Third week of August comes to an end

Chestnut sided Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 21, 2026

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Aug 21, 2026

Prairie Warbler, Ware, MA, Aug 20, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 18, 2026

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Aug 16, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Belchertown, MA, Aug 16, 2026

Black throated Green Warbler, Belchertown, MA, Aug 14, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler, Silvio Conte NWR-Fort River, Hadley, MA, Aug 12, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Wentworth Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Aug 12, 2026

Warbler migration continues to slowly increase as more and more species join mixed species flocks and grow increasingly quiet with very little warbler song occurring as the third week of August comes to a close.  Some species have already largely vacated the area including Louisiana Waterthrushes and those at the northern limit of their breeding ranges.  I have been out as much as I can be but the mosquito population has exploded here and even with heavy amounts of bug spray it has been tough to bird.  I have had 21 warbler species so far for the month and hope to add a few more as migrants continue to trickle in from the north. 

A few early arrivals and late species for the first third of August

Louisiana Waterthrush, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Aug 10, 2026

Louisiana Waterthrush, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Aug 10, 2026

Louisiana Waterthrush, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Aug 10, 2026

Ovenbird, Belchertown, MA, Aug 9, 2026

Northern Waterthrush, Belchertown, MA, Aug 7, 2026

Summer continues to rapidly march on and we have now made it to to the first third of August.  I have been out most everyday and have had a few early arrivals including a Bay breasted Warbler on the 6th, a Tennessee Warbler yesterday and at least two Louisiana Waterthrushes today.  I now have had a total of 20 species for the month in Hampshire County and will certainly be looking to add to that total as August continues on.

Warblers to start off August

Common Yellowthroat, UMASS, Amherst, MA, Aug 5, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Rail Trail,  Amherst, MA, Aug 4, 2026

Black and White Warbler, Pelham, MA, Aug 4, 2026

Black throated Green Warbler, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 2, 2026

American Redstart, Quabbin Park, MA, Aug 2, 2026

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, Aug 1, 2026

I have been out the last few mornings to start adding warblers to my August list.  On the first I had some good stuff including a slightly late Cerulean Warbler plus a Worm eating Warbler in the same mixed flock as well as others netting me a lucky 13 species to start off the month.  The second got me three more species as I covered a variety of habitats.  Monday was basically a rain out with little chance to get outside.  The last couple mornings have been much nicer with coolish mornings and sun throughout the morning with no new species added so a total of 16 species of warblers so far for the month.

End of month wrap up for July

Blackburnian Warbler fledgling, Mount Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 3, 2026

Chestnut sided Warbler fledgling, Quabbin Park, MA, Jul 4, 2026

Kirtland's Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Golden winged Warbler, Marinette County, WI, Jul 10, 2026

Black throated Green Warbler, Mt Holyoke Range SP, Granby, MA, Jul 31, 2026

With multiple stops away from home out west during the month plus the typical selection of breeding warblers in the area I had my highest count for warblers I have ever had for July with an impressive 32 species.  The total included three new species for the year with Kirtland's Warbler, Golden winged Warbler and Connecticut Warbler bringing my big US warbler year up to 51 species.  My trips away included Minnesota and Wisconsin (where I has the three species mentioned above), Alaska and Oregon.  I also caught up with multiple breeding species in the local area with lots of evidence of breeding.  Now on to August and the first arrivals from the north.

Warblers on a trip to Oregon

Marsh at dusk from our rental house, Independence, OR, Jul 20, 2026

We left the rain and cool temps behind on Sunday when we flew down from Alaska to sunny and warm Oregon. We had a late morning flight out of Anchorage down to Portland and arrived there late in the afternoon and made the hour and a half drive down to our Airbnb in Independence. The Airbnb was perfect with lots of open space and a marsh nearby and very quiet. No warblers as we arrived fairly late in the day but did have lots of other birds (and bats). 

Wilson's Warbler, OSU McDonald-Dunn Forest--Lewisburg Saddle, Corvallis, OR, Jul 20, 2026

Monday was a full day free around the Independence area before heading further south the following day. I was out early in the morning and headed down to Lewisburg Saddle (part of a forest managed by Oregon State University) to try to get some better photos of Hermit Warblers for the year. I spent almost two hours there and had a couple Hermit Warblers but no opportunities for photos. Other warblers around including Wilson’s Warblers and Orange crowned Warblers. We then headed for the coast and eventually made it there after a few traffic issues. The coast was a bit cool and cloudy but once we worked our way back inland the sun was blazing and it was near 90. Although there were few warblers for the day I at least had some and also added some ice cream and wine before the day came to an end. We spent the remainder of the warm afternoon around the Airbnb. 

MacGillivray's Warbler, Forest Peak, Corvallis, OR, Jul 21, 2026

MacGillivray's Warbler, Forest Peak, Corvallis, OR, Jul 21, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Forest Peak, Corvallis, OR, Jul 21, 2026

Common Yellowthroat, Forest Peak, Corvallis, OR, Jul 21, 2026

Sunrise, Forest Peak, Corvallis, OR, Jul 21, 2026

Salt Creek Falls, Lane County, OR, Jul 21, 2026

Tuesday was our day to travel from Independence over the mountains to La Pine. My goal before we started the three hour drive was to head out early to try to find a MacGillivray’s Warbler and hopefully get some photos (I had only heard the species for the year while out in Arizona in April). I headed to a series of forest roads and managed to find at least three MacGillivray's Warblers and one actually stayed out just long enough to get some photos of this less than photogenic species that loves to stay hidden in dense, low brush. I also had multiple Common Yellowthroats and singles of Black throated Gray Warbler and Wilson’s Warbler. I then headed back to pick up Sherri so we could get a walk in before it got too hot (it eventually got into the low 90’s). Although it was getting warm the walk was a success with a few Northern Yellow Warblers heard and briefly seen plus a few other warbler species. By late morning we were on our way to La Pine with a short stop off at Salt Creek Falls (the second highest waterfall in Oregon). Bird activity was low there given the time of day but did have at least one Hermit Warbler around. We finally arrived at our Airbnb in La Pine in the mid afternoon and got settled in. The day turned out to be my best day for warbler diversity for the stay in Oregon with seven species overall. 

Hermit Warbler, Paulina Lake, La Pine, OR, Jul 22, 2026

Hermit Warbler, Paulina Lake, La Pine, OR, Jul 22, 2026

Hermit Warbler, Paulina Lake, La Pine, OR, Jul 22, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'Audubon's', Paulina Lake, La Pine, OR, Jul 22, 2026

On the first full day in the La Pine area I was out before dawn and made the drive up to an area of forest near Crane Prairie Reservoir and arrived there around little before sunrise. Warblers were few and far between with just some ‘Audubon’s’ subspecies of Yellow rumped Warblers around and all stayed fairly high up in the pines. After nearly an hour and half there I headed back and then we went up to Paulina Lake and took a few hikes there. I finally managed some better photos of Hermit Warbler for the year and had more ‘Audubon’s’ Warblers. I also managed to add a Common Yellowthroat late in the day near our lodging, so a three species day. It was another warm day with temps near 90 by late morning and then some thunderstorms in the afternoon. 

Yellow rumped Warbler 'Audubon's', Crater Lake NP, OR, Jul 23, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'Audubon's', Crater Lake NP, OR, Jul 23, 2026

Hermit Warbler, Crater Lake NP, OR, Jul 23, 2026

Hermit Warbler, Crater Lake NP, OR, Jul 23, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'Audubon's', Crater Lake NP, OR, Jul 23, 2026

Wizard Island, Crater Lake NP, OR, Jul 23, 2026

For the last full day in Oregon we made the drive south to Crater Lake National Park. Before we left I was out early and headed down to an area known as Gilchrist Crossing. It is a known area that has Northern Waterthrush as a breeder..a very rare occurrence in the state. I arrived a bit after sunrise with some fog hanging down. I immediately had both Common Yellowthroats and Northern Yellow Warblers quickly followed by at least one (possibly two) Northern Waterthrush. Initially it called a few times and then eventually sang a little. I had brief looks and got some recordings. Would have loved to stay longer to track more stuff down but we wanted to get down to Crater Lake as early as possible to beat some of the crowds. We arrived in the park right around eight and the views were spectacular with mostly clear skies (except for a little wildfire smoke off to the north). I was last at Crater Lake in 1999 and it is just as impressive as I remember it. The complete loop around the lake was not open as road repairs kept a small portion closed so the day involved a little backtracking at times. We made our first walk the one we knew would get crowded later and that was the Castle Crest Wildflower Trail. I had three species of warblers along this walk (Yellow rumped Warbler ‘Audubon’s’, Hermit Warbler and Orange crowned Warbler) and these would be the only three species I would find in the park for the day. By the time we finished that walk it was getting busy so we headed out to circle the remaining part of the park with a few brief stops at various lookouts before arriving at the Plaikni Falls Trail where we hiked the mile out to the falls. We finally left the park in the early afternoon to drive back up to La Pine. Tally for the day was a respectable half a dozen species of warblers. 

Northern Yellow Warbler, Gilchrist Crossing, OR, Jul 24, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'Audubon's', Gilchrist Crossing, OR, Jul 24, 2026

Friday was the final day of the trip and would end with a red eye flight back to Boston.  I started my morning by heading back down to Gilchrist Crossing in a vain attempt to get some photos of Northern Waterthrush (I heard one singing repeatedly and another calling but never got a look at one).  After about two and a half hours there I had added half a dozen species of warblers for the day.  I returned to our rental house to pack up last minute stuff and we headed out to make the long trek back toward the airport.   The numerous wildfires modified are plans a bit and we had to hot some different places than originally planned.  I didn't find any new warbler for the day beyond the ones I had during the early morning.  

During my time in Oregon I had a total of ten species of warbler and my state total stands at eleven species of warblers.

Warblers during a trip to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska

Orange crowned Warbler, Seward, AK, Jul 13, 2026

Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords NP, AK, Jul 13, 2026

Resurrection Bay, Tonsina Creek/Caines Head Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 13, 2026

After my time in Minnesota and Wisconsin I was up early again to catch a flight up to Alaska to meet Sherri. It was warm and sunny in Minnesota (a low temp of 74 overnight) and we traded that for cloudy and rainy conditions in Alaska with temps in the 50’s. Thankfully both of our flights getting into Alaska were on time and we were able to start our drive south to Seward on the Kenai Peninsula. A return trip to Alaska had been discussed for years without the plans ever coming to fruition until this year (we were last in Alaska on our honeymoon back in 2004). Birding opportunities were slim for the day and I only had one species of warbler with a couple Orange crowned Warblers around our rented cabin in Seward. 

For the first full day in Alaska started off much as the first day ended…with rain. With my body still on east coast time I was up very early and despite some drizzle I attempted to get a walk in at nearby Lost Lake Trail. I made it into the woods about ten minutes before getting rained out. The rain continued to pick up and I tried a few other places before heading back to pick up Sherri. We then headed to Exit Glacier and despite the light rain, hiked up to get closer looks at the glacier. The low clouds lifted enough to give us some views of the area and there were a few warblers around including Wilson’s Warblers and Orange crowned Warblers (with both species seen carrying food) plus a few Yellow rumped Warblers….no photos as I kept the good camera out of the rain. Once we were a bit wet from our walk at the glacier we decided to head south to take another hike to the outflow of Tonsina Creek. It was about a mile and a half through the forest each way to get there with a steep decent at the end to get onto the beach. There were a few warblers along the way with no new species for the day in the mix. We spent about three hours hiking there before finally coming back for lunch and some relaxation. A total of three species of warbler for the day.

Wilson's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Wilson's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Wilson's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Wilson's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Townsend's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Townsend's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Orange crowned Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Mountains over bay, Lowell Point, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords NP, AK, Jul 15, 2026

Tuesday we had booked a six boat tour of the Kenai Fjord National Park leaving out of Seward. I was up early again and was met by fairly heavy rain so no chance for a walk before the boat tour and instead had to hang around the lodging. The boat tour continued with rain and wind for almost the entire trip…not great. No chance for warblers until we got home cold and wet early in the afternoon and the only warbler for the day was Orange crowned Warbler around our cabin. 

The next day the early morning dawned cloudy without rain beyond a little drizzle from time to time. I was (of course) up early so did a few walks before Sherri got up. I started along the Resurrection River Trail and three species of warbler in the dim early light including my first Northern Yellow Warbler for Alaska. Too dark for photos at that location but a stop along a trail closer to Seward produced better photo opportunities, especially for Wilson’s Warblers. I headed back to the house a little after seven and we took a short walk on a trail near town before heading to Bear Lake Trail. This produced another new warbler for the day and the state with a few Townsend’s Warblers. By the time we got done hiking it was near noon so we took a break for lunch and then with the sun really coming out for the first time on the trip we headed out again with stops at Lowell Point and the road to Exit Glacier. I added one more warbler for the day at Lowell Point with a Yellow rumped Warbler, giving me a five warbler day! Quite an accomplishment on this largely rainy trip in an area without a ton of warbler diversity. 

Orange crowned Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 16, 2026

Orange crowned Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 16, 2026

Townsend's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 16, 2026

Townsend's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 16, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 16, 2026

Wilson's Warbler, Bear Lake Trail, Seward, AK, Jul 16, 2026

The last full day in Seward started out with no rain and even some breaks in then clouds and I was up early to head out to see what I could find. After briefly checking the harbor in Seward I headed back to the Bear Lake Trail where I had four species of warbler with all species seen carrying food (Wilson’s Warbler, Orange crowned Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler and Yellow rumped Warbler…in order of abundance). I headed back to the lodging to get Sherri a little after seven and we tried a walk at Lost Lake Trail before deciding to return to the spot I was at earlier in the morning. Had the same four species of warblers I had earlier in slightly reduced numbers. By late morning the rain started up again and continued for the remainder of the day. 

Orange crowned Warbler, Cooper Landing, AK, Jul 17, 2026

Orange crowned Warbler, Cooper Landing, AK, Jul 17, 2026

Orange crowned Warbler, Cooper Landing, AK, Jul 17, 2026

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Cooper Landing, AK, Jul 17, 2026

Friday was a travel day from rainy Seward up to equally rainy Cooper Landing further north. Thankfully the rain was intermittent during the early morning and I got a few short walks in right around the town of Seward. I had a few warblers with nothing out of the ordinary. Late in the morning we drove up to Cooper Landing and got some short hikes in before the rain started again. We got to our Airbnb in mid afternoon and despite the rain had a few warblers around. By the end of the day I managed four species. 

Young Moose with mom, Potter Marsh, Anchorage, AK, Jul 18, 2026

Saturday was the last full day in Alaska and we had booked a river rafting trip for the morning starting around 9:30. I had a couple hours free in the morning to try to track down some warblers in the rain. I headed west and got out of the rain somewhat and traded that for loads of mosquitoes! Very quiet for warblers during those early hours. Although we went back and forth on if we should even try the float trip due to the rain and finally decided we would go. Only warblers on that trip were a few Yellow rumped Warblers. In the end I only had two warbler species for the day (Orange crowned Warbler was the other). With even heavier rain and strong winds forecast for later Saturday into Monday morning we changed plans and headed north to stay our last night northeast of Anchorage to be closer to the airport.

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Butte, AK, Jul 19, 2026

The night before our flight we stayed north of Anchorage and I was able to get out a little in the rain before making the drive down to the airport.  I managed to find three species including Blackpoll Warbler, Northern Waterthrush and multiple Yellow rumped Warblers with the first two new for me for the trip.  The ride to the airport in the heavy rain was an adventure but we made it and the flight down to Oregon got out on time.

Overall for the trip I had seven species of warbler with Orange crowned Warbler and Wilson's Warbler being the most common followed by Yellow rumped Warbler and Townsend's Warbler and then just single examples of Northern Yellow Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler and Northern Waterthrush.