How I usually see a Cape May Warbler!
Here in southern Wisconsin, we've been pretty spoiled by low and eye-level views of warblers for the past few weeks. Now that we've had rain showers and warmer temperatures, the forest canopy is finally beginning to fill in. Insects are attracted to sticky or flowering buds and the birds follow, making them more difficult to see. Fortunately, at the same time, more birds are singing, so they're relatively easy to identify if you know their songs.
The "bee-buzz" bird: Blue-winged Warbler.
Mixed songbird flocks tend to move together along the creek corridor in a particular direction. Depending on the wind speed/direction or quantity of insects, they'll either rapidly move on or linger for a while. As my friend Dottie says, “It's a warbler parade!” as various species move through our viewing area. Speaking of warblers, you might be interested in this entertaining and informative article on the forthcoming taxonomic rearrangement of North American wood warblers.
White Trillium
Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 5/12/11
Number of species: 72
Wood Duck
Mallard
Great Blue Heron
Green Heron
Ring-billed Gull
Mourning Dove
Black-billed Cuckoo
Great Horned Owl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great Crested Flycatcher
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Blue-winged Warbler
Golden-winged Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Cape May Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Ovenbird
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush
Mourning Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Canada Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
All images © 2011 Mike McDowell