Yesterday evening, a female magnolia warbler was flitting about the lower branches of our black maple. It was the first migrant songbird that I have observed this season, to be followed by many more from now until mid October. Staying ahead of the autumn chill, which will suppress if not kill off her insect prey, she is headed for a balmy winter in Central America. After enduring the excessive heat this summer, I do not envy her journey.
Named for the fact that they were first scientifically observed and classified in a grove of southern magnolias, during their migration, magnolia warblers actually nest in open coniferous forests across central and eastern Canada, the Great Lakes Region, New England and along the Appalachian Chain, as far south as Virginia. Come late summer, they head for wintering grounds in Central America and the West Indies. Attractively colored with a mix of gray, white, black, yellow and olive plumage, magnolia warbers are common migrants throughout the eastern half of the U.S. and are relatively easy to observe since they tend to feed in shrubs and in the lower branches of shade trees.
While some shorebirds begin their "autumn migration" by July, the songbird migration generally runs from early September to mid October, led by the dedicated insectivores such as common nighthawks, warblers and gnatcatchers. Toward the end of their migration period, the fair weather migrants and summer residents are replaced by hardy winter songbirds, arriving from northern latitudes to spend the cold, gray months in the balmy Temperate Zone. This year, drained by the long, hot summer, I can't wait to welcome them.
