Late leaver

The yellow-rumped warblers are still here, as evidenced by this one seen at the marsh this morning. Its now in its non-breeding plumage, which isn't as colorful. It could be here for another couple of weeks yet.

Hanger-on

There were a number of these yellow-rumped warblers flitting about this morning. They'll be here for awhile yet, as they are one of the last of the warblers to migrate. This one is a first winter female.

Intent warbler

There were a number of yellow-rumped warblers about this morning at the marsh, although they seem to congregate in the area around the wood-duck nesting boxes and the adjacent woods, why I'm not sure. This one, a juvenile I believe, was busily foraging for insects along tree branches. (I added a poster-edges filter to sharpen the image.)

Easy to identify

This morning I noticed a Yellow-rumped warbler at the marsh, the first one I've seen since early in the summer, when they were around in large numbers. They usually nest in coniferous stands, or mixed coniferous & deciduous, so may have nested farther north. They should be present at the marsh into October, as they are the latest of our warblers to migrate. Primarily insectivores, in late summer and fall they also feed on berries.

The forerunner of the warblers

The yellow-rumped warblers have arrived in full force at the marsh. Just about everywhere I looked this morning, there was another of the birds. Apparently they are the most abundant wood warbler in Canada. They are in bright breeding plumage at this time of year.

Return of the warblers

The last few days haven't produced any sightings of special interest at the marsh. The northern shovelers - and two wood ducks - were on the sewage lagoon yesterday. Today there were more bufflehead ducks flashing the white of their small bodies out on the marsh, among the ring-necked ducks and American wigeons. At least 25 green-winged teals have moved over to the little pond alongside the railbed, possibly finding the feeding easier, as the water level in the marsh proper is still quite high. However, this morning I did sight a few Yellow-rumped Warblers, including this one. The migrants that had been present at the marsh for several weeks appeared to have left earlier in the month, but in the last few days a few stragglers have reappeared.

Bundle of energy

I didn't see any of the migrant Palm Warblers yesterday, but the Yellow-rumped Warblers were still much in evidence, flying from one tree to another, moving about within the trees, darting out from the trees and then dipping back in. You can see from this shot how they got their name.

Bird call bootcamp

Yesterday I mentioned hearing various bird calls from the cattails at the marsh. This time of the year, the sounds we hear songbirds make are their various calls. They sing in the spring (or the males do, usually) to attract a mate - or perhaps to defend territory. This time of the year, they use calls to communicate with one another. The problem is, to the amateur (me included) so many of the calls sound alike! And if you can't see the bird, which is often the case, it's difficult to identify it. Case in point. The call of the young Yellow-rumped Warbler above (according to my bird guide) is a low chep. The call of the Savannah Sparrow, a regular at the marsh, is a high stip. That of the Common Yellowthroat sounds like chelp. And that of the Palm Warbler, shown yesterday, is a husky chik. You can see how confusing this can get. I'm getting pretty good at recognizing the call of the Yellow-rumped Warblers, probably because they are plentiful and fairly visible, but the others are still pretty much a mystery. That's why I call back, stand and wait and hope they get curious enough to make an appearance...

No fear

As I mentioned, Yellow-rumped Warblers were abundant in the trees all around the marsh this morning. This young one, however, flew onto the ground and hopped along the edge of the trail, coming within four feet of where I was standing.

Junior bird

I was luckier with this juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler in a Scots pine tree this morning. It held still long enough for me to push the shutter button.

Hyperactive birds

I was chasing (with my camera) this Yellow-rumped Warber around a black cherry tree this morning. The shot at the top shows what often happens to me when I try to capture these and other songbirds - by the time I get them in focus and before I can take the shot, they have moved. It was sitting on that branch at the bottom when I focused the shot. Even in the bottom shot, I think the bird was thinking about moving . . .

Curious bird

The Yellow-rumped Warblers were still present in the wooded section of the trail this morning. You can hear their low, flat chep call when walking through the woods. This juvenile held still long enough for me to get this shot.

Handsome fellow

Once again, the wooded area of the trail was alive with birds this morning - and a red squirrel who definitely had a problem with a counterpart. They raced from tree to tree in the canopy, from one side of the trail to the other and back again, up one tree and down the next, for a good two or three minutes, squealing all the while. It was quite the show. The chaser finally stopped when he(?) noticed me, then commenced to loudly scold me until I moved on. I think he was trying to tell me something.

Just as I left the woods, I caught this juvenile Yellow-rumped Warbler in a Grey Birch. These warblers will be among the last to leave in the fall. .

Quiet presence

The same thing was happening in the wooded section of the trail this morning - Yellow-rumped Warblers were flying about in the pines. It is easy to miss them unless you're looking for them among the trees, as they are usually silent. I got this so-so shot of one after trying for several minutes to catch one as they moved from branch to branch and tree to tree.

Elusive warbler

Yesterday, if you can believe it, I spent two hours at the marsh (if I were just walking around the trail, not looking at anything, it would take me about 20 minutes). Part of that time was spent waiting for songbirds to stay still long enough for me to get a good shot. There are certainly enough of them around, but they're busy doing their thing and not posing for nosy people with cameras.

I was finally able to get this shot of a young Yellow-rumped Warbler. There were a number of them flitting about in the wooded section of the trail yesterday and today. They don't usually make much of a sound, so it would be easy enough to miss them altogether.