May 21, 2022
I was tempted to dedicate this post solely to warbler photos but couldn’t bring myself to exclude the male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Warblers plus a grosbeak it is!
Songbirds of all shapes, sizes, and colors lit up the trees at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. There were exceptional numbers of warblers: Blackburnian Warblers, Yellow Warblers, Blackpoll Warblers, Canada Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, Black-throated Green Warblers, Bay-breasted Warblers, and American Redstarts to name a few. It was a spring migration dream.
I had the most luck with passerines in the groves at South Garden. This area is surrounded by lush trees and produces lots of shade, insects, and more importantly, birds.
The first time I ventured down into the South Garden grove, I met a lady standing with binoculars aimed high up in a tree. She pointed me to a Blackburnian Warbler, which would end up being one of many that day. She smiled and said, “Worth the trip, huh?”
Several more birders stopped through soon after to enjoy the action. We were a bunch of “birders in a warbler candy store,” if you will.
At one point, I sat on the ground along a cool, shady trail to rest. Within a couple of minutes a Yellow Warbler landed on a close-by branch, posing in a dank mud patch. I hadn’t left yet, but couldn’t wait to come back.
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Gone Birdin' 