Yellow-rumped Warbler
“On April 20 I caught my first two Great Egrets of this year foraging along the Spurwink River and on the same day saw a handful of Yellow-rumped warblers in the Oak trees along Belfield road.”
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In his words
Ten of the 20 passages, oldest first.
On the last days of April the following birds were seen and heard – Palm Warbler, Yellow-rumped / Myrtle Warbler, Pine Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, Blue- gray Gnatcatcher and Ruby-crowned Kinglets.
Sightings in order by frequency of spotting - Black-throated Green warbler, Pine warbler, Palm warbler, Myrtle warbler, American Yellow warbler, Northern Parula, Black and White warbler, American Redstart, Nashville warbler, Ovenbird (a warbler of the forest floor), Chestnut-sided warbler and Magnolia warbler!
On April 20 I caught my first two Great Egrets of this year foraging along the Spurwink River and on the same day saw a handful of Yellow-rumped warblers in the Oak trees along Belfield road.
Additional and previously mentioned warblers seen and/or heard across Cape so far this Spring include (listed by frequency of spotting), Myrtle Warbler, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, American Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Northern Parula, Black and white Warbler…
As confusing as warblers can be in the fall, a warbler seen in November or later in our neck of the woods, and that is not immediately recognized (e.g. Yellow-rumped Warbler), stands a very good chance of being an Orange-crowned.
Adding to the count there were hundreds of Yellow-rumped Warblers travelling together across Cape during the first two weeks of October.
…a Wilson’s Snipe in Kettle Cove and a Spotted Sandpiper on Dyer Point on September 25 and in Winnick Woods and Great Pond and Preserve on September 26 continuing Blackpoll Warblers and White-throated Sparrows and many first of season Yellow-Rumped Warblers, several Ruby crowned Kinglets and six Brown Creepers singing.
The autumn Yellow-rumped Warbler migration phenomenon along our coastlines stretched well into the second week of October with thousands of these tiny gems blanketing the maritime forests and shrublands of Crescent Beach State Park and Two Lights State Park.
Raising my binoculars to the spot in the tree where I last saw movement, I could clearly make out the rumps of six Myrtle Warblers, side-by-side roosting.
Interspersed between the rattling cries of Northern Flickers and the soft chek calls of Yellow-rumped Warblers, the exquisite vocalizations of Ruby-crowned Kinglets ring out with wiry ‘tsip’ call notes that melt into a flute-like, helter skelter melody of soft liquid warblings.
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Lastly, as the leaves turned red and golden, Yellow-rumped Warblers again arrived en force along our coastlines with many thousands of these tiny gems blanketing our neighborhoods and woodlands in pursuit of prey.
The following morning of October 28 along Crescent Beach State Park I noted lingering Yellow-rumped Warblers and secretly singing White-throated Sparrows along with two Immature Bonaparte’s Gulls and a pair of Red-necked Grebes off Richmond Island.
Earlier in the day I also noted a single, lingering Yellow-rumped Warbler and yet another male Wilson’s Warbler in our yard.
Interspersed between the rattling cries of Northern Flickers and the soft chek calls of Yellow-rumped Warblers, the exquisite vocalizations of Ruby-crowned Kinglets ring out with wiry tsip call notes that occasionally melt into a flute-like, helter-skelter melody of soft liquid warblings.
It’s also amazing to know that so many different species have been spotted at this one location, highlights include a Yellow Rumped Warbler, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspur, Horned Larks, a Rusty Blackbird, an American Pipit and particularly noteworthy ducks include, American Widgeon, Barrow’s Goldeneye…
Later in the afternoon along Trundy Point my youngest son and I came upon a single Yellow-rumped Warbler foraging within the tiny swath of pines, the soft golden light filtered through the branches illuminating the bird with a warm, almost ethereal glow.
In other birding news, a hybrid Black-throated Blue Warbler and Yellow-rumped Warbler was recently discovered on Hilton Head in South Carolina.
Highlights included a Northern Harrier coursing low over the fields, countless Yellow-rumped Warblers, and four sparrow species: White-throated, Ipswich, Song, and Lincoln’s. Lincoln’s Sparrows are subtly elegant songbirds with finely streaked buffy chests, gray faces and delicate mustache stripes.
Along the shore, I found a lingering Yellow-rumped Warbler and the inland forest was alive with Red-breasted Nuthatches.
On April 25, along the fringes of the inland Pond Brook corridor, the sweet, whistled warbles from Yellow rumped Warblers could be heard as they darted and sallied for insects.