Happy Mother's Day!

How about some warblers to help celebrate?

5-1-22 Yellow Warbler

4-30-22 Yellow Warbler 4-30-22 Yellow Warbler with a caterpillar!

"Sweet, sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet!" There have been Yellow Warblers here almost every day since 4-22-22, Earth Day! Some years we don't see them at all. 

  4-29-22 Pine Warbler 4-30-22 Pine Warbler

An unusual sighting is this Pine Warbler that was here for several days. It is a rare but regular migrant through the St. Louis area during the last two weeks of April and first few days of May. There is a wintering population in shortleaf pine stands in the southern part of Missouri. 

4-28-22 Blackpoll Warbler 5-1-22 Blackpoll Warbler female

Blackpoll Warblers! Orange legs are diagnostic for the species. Male is in first photo, and the most beautiful female I've ever seen in the second.  It's important to see this species in the spring because there are very few records of them in the fall. In fact, we have the third record of a fall sighting for the state. 

4-29-22 Chestnut-sided Warbler 4-29-22 Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warblers have been heard calling, "Pleased, pleased, pleased to meet 'ya!"

4-30-22 Blue-winged Warbler 4-30-22 Blue-winged Warbler

Blue-winged Warblers! "Bee-buzz!" What a beauty to be blowing raspberries, but that is just what it sounds like.

5-2-22 Golden-winged Warbler 5-1-22 Golden-winged Warbler 5-1-22 Golden-winged Warbler
 

"Zee-bee-bee-bee bee!" sings the Golden-winged Warbler, the bird of highest conservation concern that we've seen here.

5-1-22 Northern Parula 5-2-22 Northern Parula 5-2-22 Northern Parula

"Zeeee-up!" The diminutive Northern Parula can easily be heard, not always easily seen. It took years to coax them down to the bubbler.

4-30-22 Black-and-white Warbler 4-30-22 Black-and-white Warbler 4-30-22 Black-and-white Warbler

"Weesee, weesee, weesee, weesee, weesee." The Black-and-white Warbler has a repetitive, rhythmic squeaky song. 

5-3-22 FOY Magnolia Warbler 5-3-22 FOY Magnolia Warbler, "tail dipped in ink" 5-3-22 FOY Magnolia Warbler

The brilliant Magnolia Warbler sings, "Weeta-weeta-weetsee". Its tail looks like it's dipped in ink and like no other warbler's.

4-29-22 Northern Waterthrush 4-29-22 Northern Waterthrush

The Northern Waterthrush loves the still waters of the swampy thicket. It has a loud metallic "chink" call, and sings, "Sweet sweet sweet swee wee wee chew chew chew." 

5-1-22 Black-throated Green Warbler
5-1-22 Black-throated Green Warbler 5-1-22 Black-throated Green Warbler

The Black-throated Green Warbler has two songs, "zee-zee-zee-zee-zoozee!" and "zee-zee-zoo-zoo-zee." It's fun to hear all these songs tumbling on top of one another. In May, it is challenging to keep up with all the activity! 

Birds will be tumbling in now, in even greater numbers. Here's the forecast:   http://birdcast.info/

For all the birds since the last post:  Birds beginning 5-28-22

Just warblers, you say?   Warblers

Enjoy the miracle of migration!