The Pursuit of Warblers: Yellow Warbler

Showing posts with label Yellow Warbler. Show all posts

Thursday, September 25, 2025

Another Connecticut Warbler, an early Orange crowned Warbler and others to start out the fourth week of September

Common Yellowthroat, Belchertown, MA, Sep 21, 2025

Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Sep 21, 2025

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Nashville Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 22, 2025

Palm Warblers 'yellow', Honey Pot, Hadley, MA, Sep 23, 2025

Magnolia Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 23, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 24, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 24, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 25, 2025

After a seemingly endless string of sunny days we had an overcast day with occasional rain and drizzle yesterday and then the rain really came down overnight into today with heavy rain through mid morning well into the afternoon. The less than ideal weather has allowed me a little extra time to work on an upcoming program I will be hosting for the Hampshire Bird Club..."Endemic Warblers of the Caribbean"...more on that to come before the program takes place in mid October (details at the following link). To start off the third week of September I had yet another Connecticut Warbler, a very early Orange crowned Warbler and a slightly late Yellow Warbler among some 14 species of warblers....some really good stuff for sure! I was then out for hours yesterday despite the weather and although far from an epic warbler day I did have some stuff around with a total of a lucky 13 species with multiple Cape May Warblers for two days running. Today's birding was much more abbreviated with just a few short walks in between bouts of rain with just a handful of warblers. The weather now looks to return to mainly sunny conditions for the foreseeable future with just a few shower chances over the next week plus. Should be some great mornings of late fall warblers as the diversity continues to drop but the numbers ramp up briefly with the arrival of numbers of Yellow rumped Warblers and Palm Warblers.

Friday, September 19, 2025

An extended time with a Connecticut Warbler this morning

Connecticut Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Northern Parula, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Tennessee Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Cape May Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Sep 19, 2025

Hot on the heels of the second Connecticut Warbler I found in Ware yesterday I had an exceptional long visit with another individual today in Belchertown. I have been trying to expand to new area this year to track down Connecticut Warblers and so far it has paid off quite well. I started off my morning with a visit up to Pelham where I had just half a dozen species and not many individuals. I then headed to a spot in Belchertown and started my walk with a few Pine Warblers still singing. I made it to an edge area with young birches and white pines that gets the sun early and quickly turned up a couple Yellow Warblers, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Cape May Warbler and Tennessee Warbler. As I was trying to get photos of the Tennessee Warbler I noticed some movement down low and expected to see a Common Yellowthroat but instead saw a beautiful Connecticut Warbler. It quickly dropped down and out of view and I had little hope of relocating it again....it is not a species that is easy to relocate once you lose view of it (and most views of the species are fleeting at best!). I moved a little bit and checked for movement and after about five minutes I saw a bird down low and it was the Connecticut Warbler! It is always tough to get any looks at the species around here but today would be the exception! As I maneuvered to try to get better looks and hopefully some photos the warbler fed quite actively on a variety of caterpillars in an area of Eastern White Pines. I fired off hundreds of photos and managed to get a few decent ones plus got a video of the bird as it walked along the branches (I think the first video I have ever obtained of the species). I had the bird in view for over 45 minutes...easily the longest I have ever had with the species in view around here. Not the best photos I have ever gotten of the species but it was a gift to be with this typically very skulking species for such a long time. I only heard the bird give a call once during my entire time of watching it. This becomes my third Connecticut Warbler of the fall and one I'm not likely to soon forget. I usually find the species by hearing it call but two of the three so far have been found by seeing it pop up first. Link to the eBird list with additional photos and a video here.

I also had some other unusual species for the day and those are covered here.

Saturday, August 9, 2025

More captures at the water feature plus warblers elsewhere the last several days

Common Yellowthroat, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 7, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 7, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Yellow Warbler and Black capped Chickadee, Home, Belchertown, MA, Aug 6, 2025

Black and White Warbler, Reed Conservation Area, Belchertown, MA, Aug 8, 2025

Black thropated Green Warbler, Quabbin Gate 8, Pelham, MA, Aug 8, 2025

Ovenbird, Quabbin Gate 8, Pelham, MA, Aug 8, 2025

Prairie Warbler, Ware, MA, Aug 4, 2025

Yellow Warbler, Rail trail, Ware, MA, Aug 4, 2025

The water feature continues to catch warbler species and in just a couple days I captured four species (Black and White Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat and Chestnut sided Warbler). Although none were new for the year I was surprised to see such diversity for early August...hopefully this bodes well for the upcoming fall migration.

I have also been out looking for warblers over the last several days and have seen a fair number. Not a lot of song left but occasionally some will sing.

Thursday, July 31, 2025

July comes to an end and with it my retirement

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 30, 2025

Yellow Warbler (warbler species #14 for the year at water feature), Home, Belchertown, MA, Jul 25, 2025

Group photo on last shift at work, Northampton, MA, Jul 27, 2025

July has now come to an end and overall it was quite warm with multiple heat waves and humid conditions. It is usually one of the slowest months for warblers outside of winter around here and I did not get out a ton due to both the heat and work. Work will no longer be an issue moving forward as I retired at the end of the month. Now I will get to bird full time, travel more and spend more time with Wilson. Even without being out a ton I still got some warblers including the 14th species at the water feature at the house this year with a Yellow Warbler. I also added a few warbler for the month with a trip to the Finger Lakes in the middle of the month.

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Warblers on a trip to the Finger Lakes in New York

Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Canada Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Prairie Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Just back from a quick trip out to the Finger Lakes in New York. Sherri had a conference to go to and I was along to help out and bird when she was in the conference. Although I have made several trips out to the area I still had a few warblers in the general area I had a decent chance of tracking down. My targets included Mourning Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Canada Warbler and I found all four.

Hooded Warbler, Cayuta Lake Boat Launch, Alpine, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Blackburnian Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler feeding juvenile, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Magnolia Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Hooded Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Black throated Green Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

American Redstart, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Ovenbird, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Black throated Blue Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Hooded Warbler and Black throated Green Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Canada Warbler, Shindagin Hollow State Forest, Brooktondale, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Ovenbird, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 12, 2025

Saturday I headed nearby spot before I had to go back to our Airbnb to pick up Sherri to get her to the conference in Ithaca. I decided Cayuta Lake to try for a few of my targets. I walked the entrance road and added two target for the trip with Canada Warbler and Hooded Warbler. My next stop was to Shindagin State Forest where I spent about two and a half hours exploring the area. The area featured a decent showing of warblers with a lucky 13 species of warblers including my first Mourning Warbler for New York. Multiple species of warblers had evidence of breeding from adults carrying food, adults feeding juveniles and juvenile birds. My next stop was to Lindsey Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, arriving around 11:30 and then spending about an hour there despite the heat. There was some bird banding taking place as part of the MAPS program that looks at breeding species in a particular area. I got to see some warblers up close as they banded an Ovenbird and American Redstart during my brief stop checking out the banding station. Despite the heat of the day with temps pushing 90 I did add a Prairie Warbler to my New York list and checked off my fourth target warbler species for the trip. At this point it was really hot so headed back to the house for a late lunch. I picked up Sherri in the mid afternoon and we then spent the remainder of the afternoon stopping at wineries. The day produced 17 species of warblers.

Yellow Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Blue winged Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Common Yellowthroat, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Chestnut sided Warbler, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

American Redstart, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

Prairie Warbler with leg band, Lindsay-Parsons Biodiversity Preserve, Spenser, NY, Jul 13, 2025

I was up before dawn on Sunday with temps already in the upper 70’s with high humidity…very tropical. I headed south to Connecticut Hill WMA and walked a small loop trail and battled hordes of deer flies. The stop produced just three species of warblers although one was a new one for the trip with a singing Yellow rumped Warbler. With the bugs too bad to stay and a few hours free I had to decide where to go and settled on a return trip to Lindsey Parsons where I arrived around 6:30 and stayed for about an hour and a half. I got a number of photos of the eight species of warblers I found. I then headed back to the house to pick up Sherri and we headed down south of Watkins Glen to check out a few waterfalls before headed to a few wineries. I ended the day with nine species of warblers.

Yellow Warbler, Taughannock Falls SP, Ulysses, NY, Jul 14, 2025

Taughannock Falls, Taughannock Falls SP, Ulysses, NY, Jul 14, 2025

On the last day I stayed fairly close to the house with a trip off to the north to Taughannock Falls SP. Not much for warblers to report from that location with just two species. I then headed back to the house to pack up and start the long drive back.

I had a total of 18 species of warblers overall for the short trip. Of these four were new for me in the state (Canada Warbler, Hooded Warbler, Mourning Warbler and Prairie Warbler), moving my New York state total to 23 species.

The Pursuit of Warblers