The return of the warblers
One of the joys of spring birdwatching is reuniting with birds not seen since last summer. Familiar species that vacationed in the south over the winter return to Newfoundland and Labrador for the summer festival of life. It is like welcoming back old friends. Many birds have arrived already and are well into the formalities involved in the nesting cycle. The insect eaters are the last to get back because it takes the warmest spring temperatures to get the active insect populations up to a sustainable level. Among the many insect eating birds is a large diverse family of birds called the warblers.
Warblers are the starlets of spring migration. They are favoured by birders across Canada. Every year hundreds of birdwatchers flock to famous Point Pelee, Ont. in May to get their fill of spring warblers as north-bound migrants are concentrated along a narrow point of land. Newfoundland and Labrador does not have such a migration watch point, but it is the destination for large numbers of warblers for the summer season. Our province is nothing short of a breeding factory for warblers. The gems populate our forests in abundance during the spring and summer.
The warblers return in May. It started with the yellow-rumped warblers in early in the month. This is the most abundant and widespread species of warbler across the land. It is pretty enough with the yellow patches on either side of the breast, a subtlety blue tinged back and yellow patch at the base of the tail. During the second week of May the palm warblers, blackand-white warblers and northern waterthrushes arrive. Yes, the northern waterthrush is a warbler. Its name was derived from its brown back and habitat of walking on the ground like a thrush when looking for insect food. No two warbler are alike. Each targets a slightly different food source among the vegetation. Each is dressed up in a designer pattern of colour. The colours are usually bright but even the black-and-white warbler consisting of just two colours looks fashionable.
There are 14 species of common and widespread warblers on the island of Newfoundland plus another four with a more limited island distribution. Labrador has a similar number but more of them are localized in the pockets of richer habitat found along the river valleys. The majority of warblers arrive in a rush over the last ten days of May. They fill out the woods with the songs and colours that make a summer complete. The black tiger stripes on the brilliant yellow breast of the magnolia
Newfoundland and Labrador … is the destination for large numbers of warblers for the summer season. Our province is nothing short of a breeding factory for warblers. The gems populate our forests in abundance during the spring and summer.
warbler is a common shot of colour encountered in the second growth fir across the island. Their simple unassuming song fits in with whoever else is singing on territory in the same piece of woods. It might be the white-throated sparrow and hermit thrush or other warblers like the blackpoll warbler or black-throated green warbler. But other magnolia warblers will keep their distance on a neighbouring territory. The musical chatter of the Wilson’s warbler comes from roadside scrub. The males are all dressed up in bright yellow and green with a peculiar black circular cap on its head. The Wilson’s warbler might share the same bushes that a yellow warbler includes in its territory.
The cheery bright song of the yellow warbler is a true sound of summer. These birds are a common sight in urban areas taking advantage of the deciduous trees and shrubs found in our backyards. The common yellowthroat sings from a concealed scrub spruce tree in a bog exposing just its black mask and a touch of its bright yellow breast to the outside world. An American redstart sports bright orange marks in its black fan shaped tail used to give it stability as it flashes carelessly through the deciduous branches pursuing insects trying to escape on the wing. A mourning warbler, never courageous enough to expose its brilliant yellow under parts and gray hood with a black breast sash to the world, sings loudly just under the tallest leaf at the top of a pin cheery tree.
Warblers appeal to our senses. They are spirited balls of energy with an abundance of bright colour and intricate design. They sing tirelessly during the nesting season. The parade of warblers is descending upon us now. Their agenda for the next few weeks is to pair up on a little territory in the woods where they can build a nest and raise a nest full of new warblers. They could not care less about our attraction to their beauty but they are out there for all to adore. Warblers are the fine art of the bird world. There is still some good spring birdwatching to enjoy.