Migrating Warblers Need the Drew Forest
A version of this appeared on Apr 30, 2024 in the Madison Eagle Photo by Blaine Rothauser
By Christine Hepburn
If you are like most people (including me until my 40s), you hardly know what a warbler is, let alone take note of the many beautiful species that make up this group of migrating birds.
About 50 different species of these small, insect-eating birds with slim beaks can be found in North America, and 35 of these can be seen in New Jersey. Many of them have names that describe their looks, such as chestnut-sided, yellow-rumped, hooded, and blue-winged.
'Flitters'
Each warbler species sings its own sweet song, but their voices don’t stand out if you ask me. I’d call them "flitters" rather than "warblers," given how active they are, constantly flitting from branch to branch.
Unbeknownst to most of us, warblers will be sipping from our birdbaths and foraging in our trees like tiny colorful jewels throughout the month of May. They will often be up in the canopy grabbing tiny creatures to eat and find oak trees to be especially food-filled.
Most warblers will just be passing through town, on the way further north after wintering anywhere from southern Texas down to Peru, depending on the particular species.
The long migrations are perilous times for the warblers who travel by night and rest during the day. “Stopover habitats” with trees and a water supply are very important and of course the Drew Forest provides a wonderful resource for these migrants, along with leafy yards.
Some warbler species will stay in New Jersey and breed, generally in swamp, interior forest, or shrub habitat. Come June, therefore, the warbler show will be about over in our area, so it is critical to look to the trees during May.
I started paying attention to birds thanks to living next to the Drew Forest, and to naturalist, Florham Park resident and environmental consultant Blaine Rothauser.
The Drew Forest is home to many birds including large Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-tailed Hawks, and Barred Owls. Blaine’s enthusiasm for the winged visitors to my yard rubbed off on me. I even created a little waterfall and frog pond (yes if you build it, they will come) and the water sound seemed to draw birds down from the trees to drink.
The Warbler Hour
One May, every single day that I sat and paid attention, usually around 6 p.m., I counted at least five different species of warblers, most of them birds that I had never seen before. I sat with my bird book and identified them using the colors of their wings, heads, throats and rumps. I listed each of the warbler species that visited and counted 18 different kinds in all.
Some species, like American Redstarts and Yellow-rumped Warblers, appeared on many days. I took photographs, many very blurry photographs - that darn flitting!
When Blaine heard what I was seeing - Golden-winged! Parulas! Brewster’s Warblers! - he came one morning and took the pictures that accompany this article. I’m sure it helped that he was camouflaged in a large bush but I still can’t figure out how he managed to capture such clear images of these hyperactive flitters.
May is a wonderful month to begin with, but grab a pair of binoculars (and a bird book, unless you don’t feel the need to identify the species) and add to your enjoyment of May by spotting the colors and variety of these tiny travelers.