Warblers, warblers, warblers....like being a kid in the candy store! Black-poll Warbler!

It is warbler time! All the small birds are back, many migrating through and the flitting through the underbrush/trees is constant. At the same time you are given a cacophony of bird songs that merge into a soul-filling symphony.

If you are out to get a perfect photo, you will be disappointed. If you are out to get photos that allow you to identify the birds you are hearing and seeing, you will be full of gratitude.

If you get to experience those moments with a dear friend, the moments will be priceless.

All of this lined up for me yesterday. After weeks of waiting for the birds to be back, Ronda and I were exposed to the passing of numerous warblers in a patch of the sand dunes at Devonshire Beach. What seemed like a slow day on the ponds for ducks/geese turned out to be a highly active day for the smaller birds, the warblers.

This morning I am looking at the photos and so excited to know that one of the warblers I saw was a Black-poll Warbler. This is a first photo for me so I could identify this bird. I am sure I have heard this bird in other spring migrations, but until you learn the songs you don’t know what you are hearing.

Black-poll Warblers are amazing little birds. They are the longest distance overwater songbird migrators. The ones that come to Western Canada go the farthest from their wintering grounds and tend to have longer wings than the ones that go as far as Eastern Canada.

They are such small birds (half-ounce), and in the Fall they need to double their weight so they can fly non-stop for 3 days across the Atlantic Ocean to get back to their wintering grounds. WOW!

Their song has one of the highest frequency for a bird, it can reach 10,000 Hz (most birds are between 1,000-8,000 Hz).

Here is a site with more information on Black-poll Warblers: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Blackpoll_Warbler/overview

I feel like that kid in the candy store, so many birds, so many choices as I aim my camera and try to get a photo so I can identify the bird. When I get those photos it fills me with excitement as I learn more about the birds I see and hear. Birds are amazing.

Remember them as you are out and about. They need our help in keeping their habitat (home) clean and open. We are the guests in their home and we need to be a “welcome” guest, not one that overstays their welcome.

Happy birding!