The Return of the Warblers

When spring arrives and things start to warm up there one thing that I really listened for and that the sound of Warblers singing in the morning outside my window. Every year I hear a variety of their songs as they scoot around looking for a mate and a nest site to raise their young. Lots of them just pass through and I'll hear them for a while before they move on but one or two will stay for the summer and I will hear them every morning. Last year it was a Black-throated Green Warbler. He sang to me every morning for the entire summer. This year it's another Warbler; the Ovenbird. I hear him every morning calling for a mate and I'm pretty sure he has impressed one, at least, with a perfect nesting sight.

Warblers are my favorite bird to photograph. They are very small and very fast, making them a challenge to capture in a photo but it's such a thrill when I do. We have a large variety of Warblers that nest on Prince Edward Island. Most years more than 20 are reported to the PEI Birders List, with the most popular ones being the Yellow Warbler, the Yellow-rumped Warbler, and the Common Yellow-throat.

Next time you're out around a stream or pond where there is some low brush or shrubs, listen for the Yellow Warbler's song. The mnemonic for the Yellow Warbler is "Sweet, sweet, I'm so sweet". And they are indeed sweet.

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