The trip was primarily a search for a variety of warblers (both full species and local subspecies that could be split at some point). The eight species and subspecies I was searching for included Crescent chested Warbler, Goldman's Warbler (considered a full species by some but a subspecies of Yellow rumped Warbler by others), Fan tailed Warbler, Golden browed Warbler, Stripe crowned Warbler (a subspecies of Golden crowned Warbler as of now), Red faced Warbler, Pink headed Warbler and Chestnut capped Warbler (a subspecies of Rufous capped Warbler and a subspecies I have seen before in Costa Rica but thought I would try for it again). Over the course of the trip we managed to find every target and get at least marginal photos of all of them. Besides the warblers mentioned above we found many others bringing the total number of warbler species for the trip up to 23. The warblers seen during the trip included the following species: Ovenbird, Worm eating Warbler, Blue winged Warbler, Black and White Warbler, Crescent chested Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Nashville Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow rumped Warbler (Audubon's subspecies), Goldman's Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Black throated Green Warbler, Fan tailed Warbler, Rufous capped Warbler (Chestnut capped subspecies), Golden browed Warbler, Golden crowned Warbler (Stripe crowned subspecies), Wilson's Warbler, Red faced Warbler, Pink headed Warbler and Slate throated Redstart. It was a great trip and it will be very tough to add a half dozen new species of warbler on a single trip again.
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 21, 2018 |
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| Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle', Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Feb 20, 2018 |
Once I was back home I managed to turn up at least eleven
Yellow rumped Warblers at Arcadia on a couple different days in late February...unprecedented for me in Hampshire County where I have never had any species of warbler in February.
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| Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018 |
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| Pine Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Mar 10, 2018 |
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| Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Mar 25, 2018 |
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Arcadia, Easthampton, MA, Mar 27, 2018 |
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| Yellow throated Warbler, Coconut Point Sanctuary, FL, Mar 21, 2018 |
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| Northern Parula, Tiger Creek Sanctuary, FL, Mar 18, 2018 |
March became more winter like with multiple snow storms during the early part of the month and several nor'easters from mid month on. The Yellow rumped Warblers at Arcadia continued in the same area throughout the month. A very early
Pine Warbler showed up at the Griffith's on March 7 and I finally caught up with it on March 10...my earliest date ever for this species that usually shows up in the area in early April. A mid month trip to Florida turned up a number of new warbler species for the year but nothing out of the ordinary. Another early record also showed up this month when a
Palm Warbler turned up at Lake Wallace on March 25 and stuck around for several days...only my second year of ever getting the species here in March with the last time being in 2012.
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| Pine Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 11, 2018 |
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| Palm Warbler 'yellow', Covey WMA, Belchertown, MA, Apr 18, 2018 |
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Wallace, Belchertown, MA, Apr 19, 2018 |
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| Louisiana Waterthrush, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 20, 2018 |
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| Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Apr 27, 2018 |
Although a little cooler and wetter (and snowier) than typical,
April still produced some warblers (eight for the month). Nothing out of the ordinary but it was just the vanguard of what was to arrive in May when they big numbers and variety arrived.
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| Brewster's Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2018 |
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| Blackburnian Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2018 |
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| Blue winged x Golden winged Warbler hybrid, Quabbin Park, MA, May 3, 2018 |
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| Prairie Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2018 |
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| Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2018 |
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| Black and White Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 5, 2018 |
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| Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 8, 2018 |
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| Northern Waterthrush, Pelham, MA, May 8, 2018 |
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| Nashville Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 9, 2018 |
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| Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, May 10, 2018 |
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| Yellow Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, May 3, 2018 |
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| Blackpoll Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 15, 2018 |
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| Black throated Green Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 15, 2018 |
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| Cerulean Warbler, Skinner SP, Hadley, MA, May 15, 2018 |
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| Black throated Blue Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018 |
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| Cape May Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 16, 2018 |
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| Bay breasted Warbler, UMASS, Amherst, MA, May 21, 2018 |
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| Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 23, 2018 |
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, May 23, 2018 |
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| American Redstart on nest, Quabbin Park, MA, May 23, 2018 |
The month of May is the month I look forward to the most as almost all the warblers you can find in the area arrive in mass. Every day more variety shows up until it all peaks around the middle of the month. Although many species settle down to breed here others continue further to the north well into Canada before settling down to raise the next generation. Some of those species that breed further north including Bay breasted, Tennessee and Cape May Warblers have had great breeding success the last couple years so once again appeared in above normal numbers here during migration. I had probably my best day for warbler diversity ever around here on
May 16th with a total of 29 species over the course of the day.
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| Mourning Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Jun 8, 2018 |
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| Brewster's Warbler, Sweet Alice Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Jun 13, 2018 |
During June most migrants moving north have passed through and the birds that remain are in the midst of another breeding season. The Mourning Warbler at Quabbin Park continued to sing on territory to try to attract a mate but I do not believe it was successful in that endeavor this year.
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'audubon's', Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, Jul 9, 2018 |
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| Wilson's Warbler, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, Jul 13, 2018 |
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| MacGillivray's Warbler, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, Jul 11, 2018 |
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| Virginia's Warbler, South Mesa Trail, Boulder Cty, CO, Jul 15, 2018 |
As the breeding season wound down around here for the year we made a trip out to
Colorado visiting a few locations around Rocky Mountain NP and Denver. A total of eight species of warblers were found during the trip with a few new for the year for me. A full look at July can be found
here.
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| Ovenbird, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 27, 2018 |
The end of
August brought the beginnings of migrants making their way south for the winter with some early arrivals including Cape May Warblers. Lots of other local breeders were still around with the adults being joined by the latest generation of juveniles
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| Connecticut Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2018 |
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| Connecticut Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 20, 2018 |
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| Wilson's Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Sep 22, 2018 |
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| Orange crowned Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 27, 2018 |
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| Connecticut Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Sep 23, 2018 |
As is typically the case
September is the second best month for warblers (after May of course) but locating the birds can be a bit more difficult as singing has largely come to an end and you have to search harder to find the birds.It was another decent season for
Connecticut Warblers which seemed to be concentrated a bit more than previous years with most occurring within just a few days and then moving on. I did have my highest ever total on a single day when I found three in one day at Arcadia and ended the month with a total of eight Connecticut Warblers.
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| Tennessee Warbler, Arcadia, Northampton, MA, Oct 19, 2018 |
As fall progressed and
October arrived the diversity of warblers continued to drop but I did have a number of late dates among the 16 species recorded for the month (a later post will be coming up over the winter on all the early and late dates for Hampshire County).
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| Palm Warbler 'yellow', Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Nov 28, 2018 |
November was a good month for warblers in Hampshire County with five species seen during the month (my highest total for the month I have ever had) including new late dates for Black and White Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler and Palm Warbler.
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Aqua Vitae Rd, Hadley, MA, Dec 17, 2018 |
I managed to find a Yellow rumped Warbler in December in Hampshire County which meant that I had found at least one species of warbler in the county for every month in 2018, something I have never accomplished before. At the very end of the month we took another trip down to Costa Rica and I added half a dozen species of warblers while birding around Rio Magnolia Lodge on New Years Eve day.
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| Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Home, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2018 |
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| Northern Parula and Blackburnian Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 3, 2018 |
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| Magnolia Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 15, 2018 |
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| Black throated Blue Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 23, 2018 |
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| American Redstart, Home, Belchertown, MA, May 26, 2018 |
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| Pine Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Jun 8, 2018 |
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| Common Yellowthroat, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 5, 2018 |
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| Bay breasted Warbler and Blackpoll Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2018 |
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| Black and White Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Oct 1, 2018 |
The camera at the water feature in the yard captured eleven warbler species this year with four of them new for the water feature (Blackburnian, Magnolia, and Bay breasted Warbler plus Northern Parula). The camera at the water feature has now captured a lucky 13 species of warbler coming in to take a drink. Overall for the yard for the year I had 23 species of warblers. Yet again I have failed to find a Blue winged Warbler for the yard...hopefully next year!
Now for a look at next year and what new species I'm looking to add with various trips. The year will begin down in Costa Rica where I will start adding warbler species to the year list. Then it is on to Mexico in late January into early February with two stops including around Mexico City (with targets of Red Warbler, Black polled Yellowthroat and Hooded Yellowthroat) and then Tamaulipas (with the target being Altamira Yellowthroat). Late February will feature a brief trip down to Florida. The last trip likely to produce any warblers will be a cruise to the eastern Caribbean including a stop in St. Lucia where I will hopefully catch up with the endemic St. Lucia Warbler.
Below are few tables of warblers seen overall for the year, warblers per month and warblers seen in Hampshire County by month.
Warblers (running tally for year)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
21 35 41 41 48 48 50 50 51 51 51 51
Warblers overall per month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
21 22 11 8 30 21 23 20 27 16 5 7
Hampshire County warblers by month
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1 1 3 8 30 21 18 20 27 16 5 1
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