Wilson's Warblers

The Wilson's Warbler is a relatively uncommon migrant warbler species in this region of Pennsylvania. In addition, their aptitude for staying in dense brush can make them difficult to find. I have discovered that the brushy edges and water sources in the yard provide excellent habitat for migrating Wilson's Warblers. Of the seven I have observed in the yard (including three this spring!), five have been from the same overgrown patch of greenbrier, spicebush, and highbush blueberry that shades a small muddy spring near the house.

male Wilson's Warbler staying hidden in the brush

the edge of the yard where I find the Wilson's Warblers

As I mentioned, this was an excellent spring for Wilson's Warblers, as I found three in my yard and another at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center in Carbon County. Maybe the relatively high number of this species has something to do with the weird migration this spring... who knows! Nevertheless, I don't mind having a few more of these singing in the yard for a couple days during migration.

This brushy area is also where I frequently find related species, such as this Canada Warbler. Like the Wilson's, it is unusual to find a Canada away from the dense brush. This bird popped up for no more than two seconds before disappearing back into the tangles.

Fall Migration

After a few weeks of slow migration, the past two nights have been excellent for bird movement. Although I have not seen a tremendous number of birds in the mornings, I have certainly heard huge numbers of thrushes migrating overhead and seen masses of birds on the radar map. While out birding this morning, Scarlet Tanagers were the most numerous migrant. Over the course of the morning, I saw more tanagers than warblers, which is unusual for this time of year. Of the warblers I did see, Black-throated Blue Warblers are the only real "migrant" species, for Ovenbirds, Black-and-white Warblers, and American Redstarts frequently breed around my property.

 Even the male Scarlet Tanagers are plain this time of year. I managed to photograph this individual as it flew overhead.

While watching tanagers fly from tree to tree, I spotted a bird darting over the yard. As it flew, I recognized the bird as a cuckoo by the long tail and wing shape. The reddish color on the wings and the yellow on the bill identified it as a Yellow-billed Cuckoo. It is unusual to observe this species flying in the open, so I was extremely lucky to have the opportunity to watch and to photograph this bird!

 Yellow-billed Cuckoo in flight - note the reddish patches on the wings. This field mark distinguishes this species from the Black-billed Cuckoo.

 If the lighting is good, the yellow on the bill can be very obvious in flight.

Tonight is shaping up to be another great night for migration. A quick look at the NEXRAD map shows a lot of birds moving in the eastern United States, so if you can get out to do some birding tomorrow, there is a good chance there will be migrants around.

 radar image from http://rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar

Finally, next weekend is Migration Fest at the Lehigh Gap Nature Center. The weekend will be filled with various programs about the annual migrations of our native wildlife, including bird research presentations, Monarch butterfly tagging demonstrations, a hawk identification workshop, and an evening presentation by Pete Dunne. For more information on this event, visit the Lehigh Gap Nature Center website.