Time for Warblers
(click on a photo to enlarge)
Unlike the many years of birding in the Chesapeake Bay region when, during migration, 20+ warbler species was possible in a day, things are different here. The trees don’t “drip” with warblers but there are still a surprising number when you consider the “regulars,” the vagrants that find their way here from Mexico and a good assortment of Eastern warblers that somehow veer off their normal migratory paths and end up in the west. None of the latter have shown up here but my little collection of warbers has been interesting nonetheless. Thus far I’ve seen seven species of warblers around our property, six have been photographed and are shown below. The Virginia’s Warbler made a brief visit to the fountain but I was without camera when I saw it.
We have one summer resident warbler here and that is the tiny gray Lucy’s Warbler (Vermivora luciae). Not a single yellow feather on this species just a cinnamon-colored cap and rump on the males and a duller version on the females which is usually hidden. This species is tied to the presence of mesquite (Prosopsis spp.) and we’ve a good number of them. In fact, they are the only tree we have other than Net-leaf Hackberry. Lucy’s is also one of the few warblers that is a cavity nester. This year the Lucy’s arrived in April about the time the mesquites leafed out. Soon after the males began singing on territory.
Lucy’s Warbler (Vermivora luciae), male
By mid-August they’re all but gone.
Heading Back to Mexico!
It was in August that I first noticed the Yellow Warblers moving through. Since they tend to favor broad-leafed wetlands, they would not be nesting in our immediate area. I only got a few glimpses of a several birds, which tended to favor the tops of the highest mesquites. Males and females differ by the presence of chestnut streaks on the breast of the male. The bird below does not demonstrate the streaking so it’s probably a female.
Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), female
If any other warblers passed through here in August, there’s a good chance I missed them because I was addicted to hummingbird watching! When the bulk of the hummers moved on after the first week in September, I began morning walks around our land. It was down in the arroyo that I found the MacGillivray’s Warblers foraging in the understory near ground level. This is typical of the Oporornis warblers. After several sightings in the arroyo, a nice male appeared at the fountain for a drink and a bath on September 20.
MacGillivray’s Warbler (Oporornis tolmiei)
A Good Head Shake After a Bath!
That very same morning I was treated to another warbler species at the fountain — a male Nashville Warbler. Although it superficially resembles the Oporonis warblers, the Nashville is in the same genus as the Lucy’s — Vermivora. Some distinguishing characteristics are the complete white eye-ring, thin, sharp bill and black legs. The male also sports a chestnut crown patch which can be difficult to see.
Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla)
Wilson’s Warbler is one of the more common warblers of the West and I expected to see it here sooner or later. They’ve been pretty easy to find down in the arroyo. Last week a female visited one of the birdbaths and today a male quietly flew into a small shrubby tree right next to where I was sitting. It closed its eyes and seemed to be taking a mid-day siesta unaware or uncaring that I was only a few feet away. The male sports a black cap that the female below shows only a hint of.
Wilson’s Warbler (Wilsonia pulsilla), female
Wilson’s Warbler (Wilsonia pulsilla), female
For several days we had a very tame and trusting Orange-crowned Warbler spend a good deal of time in our back walled garden. It seemed to prefer poking around the butterfly garden no doubt because there are a lot of insects in there (but alas few butterflies in this dry summer).
Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata)
A drab, yellow-green bird with few distinguishing characteristics, the Orange-crowned is, no doubt, our plainest warbler. It does show the thin, pointed bill characteristic of the genus Vermivora. It is also quite a hardy species and might be a candidate for over-wintering in our area. We saw a lot of Orange-crowneds in the winter when we lived in Tucson.
Orange-crowned Warbler (Vermivora celata)
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