Hooded Warblers continue in Westfield

Hooded Warbler, Grace Robson State Wildlife Sanctuary, Westfield, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Hooded Warbler, Grace Robson State Wildlife Sanctuary, Westfield, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Northern Yellow Warbler fledgling, Silvio Conte NWR- Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 2, 2026

Common Yellowthroat during banding process, Silvio Conte NWR- Fort River, Hadley, MA, Jul 2, 2026

After having a fantastic day yesterday in Hampshire County with 19 of the somewhat regularly occurring species for July, I was up well before dawn again today to try to beat the heat of our ongoing heat wave and I decided to make the drive down to Westfield to check up on the small breeding colony of Hooded Warblers.  I arrived there before dawn and once I walked up to the breeding area I had first one male and then two and possibly a third singing both dawn songs and the typical song associated with the species.  I got a number of recordings and some blurry photos in the early light and added my 20th warbler species for the month.  I then worked my way back into Hampshire County and made a few stops to add new species for the month as the heat steadily increased.  I eventually made it to Silvio Conte NWR in Hadley and got to witness some of the ongoing MAPS banding program and today featured a number of Common Yellowthroats getting captured and banded.  I would have stayed longer but wanted to get back home to get Wilson a walk before the heat became too oppressive.

Hooded Warblers in Hampden County

Hooded Warbler carrying food, Grace Robinson State Wildlife Sanctuary, Westfield, MA, Jun 25, 2026

Ovenbird fledgling, Grace Robinson State Wildlife Sanctuary, Westfield, MA, Jun 25, 2026

American Redstart, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, Jun 25, 2026

Louisiana Waterthrush, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, Jun 25, 2026

Worm eating Warbler, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, Jun 25, 2026

Ovenbird, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, Jun 25, 2026

Black and White Warbler fledgling, Skinner SP, South Hadley, MA, Jun 25, 2026

Although I had already had Hooded Warbler for the year with one that showed up in Hadley in early May I never got any photos of that bird as it stayed hidden from view.  The location in Hampden County I visited this morning has featured breeding Hooded Warblers for multiple years and my goal was to get some photos of the birds.  I had one singing a dawn song distantly fairly early in my walk and eventually had at least two males singing plus a female.  One of the males was seen carrying food multiple times to a hidden nest or fledglings.  I had a number of other warblers in the area including several fledglings.  After over an hour of enjoying the Hooded Warblers I headed over to South Hadley to hike into the southern part of Skinner SP with the dual goals of finding Acadian Flycatchers and turning up more warblers for the day.  Happily I had success with both goals and once again had multiple fledgling warblers.  

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

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

Chestnut sided Warbler feeding juvenile, 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

Hooded 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

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.

Warblers on a short trip to Florida including several unusual ones

Nashville Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 16, 2024

Blackpoll Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 18, 2024

We just took a short trip down to Florida to celebrate a relatives 100th birthday and I got some birding too...managing to find several rarities. I arrived into Fort Lauderdale in the mid afternoon and by the time we made the drive north to Wellington and then stopped for dinner it was almost dark. All was not lost for warblers as I did manage to see a few ‘western’ Palm Warblers at the spot we had dinner.

Yellow throated Warbler, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Nov 15, 2024

Northern Parula, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Nov 15, 2024

Northern Waterthrush, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Nov 15, 2024

Northern Waterthrush, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Nov 15, 2024

Prairie Warbler, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Nov 15, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Nov 15, 2024

American Redstart, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Nov 15, 2024

Pine Warbler, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Nov 15, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area, Royal Palm Beach, FL, Nov 15, 2024

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area, Royal Palm Beach, FL, Nov 15, 2024

The first full morning in Florida was spent in the Wellington area with a early morning stop at Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area where I had four species of warblers including a hundred plus Yellow rumped Warblers steadily moving through. After about an hour and a half covering a small area (due to few trails being well maintained) I headed back toward our lodging. We then headed to nearby Peaceful Waters Sanctuary  before heading to the birthday party. This stop produced a total of nine species of warblers. Among the nine was a Northern Waterthrush with an injured leg and a unique set of two white marks on its back. The bird seemed to be feeding fine despite the injury and hopefully it will survive. We then went to the birthday party midday and after a few hours there we starts the couple hour drive up to Melbourne Beach, where we arrived around dinner time. 

Nashville Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 16, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 16, 2024

Northern Parula, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 16, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Sebastian Inlet SP, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 16, 2024

On the first full day in Melbourne Beach I was out before dawn and headed to Sebastian Inlet SP primarily looking for a rare to the area Sabine’s Gull (which I did not find). I had a few warblers with nothing unusual among them…not too surprising as I was not in good warbler habitat. I stayed near the inlet until Pelican Island NWR opened for the day. I arrived there around 7:30 and did some roadside birding near the Centennial Trail.  Although I only had five species of warbler at the spot I did find one rarity with a Nashville Warbler in a mixed flock. The Nashville Warbler was a new species for me in Florida (bringing my state warbler total to 24 species). I then tried another area of the refuge (Bird's Impoundment Trail) and this spot was quite productive for warblers with half a dozen species including some new ones for the day. The big highlight here was not a warbler but a Dark eyed Junco I found which is a big rarity this far south and perhaps a first county record in Indian River County. A couple other short walks around midday produced a few more warblers and brought my day total to ten species. 

Cape May Warbler, Jungle Trail, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 17, 2024

Yellow throated Warbler, Jungle Trail, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 17, 2024

Black and White Warbler, Jungle Trail, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 17, 2024

Nashville Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 17, 2024

Common Yellowthroat, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 17, 2024

Cape May Warbler, Sebastian Inlet SP, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 17, 2024

Hooded Warbler, Sebastian Inlet SP, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 17, 2024

The second full day out on the coast found me heading south again to explore some areas of the Jungle Trail (a dirt road actually) where some unusual warblers have recently been seen. As it was before daybreak when I was ready to go I made a detour to Sebastian Inlet before going to the Jungle Trail trying in vain again to find the reported Sabine’s Gull there. I eventually headed to the Jungle Trail a bit after seven. I arrived to find it a bit breezy so not optimal for finding warblers. Nonetheless I started looking and came across a few warblers scattered here and there with no real mixed flocks. I did have some luck with my first Ovenbird of the trip. The noise from a nearby maintenance yard and a Cooper’s Hawk sitting among the tangles probably added to the lack of warblers. I almost gave up on the area and then noticed a group of Palm Warblers and then a couple other species including my first Black and White Warbler for the trip. I then turned up more and more species with Yellow throated Warbler and then three Cape May Warblers and then a Bay breasted Warbler. I got photos of a few of the species and then a Broad winged Hawk came in and ruined the party. I eventually got back on some of the flock further up the road but never could track down the Bay breasted Warbler again which was too bad as this was a new warbler species for me in Florida (bringing me to 25 species). After an hour and half in a relatively small area producing nine species of warblers I headed north a bit and turned up the Nashville Warbler at Pelican Island NWR once again. I then made a couple more stops with the last being back to Sebastian Inlet SP where I finally had luck seeing the Sabine’s Gull. Once I got photos of the gull I worked some of the edges and came up with more warblers. I could hear a Northern Waterthrush and there was a bird photographer there using playback and getting no response. He walked away and then I just stayed put and got looks at the waterthrush.  As I was watching it I noticed a yellow bird fly in that turned out to be a Hooded Warbler! A good late record and a nice addition to the day. I then headed back to the lodging for lunch before we headed out in the afternoon with the intention to do some kayaking. Unfortunately the nearby spot we used before no longer rented kayaks so we had some ice cream instead! We then spent the rest of the afternoon at the lodging on the beach and I added a life bird for the effort with a Cory’s Shearwater (yes somehow I have not had the species before now). By the end of the day I had found 14 species of warblers.

Cape May Warbler, Jungle Trail, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 18, 2024

Black throated Green Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 18, 2024

Blackpoll Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 18, 2024

Nashville Warblers, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 18, 2024

Orange crowned Warbler, Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 18, 2024

Palm Warbler 'western', Pelican Island NWR, Vero Beach, FL, Nov 18, 2024

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Moss Park, Orlando, FL, Nov 18, 2024

The last day of our short trip started off as the last couple have, with me heading south in search of warblers. My first stop for warblers was along the Jungle Trail in a vain attempt to relocate the Bay breasted Warbler seen previously. Although I had no luck with the Bay breasted Warbler I did have a Hooded Warbler that offered fleeting views as it stayed in a dense tangle and called quite a bit. I had to be happy with some recordings. There were at least two Cape May Warblers in the area too among a total of seven species at the location. I then headed a bit north to Pelican Island NWR to spend my last hour and a half free before packing up and heading out. I arrived and started looking for the continued Nashville Warbler and ended up finding two of the species moving together. I then turned up another unusual species with a Blackpoll Warbler (my third new warbler species for my Florida list on this trip). I found a number of other species as I walked the road including my first Black throated Green Warbler of the trip. I wish I had more time to explore a bit more as it was fairly active. We had to be out of our lodging by ten so headed back, packed up and started the drive toward Orlando for our flight. The original plan was to go to the Orlando Wetlands Park but when checking directions to there noticed it was closed on Mondays so we had to come up with an alternative. We picked the wildlife drive at Merritt Island NWR until we discovered that location was also closed for the day. After a bit of discussion we headed to Viera to the Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands . This location proved to be very slow with not a lot of activity…a far cry from what I remember from visits several years ago. We then headed further north and then east to try Moss Park before heading to the airport. Not a lot of variety at the location with typical species like Yellow rumped Warblers, Pine Warblers and Palm Warblers (with both subspecies present). By the end of the day I had found 14 species of warblers, matching my total from the previous day. I started feeling a little off and thought it might be something I ate. I didn’t feel much better as the day wore on and I was very glad to get the flight over with and get home. I took it easy the next day and felt better. 

Although it was a short getaway I still had some good luck with warblers with 18 species, including three new ones for me in Florida with Nashville Warbler, Bay breasted Warbler and Blackpoll Warbler. My Florida warbler list now sits at 26 species.