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Yellow rumped warbler fall5/21/2023 Our northeastern Wisconsin species, the Sweet Gale (Myrica gale), does not produce these berries but like the other species does have very aromatic leaves. All bear small clusters of waxy-coated fruit much sought after by the Myrtle Warblers as well as candle makers. The plant genus, Myrica (Meer-i-ca), includes among others the Bayberry, Wax-myrtle, and Evergreen Bayberry. Gradually people along the East Coast, perhaps its primary migratory route, realized that these birds consumed great quantities of Myrtle berries, and the name Myrtle Warbler was established. Years ago this comparatively large wood warbler was called either the Yellow-rump or Yellow-rumped Warbler. They will be Yellow-rumped Warblers, and chances are there will be thousands of them. A closer look would have revealed a yellow patch at the upper base of the tail. Quite a few people who report them will catch glimpses of white outer tail feathers and will report them as northern juncos. Photo by Roy Lukes.Ī migratory wave of tiny birds is moving through northeastern Wisconsin, reaching its peak in mid-October. Harriett Pooler has been an avid bird watcher for the past seventeen years, is a member of the LA Ornithological Society, and is the immediate past president for the Baton Rouge Audubon Society, as well as Donor Relations Manager for The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana.A Yellow-rumped Warbler visits the bird bath in autumn showing more subdued colors than during the spring breeding season. I’ve taken their daily presence for granted. I am sorry to see them leave because I have begun to expect to see them every time I go birding. Their numbers decrease gradually as they migrate from Louisiana. Francisville, Port Hudson State Commemorative Site and Oakley Plantation both provide ideal habitat to see these warblers.īy the time the Yellow-rumped Warblers migrate north for their breeding grounds, they are molting into their handsome breeding plumage. In Baton Rouge, Bluebonnet Swamp and Nature Center can be ideal to see flocks of them. Good places to see them include any wooded lot, park or backyard. This behavior is called flycatching and what you observe when you see it flitting in seemingly wild abandon on the trail of an insect tidbit. The hungry bird will sally out from a branch to catch an insect in midair. While they mainly eat insects, they can also survive on berries, such as the wax myrtle berry. They can be seen individually, but usually they are found in flocks-in trees, shrubs and on the ground- and sometimes in mixed flocks with Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Goldfinches and House Finches. With a distinctive “tcheck” call note, the sound of a Yellow-rumped Warbler can be mistaken for that of our Northern Cardinal. The identification key is to see the yellow rump patch. However, once the Yellow-rumped Warbler moves its wings and flashes the yellow on its rump, there is no mistaking which bird you are looking at. Some birds that can resemble them-at least at a distance-are goldfinches, female house finches, and certain winter sparrows. A brownish warbler, they have a white throat, a streaked chest with yellow patches on either side and a distinctive bright yellow rump patch (hence the slang name ‘butter butt’ by birders). The Yellow-rumped Warblers can be drab birds, but with much variation in their coloration, they can give novice birders pause when identifying birds. They are probably the most numerous birds that can be seen in a typical day birding in Louisiana. “Oh, it’s another yellow rump” I’ll say as I’m calling out the birds to friends while birding. The first sighting is exciting and reassuring, like the beginning of another day yet, by the time these winter visitors migrate in late spring, many birders have gotten ‘ho-hum’ at seeing them. Seeing my first Yellow-rumped Warbler of the season signals that fall is officially here. Usually arriving around the end of September, it makes its appearance as one of the first winter migrants in Louisiana. March signals the beginning of early spring migration and the internal prompt that moves our resident winter bird population to migrate. The Yellow-rumped Warbler doesn’t leave Louisiana until late spring however, March is when I start preparing myself to say farewell to these winter visitors.
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