Birders who reside across central latitudes of the U.S. are never surprised to see yellow-rumped warblers in October; indeed, these hardy insectivores even stay for the winter in some parts of the Midwest. But there is another warbler that is also slow to head for southern climes and may still be encountered in mid autumn: the orange-crowned warbler.
Breeding in open woodlands or in the deciduous understory of coniferous forest, orange-crowned warblers summer across Alaska and Canada and southward through the Western mountain ranges. Come fall, they head for coastal areas of California and the Southeast or farther south to Mexico and the Caribbean. En route they generally appear alone, scouring shrubs, thickets and the lower branches of trees for a wide variety of insects; like many insectivores, they occasionally visit suet feeders and may consume berries if their insect prey is scarce.
A lone orange-crowned warbler has been visiting our Littleton farm the past few days, feeding with chickadees and yellow-rumped warblers. I doubt he'll stay much longer but, unlike most warblers that are well south of the freeze line by now, our visitor has already shrugged off several frigid nights and a few periods of snow.
Breeding in open woodlands or in the deciduous understory of coniferous forest, orange-crowned warblers summer across Alaska and Canada and southward through the Western mountain ranges. Come fall, they head for coastal areas of California and the Southeast or farther south to Mexico and the Caribbean. En route they generally appear alone, scouring shrubs, thickets and the lower branches of trees for a wide variety of insects; like many insectivores, they occasionally visit suet feeders and may consume berries if their insect prey is scarce.
A lone orange-crowned warbler has been visiting our Littleton farm the past few days, feeding with chickadees and yellow-rumped warblers. I doubt he'll stay much longer but, unlike most warblers that are well south of the freeze line by now, our visitor has already shrugged off several frigid nights and a few periods of snow.
