Warblers are small, colorful songbirds that arrive in the Midwest from late April through mid May. While some stay for the summer, many are just passing through, on their way to northern climes. Active insectivores, most warblers feed in the canopy of shade trees, flitting among the branches in pursuit of their quarry; as one might expect, they are often difficult to observe.
By late April, most of our shade trees, including oaks, maples and tulip trees, are in full leaf, further aggravating our efforts to identify these small birds. Black walnut and sycamore trees, on the other hand, are slow to leaf out and thus offer better sites for warbler watching. Fortunately, we have several of these large trees bordering our yard and I tend to focus my attention on their open branches during my evening surveys.
To date, I have only seen yellow-rumped warblers, which winter in our region. Their cousins should begin to arrive within a few days and the warbler parade will continue into mid May, an annual highlight for avid birders.
