We see lots of warblers throughout cottage season at White Lake, many in the autumn when they are heading south for the winter. Many of the species of warblers we see are closely related, belonging to the same genus, ‘setophaga’. The word is derived from the ancient Greek words ‘ses’ meaning ‘moth’ and ‘phagos’ meaning ‘eating’. So … we have warblers that eat moths, primarily in the larvae (caterpillar) stage. Fortunately, they eat other insects as well.
One of the earliest warblers we see at the cottage is the chestnut-sided warbler which is here from early May through to late August. This lovely, small warbler sports a yellow cap and chestnut-coloured flanks. This year we saw them several times, perhaps because they are generally increasing in numbers. They prefer nesting in low bushes of second growth forests which we have in abundance. Chest-sided warblers winter in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. The individual shown below was photographed in July of this year, and clearly shows that in addition to larvae it is prepared to eat adult moths.
Also beginning in May, we see pine warblers throughout the summer until October by which time they have all packed their bags and flown off to winter in the Bahamas and elsewhere in the northern Caribbean. You will not be surprised when we tell you this bird lives in pine forests. Our cottage is in a mixed forest with plenty of pines, yet we only see them occasionally. A drab, brownish-yellow bird, the pine warbler is a short-distance migrant, wintering primarily in the south eastern United States and the northern Caribbean, although they have been seen occasionally wintering along the Great Lakes. Pine warblers make their nests of pine needles and set them on a horizontal branch high up in pine trees … truly pine, pine, pine warblers are aptly named.
A real treat for us is seeing a yellow warbler.at the cottage. This year was only the fifth time we have seen one since we started summering here in 2007. It seems odd because our field guides tell us that yellow warblers are common and, like the chestnut-sided warbler, prefer second growth forests. The male yellow warbler is generally yellow all over with reddish streaks on its chest. They winter in the southern USA and as far south as northern South America.
Another rare treat and favourite is the black-throated green warbler which we have seen in July, August, and September only. Dr. David Bird tells us this warbler is easy to distinguish because of its yellow face. Perhaps that is in the eye of the beholder or we simply have not seen enough black-throated warblers over the years. We will continue to try to learn to distinguish them without squinting. Black-throated green warblers winter in southern Texas, and as far south as Venezuela.
We see yellow-rumped warblers every year, primarily in September and October. They are easily identified if you are fortunate enough to see one flying away from you displaying the yellow patch on its rump. We are seldom so lucky and must base our identifications on the pale throat and yellow patches on their sides, and of course, the advice of our friends on Ontario Birds. The yellow-rumped warbler winters in much of the eastern and southern United States and southward into Mexico.
We have written about warblers many times, perhaps because we like them so much. After all, they feed on insects. Many warbler species are brilliantly coloured with bold patterns making them easier to identify than the little brown jobs that often confound us so thoroughly. We enjoy seeing and identifying our many species of warblers and learning more about them.
For this article we depended largely on David Bird’s Birds of Eastern Canada and David Sibley’s Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America.
