Friday’s Feathered Friends- Yellow Warbler

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Myself and He-Man went to Ohio for several days of birding Wood Warblers. I hoped to see some I didn’t see last year and see those I did see last year again. It was a great trip. Not only did I see a number of the Warblers I saw last year, I also saw some new species of Warblers plus a couple of other birds. 14 new to me birds or in birder speak ” Lifers”. On Monday the 12th (my birthday) I saw 7 Lifers! What a gift!!

I have thousands of images to cull but, I’m hoping I have a few good images to share in upcoming posts.

In the meantime here’s a cheerful Yellow Warbler I saw while there. These guys were everywhere on May 11th. They were singing and filling up on insects in all the trees in bloom getting ready for their over night migration to get to their breeding grounds in the USA, and some flew over the 26 miles of Lake Erie to get to Canada where their breeding grounds are.

On May 12th their numbers at the marsh were remarkably lower than the day before. I only saw a few.

©Deborah M. Zajac | http//:circadianreflections.com Image

I’m catching up with mail, email, bills, of course the laundry, and your blogs.

I hope you have a lovely week-end.

Fun facts:

  • In addition to the migratory form of the Yellow Warbler that breeds in North America, several other resident forms can be found in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Males in these populations can have chestnut caps or even chestnut covering the entire head.
  • The nests of the Yellow Warbler are frequently parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbird. The warbler often builds a new nest directly on top of the parasitized one, sometimes resulting in nests with up to six tiers.
  • Life can be dangerous for a small bird. Yellow Warblers have occasionally been found caught in the strands of an orb weaver spider’s web.
  • The oldest-known Yellow Warbler was a female and was at least 11 years old when she was recaught and rereleased during banding operations in New York. ~https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler

more to come…

46 thoughts on “Friday’s Feathered Friends- Yellow Warbler”

  8. I love the photo and the facts about the warbler. I’m still trying to imagine a little bird flying 26 miles over Lake Erie – that seems astonishing. I had to chuckle a bit at building a new nest over the one that had been taken over. How cool was seeing seven new birds on your birthday. That’s a great gift from Mother Nature.

    I hope you have a nice weekend.

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  9. I lie the warbler you chose to share and enjoyed the tidbits about their nesting and dangers they encounter – also, this reminded me of when my son was very young and he was sharing with his grandma (on the Phone) what he was learning in school and he mentioned his “warbler” lesson and she was so impressed with all that he shared. It was a lot of fun
    oh and happy belated b-day and what a gift to see 7 lifers that day – woooo

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      1. yes, and what was extra fun was the the MIL is a birder (like you) and so when he was not just sharing about a robin or an eagle – she was super impressed – and warbler is not an easy word to keep saying – hahaha

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  12. Wow Deborah 14 lifers ! that’s such a gift ! and what a lovely time away for you both, a real birding date 🙂 and oh I do love your Yellow Warbler, it so reminds me of our Yellow Thornbill, a bird we always delight in seeing rarely when we do out west. We do not have Warblers as such here. Yes there is always a lot to do when arriving from a lovely time away, and we come back into the routine of life. Have a wonderful weekend catching up.

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  13. “Here today, gone tomorrow” certainly does describe the life of a migratory bird — and the lives of those who follow them. It’s always easy to know when the bird migrations are in full force, because our area, quite the birding hot spot, suddenly fills with flocks of chattering, binocular-and-camera-draped birders. I think most songbirds, like your pretty warbler, have passed through now, but this week I noticed my first Green Heron of the summer season; the swallows appeared about a month ago.

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  18. Oh Deborah – your thought on life being dangerous for small birds was serendipitous today. My quote for today is by Helen Keller: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure.” You reminded me that all creatures live with risk and danger. Your photos are stellar!!

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  19. The multi-tiered nests you mentioned are akin to the layers that archaeologists find in ancient sites.

    Another meaning of “lifer” is ‘a criminal serving life in prison.’ You’re serving a sentence of life looking for birds.

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