The Pursuit of Warblers

Friday, February 13, 2026

Pine Warbler surviving the winter in Williamsburg

Pine Warbler, Williamsburg, MA, Feb 13, 2026

I had the morning free today and my main focus was on trying to track down a Pine Warbler that has been coming to a feeder at a private residence in Williamsburg since later January. I first heard about it when the homeowners reported it to eBird. At the time I was down in Florida and although I hoped it would stick around until I got back home I did not hold out a lot of hope as the weather turned bitter cold with snow and wind for weeks. Once I got home I sent an email to see if the bird was still around and got a response back that the warbler was indeed still around! After a few back and forth emails I set up Friday morning to stop by. Although a cold morning with lows around 10, the wind was forecast to be light and the temperatures would hopefully respond quickly to the full sun so a good morning to try for it. I arrived around 8AM and met Rick who invited me to sit on the porch and watch the feeders at the front of the house. He mentioned the warbler had been in fairly recently. There were hundreds of American Goldfinches and I scanned through them over and over until I finally picked up the Pine Warbler as he waded through the crowd of goldfinches and then came into the mealworm feeder. He picked up a few mealworms and then disappeared for 25+ minutes before making a return trip to the feeder. Again he stayed just a short time before heading off to parts unknown. I suspect he is visiting another feeder nearby. It was quite pleasant sitting on the deck, talking with Rick and waiting for the warbler to return. My sincere to thanks to both Rick and Dave for allowing me to stop by and see the warbler.

Pine Warblers are very infrequent overwintering visitors to the area and I will look at the records over the last 25 years or so. Most years there are no Pine Warblers that overwinter here at all. Within Hampshire County there are just a handful of records. One overwintered at a private residence in Granby from January through February and fed on suet. Another showed at a feeder in Northampton in December of 2022 and continued to the end of January of 2023 and again was feeding on suet. A major anomaly occurred during the winter of 2023-2024 when double digit counts of Pine Warblers showed up in the south Quabbin area. In late February I had up to eleven individuals in Belchertown alone at three separate locations. The only reason I can come up with for the exceptionally large numbers of overwinter Pine Warblers was a huge Eastern White Pine cone crop and a relatively mild winter overall. There are just a couple other records in the area during this 25 year period so most years feature no Pine Warblers at all so the species remains a very uncommon species in the area in the winter and any that are found are unusual for sure.

After seeing the Pine Warbler I made a stop at Arcadia and had at least two Yellow rumped Warblers so I ended up with two species of warbler for the day...not bad for mid February.

Wednesday, February 11, 2026

At least one Yellow rumped Warbler still surviving along the Connecticut River

Now that I'm back in the frozen north for a short time I eventually made it out late this morning to try to track down a warbler here. I wanted to get out early but snow clean up took most of the morning (after starting it yesterday after I got home). By the time I made it to a spot along the river the breeze was steadily picking up. I walked the trail in that was packed down fairly well and on my return I heard one calling as it flew over. I then got totally soaked trudging through about a foot and a half of snow trying to relocate it without any luck. Would have loved to get some photos of it. Nonetheless it was still nice to have at least one surviving despite all the snow and cold. I'm now at 106 consecutive months of at least one warbler in Hampshire County. Hopefully I will be able to get some photos of a Yellow rumped Warbler before I head off to warmer locales in about a week.

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Final week in Florida comes to an end

Yellow throated Warbler, Campbell Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 2, 2026

Prairie Warbler, Campbell Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 2, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Gemini Springs Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 2, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 2, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 2, 2026

Pine Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 2, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Gemini Springs Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 2, 2026

To kick off the final week in Florida I had to contend with record setting cold once again with morning lows in the 20's with a slight breeze (not nearly as windy as the day before). With the less than ideal conditions I once again didn't stray too far from the house with visits to Gemini Springs Park, Thornby Park, Campbell Park and Audubon Park. I took a lesson from home with my strategy today in tracking down warblers by finding a sunny edge as the sun rose and warmed things up. It worked fairly well with a few mixed flocks found and I ended the morning with eight species of warblers.

Northern Yellow Warbler, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Feb 3, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Feb 3, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Feb 3, 2026

For Tuesday I headed north to Lake Woodruff NWR well before dawn. It was yet again a frosty morning and the warbler activity was low, especially early on in the morning. There were lots of Common Yellowthroats, Palm Warblers and Yellow rumped Warblers plus the continued Northern Yellow Warbler. The Northern Yellow Warbler has been incredibly reliable at the location and is always within an area of less than a fifty foot circle. This seems to be the case with other Northern Yellow Warblers I have found down in Florida. I came home somewhat early to pick up Wilson and then we headed to Gemini Springs Park. Just half a dozen species for the day.

Northern Parula, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 4, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 4, 2026

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Gemini Springs Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 4, 2026

Wednesday was finally a morning without frost (although just barely with temps at 35). I spent about three hours at Gemini Springs Park and then came home and picked up Wilson for a walk back at the park. I started off before dawn and started adding warblers once the sun started warming stuff up. I got some great looks at a variety of species and got a few good photos. The most noteworthy warbler for the day was an American Redstart on had on my walk with Wilson (a new species for me in Volusia County). A total of nine warbler species for the day. It eventually warmed into the low 70's with lots of sun.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Blue Heron Nature Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 5, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Blue Heron Nature Park, Deltona, FL, Feb 5, 2026

Rain arrived for Thursday and persisted on and off through midday and then the wind picked up. I got out a bit as soon as the rain let up and visited a couple nearby parks. Even without ideal conditions and rain threatening I had seven species of warbler.

Yellow throated Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 6, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 6, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 6, 2026

Orange crowned Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 6, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 6, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 6, 2026

Pine Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 6, 2026

Friday was another morning with frost unfortunately, although with no clouds and light breezes initially it was not too bad. I decided to headed down once again to Gemini Springs Park and I had some good warblers there once again. I got some great looks at a number of species as I ran across a few mixed species flocks. Among the eight species for the morning before the wind picked up was my first Black throated Green Warbler (warbler species #21 for the trip and the year).

Pine Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 7, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 7, 2026

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 7, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 7, 2026

Orange crowned Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 7, 2026

Prairie Warbler, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 7, 2026

Northern Parula, Gemini Springs Park, Deltona/Debary, FL, Feb 7, 2026

On Saturday I returned to Gemini Springs Park before dawn and stayed there for a few hours. I originally was going to go further away but with a bit of a breeze I figured it was not worth a longer trip. The park once again produced a great selection of warblers with nine species total. Not bad at all considering the breeze.

Common Yellowthroat, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Feb 8, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Feb 8, 2026

Orange crowned Warbler, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Feb 8, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Feb 8, 2026

For the last full day in Florida I headed to the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive and spent around three and a half hours there. It was a sunny day that started cool and warmed up nicely with full sun...a great bit of weather as our time in Florida comes to an end. Even with the spot not being typically great for warblers I found a total of eight species including one of the continued Northern Yellow Warblers and loads of Common Yellowthroats and Palm Warblers.

Now a look at overall numbers for the trip to Florida that lasted from January 4-February 9. I had a total of 21 species with two of those new for me in the state (Northern Yellow Warbler and Swainson's Warbler). The Swainson's Warbler was also new for me in the US. My Florida warbler list now stands at 28 species.

Sunday, February 1, 2026

A cold end to the fourth week in Florida

Orange crowned Warbler, Lyonia Preserve, Deltona, FL, Jan 26, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Blue Heron Nature Park, Deltona, FL, Jan 26, 2026

The beginning of the fourth week in Florida started with some morning rain that kept me at the house for a bit before there was a slight let up. With rain threatening through late in the morning I never strayed too far away. Warblers were tough to come by with just five species. At least it was warm with highs in the 70's and likely the last warm day for at least a week.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Ormond Beach Sports Complex, Ormond Beach, FL, Jan 27, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Ormond Beach Sports Complex, Ormond Beach, FL, Jan 27, 2026

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Ormond Beach Sports Complex, Ormond Beach, FL, Jan 27, 2026

The cold and wind settled in for Tuesday and I was torn on where to go. I decided on a trip out to the coast in the Daytona Beach area to track down more coastal species that could still likely be found despite the wind and if the wind let up at all I would travel up to Ormond Beach to try to track down a Wilson's Warbler. After a few stops on the coast the wind would occasional let up a little so I tried my luck at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex where the Wilson's Warbler was reported. Unfortunately the notes people provided for the location were contradictory so I had little to go on. Despite a lot of looking I never was able to locate the warbler. However all was not lost as I managed to find a different rare warbler with the brief sighting of a Nashville Warbler near the end of my two plus hours at the location. Although I only had five species for the day the Nashville Warbler was a new one for the year for me.

Black and White Warbler, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 28, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 28, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 28, 2026

Wednesday was yet another frosty morning and I headed to Lake Woodruff NWR before dawn. Thankfully there was little wind early on so it was tolerable. The Northern Yellow Warbler continued in the same spot for another day (no photo of it today) and I managed five other species giving me an even half dozen.

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, FL, Jan 29, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Apopka Birding Park, FL, Jan 29, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Apopka Birding Park, FL, Jan 29, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Apopka Birding Park, FL, Jan 29, 2026

For Thursday I headed to Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive to walk a part of the drive during a time when there are no cars allowed. The drive typically doesn't hold too many warbler species as it is mainly water impoundments and I had just three species there over a couple hours. The next couple hours spent Apopka Birding Park added a few more species and by the end of the day I had yet again found half a dozen species.

Black and White Warbler, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 30, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 30, 2026

Pine Warbler, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 30, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 30, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 30, 2026

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 30, 2026

Orange crowned Warbler, Lake Woodruff NWR, De Leon Springs, FL, Jan 30, 2026

I made a return trip back to Lake Woodruff NWR on Friday. It was finally a morning without frost (although just barely with temps in the upper 30's). I spent over three hours exploring the area and found a total of eight species of warblers with fantastic views of several.

Wilson's Warbler, Ormond Beach Sports Complex, Ormond Beach, FL, Jan 31, 2026

Pine Warbler, Ormond Beach Sports Complex, Ormond Beach, FL, Jan 31, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Ormond Beach Sports Complex, Ormond Beach, FL, Jan 31, 2026

For Saturday I decided to try my luck more time in trying to track down a Wilson's Warbler in Ormond Beach. I tried for it on Tuesday without any luck although the cool temps, breezy conditions and noise from all the activity at the location made finding it tough. I made the drive out before dawn and arrived to overcast conditions with mostly calm winds. I heard the Wilson's Warbler fairly quickly and then got brief looks before in disappeared into the deep tangle area it favored. I spent the next hour and a half trying to get better looks and photos (with some success). I did not have any luck finding the Nashville Warbler I saw at the location on Tuesday. The Wilson's Warbler was the 20th warbler species of the year for me and a great species to end out the month.

Prairie Warbler, Lyonia Preserve, Deltona, FL, Feb 1, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lyonia Preserve, Deltona, FL, Feb 1, 2026

To end the fourth week in Florida I had to contend with record setting low temps and wind throughout the day. It was a numbing 24 degrees with a wind chill at 10 to start the day and it only warmed to the mid 40's with a continued wind. Given the conditions I didn't stray too far from the house and just visited some local areas. Despite the cold and windy conditions I managed to find a total of nine species to start off the month of February.

For the entire fourth week in Florida I found a total of 14 species of warbler with two new ones for the year (Nashville Warbler and Wilson's Warbler) with the Wilson's Warbler becoming my 20th warbler species for the year.