Bulletin 217 - Best of 10 years - #2 - warblers

There are 55 species of new world warblers in Sibley's birding guide, so selecting a dozen is a challenge, but here are my picks for the best of my first 10 years. I thought I would do them now with spring migration just around the corner.

The rarest bird in North America is the critically endangered Kirtland's Warbler. There are just several hundred pairs in the Jack Pine forests of northern Michigan. In the summer of 2013, I went there and took a tour into an area where they occur. They are easy to see as the males perch on top of the 6-8 foot trees to sing.

Kirtland's Warbler

The Connecticut Warbler is also a bird that we in Texas have to travel to see, as it migrates through Florida. I saw it on the same trip to Michigan. The gray hood and large white eye ring ID this warbler.

Connecticut Warbler

The Mourning Warbler was also seen on the Michigan trip. It can be found on the upper Texas coast both spring and fall, but is rare. The male is IDed by the gray hood, black breast band and no eye ring.

Mourning Warbler

There are 2 warblers in North America that occur only in Texas. Birders from Canada and the USA have to make a trip to Texas to see these ones. The endangered Golden-cheeked Warbler breeds only in the Hill Country of Texas. The male is IDed by the yellow face, black throat and black line through the eye.

Golden-cheeked Warbler

The Colima Warbler breeds in the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in west Texas. This is probably the most difficult bird I have photographed, as it took a whole day to hike up the trail to where they breed in the mountains. It is IDed by all gray color, yellow under the tail and the prominent eye ring.

Colima Warbler

Most warblers have some yellow coloration. However, this cute Red-faced Warbler from southeast Arizona, is gray with a red face and black hat.

Red-faced Warbler

The male Black-throated Blue Warbler has a blue back, black throat and prominent white wing patch. It is seen occasionally in spring and fall in southeast Texas.

Black-throated Blue Warbler

The last group are commonly seen during spring migration on the upper Texas coast. The dazzling male Blackburnian Warbler is my favorite.

Blackburnian Warbler

Another orange and black warbler is the male American Redstart.

American Redstart

The Yellow-throated Warbler is a common bird in the early spring. However, it was a nemesis bird for me to photograph. I finally got a photograph in 2010. It is IDed by the black and white overall color and bright yellow throat.

Yellow-throated Warbler

The male Bay-breasted Warbler  is striking with his rusty cap and flanks.

Bay-breasted Warbler

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2015 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin #137 - migration #3 - warblers

David McDonald Photography
Friendswood TX
4-28-2011

(Click on the photos to see a larger image)

The Worm-eating Warbler (Helmithiros vermivorus) is a plain brown warbler with a neatly striped top of the head, which makes an easy ID. It one of my favorites because it is uncommon. I still remember seeing my lifer at High Island years ago. This photo was taken at LaFitte's Cove, Galveston.

The Blackburnian Warbler (Dendroica fusca) is my favorite due to its vibrant coloration. The male is black and white with a brilliant orange face and throat. Here are 2 photos of a bird at Quintana. The first is in a tree above the drip and the second on the rocks around the pool at the base of the drip.

The Kentucky Warbler (Oporornis formosus) is another secretive bird that is easiest to see during migration. The bird is yellow below and olive above. He has no wing bars, but has a unique black mustache on the face. In the male, shown here, the mustache extends onto the breast. He was found at LaFitte's Cove.

The Blue-winged Warbler (Vermivora cyanoptera) is a bright yellow bird with blue wings and 2 white wing bars. He aslo has a black line through the eye to the beak. The sexes are similar. This has been one of nemesis birds over the years, but this year I finally saw several birds and obtained my best photos of this species. This photo was taken at LaFitte's Cove.

 Here is a great side by side comparison of the 2 predominately black and white colored warblers. The male Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia) has a striped top of head, and a black cheek and throat.

The female of the same species has the similarly striped crown, but the cheek and throat are white.



The other species is the Blackpoll Warbler (Dendroica striata). The male of this species has a solid black crown with white face. He also has a faint yellowish wash on the wings. Also, the legs are orange-pink. This is another good field mark for this species. These 3 birds were all photgraphed at LaFitte's Cove.

In the last bulletin, I showed the different field marks for the 2 species of waterthrushes. However, if you look in the field guides, there are 2 color variants of the Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia novaboracensis). Note, the scientific name has changed for this species. The genus was previously Seiurus. The 2 color variants are white and yellow. I found both of them this year. The first is the whiter bird. It has a white eye stripe similar to the Louisiana Waterthrush and is thus a more difficult ID problem, but look at the leg color.

Here is the more familiar yellowish bird. The eye stripe and flanks are a buffy yellow color.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

davidkmcdmd@yahoo.com

photos copyright 2011 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask for subscribe.