Gentle Breezes and Waves of May Warblers
Hmmm, if I had but one month to live, is there any doubt which month I would choose?
Spring seems to have been playing a game of Hide and Seek throughout April – peeking out for a few days and then retreating. But it has reappeared, hopefully here to stay, as the calendar turned over to the month of May – the favourite month for birdwatching enthusiasts.
Forget about gardening and May flowers. May is first and foremost Warbler month. These diminutive (usually smaller than Sparrows) and brightly coloured birds bring a gleam to birdwatcher’s eyes.
The first Warbler to arrive (usually in late April) without fail is the Yellow-Rumped Warbler – aka the butterbutt. As the name suggests, the distinctive yellow rump, together with the yellow crown patch and yellow wing patches, is a welcome sight for winter weary birders.
Not far behind will be Palm Warblers – handsome little sprites with a chestnut cap, white eye stripe and yellow underparts with brownish streaks. These grounding loving Warblers constantly bob their tail as if forever excited about the prospects of another breeding season.
Pine Warblers also arrive early but are less viewer friendly than Palms. Quite distinctive if you do lock your binoculars on them – bright yellow breast, greenish back and two white wing bars. But they like to hang out high in pine trees leaving us to register their presence most often by the even-pitched, musical trill wafting down from above.
Next in line is the Black-throated Green Warbler. Black throat + yellow cheek + green back + white wing bars makes the identification definitive. I often know they are about before I see them as they regularly serenade the woods with their dreamy zee zee zee zoo zee song.
Black-and-White Warblers are also in the advance scouting group of Warblers. The name says it all – streaked black and white all over making – making them easy to identify as they creep along tree trunks and branches.
Next I’ll be on the lookout for jaunty Nashville Warblers – bluish grey head, white eye stripe and yellow breast – and handsome Black-throated Blues which need no description. Black-throated Blues also signal their presence with their distinctive beer beer beer bee call.
Around the second week in May, waves of Warblers begin to arrive and the Warbler day count pushes into double figures. By the third week in May it is full-blown Warbler mania with the opportunity to rack up close to thirty different species if luck is on your side. Once I’ve ticked off all the regular Warblers on my spring list, I’m on the hunt for the tough-to-get species.
A Cape May Warbler – bright yellow cheek with chestnut eye patch and yellow streaked undersides – is always a highlight of the day. Spotting a Mourning Warbler – blue-gray head, black bib and yellow belly – skulking through the underbrush warrants a fist pump.
I could go on and on and on. Suffice to say that May is made for gentle breezes and waves of Warblers – my metaphor of choice for the exquisite beauty and diversity that abounds in the embrace of nature as it awakens to another spring.
~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .
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