RETURN OF THE WARBLERS

After one of the most beautiful winter and spring I can remember, I patiently waited for the advent of the wood warblers. I figured with the gorgeous weather, I would have an abundant number of species flying in to Cedar Ridge.

The first warbler arrived April 16 and as per usual, it was Myrtle. I thought with this extremely early arrival, the migration would resemble the perfect weather. But alas, the first shot I got was his second sighting on May 10th.

Myrtle Warbler

One by one, the warblers have slowly returned. Usually the second returnee is the Palm Warbler; this year the species completely missed the ridge. At this point I have seen and photographed 12 species of the wood warblers; last year at this time I had photographed 21. It seems there is not a good answer to the question, of "What happened to all the warblers?" Many feel they slowed down because of the bad weather that plagued the mid section of America. The speculation is, that when the weather changed, the migration that heads for northern Canada and the Arctic, by passed our region. Whatever the reason, I am now hoping that on the return trip, the missing warblers will touch down here in the late summer and fall.

Here are some images of the warblers that are here and nesting at the moment... in basically the order of their arrival.