Spring migration is in full swing, which means warbler season is upon us!
These small songbirds are among the most celebrated by birders for their flashy colors and sweet songs. But most warblers only spend a few weeks in Milwaukee.
For this month’s Chirp Chat, Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez spoke with Zoe Finney, the Creative Lead at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center and a warbler enthusiast. She explains what makes Warblers so special and where you can see them this spring.
What are warblers?
Among the hundreds of birds that will migrate through Milwaukee this spring, New World warblers, or wood-warblers, are a group of songbirds in the family Parulidae that will fill trees and shrubs with dazzling colors.
“Warblers are incredible little creatures,” Finney says. “Some people call them the jewels of spring, because they are tiny and bright and vivid… for the birders who are hearing and seeing them, I think they're extra special because they are generally rare for us.”
Finney says there are nearly 60 warbler species in North America, and about 34 of those species have been seen at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center.
“These warblers are Neotropical migrants, so that means they are traveling from South America, Central America and some of them stay in the Caribbean,” Finney says. “One of my favorites, the Blackburnian warbler, flies as far south as Bolivia, then travels across the Gulf of Mexico and across the US to get up to their wintering grounds in northern Wisconsin and the boreal forests of Canada.”
When warblers migrate through Milwaukee, Finney says most of them will treat it as a stopover site, where they will take a break, refuel and then continue their journey to their northern breeding grounds. But some species, like the American redstart and the Yellow warbler, will breed in Milwaukee.
But much like other bird species, warbler populations are declining. A 2019 study published in Science found there are nearly 3 billion fewer birds in North America compared to 1970. Nearly 2.5 billion of those missing birds are from migratory species like warblers.
Finney says some of the factors contributing to the bird declines include habitat loss, deforestation, climate change and having to navigate around light pollution and city landscapes during fall and spring migration.
“One thing I think the average person can do in their backyard would be planting native plants and shrubs for warblers when they come through Milwaukee and other parts of the US,” Finney says. "This is a refueling stop for them, so if we have the right habitat that helps the correct insects flourish, we're just providing [birds, like warblers] a better stopover.”
Where to see warblers
The best time of year to see warblers in Milwaukee County is from mid-April through the end of May, with Yellow-rumped warblers being some of the earliest to arrive in the area.
“They're a small to medium-sized warbler, and one of their distinguishing characteristics is this little yellow spot on their rump,” Finney says. “So birders like to call them butter butts, because it looks like a little pad of butter.”
Once it's the first week of May, Finney says the flood gates open, and it’s pretty much the peak of warbler migration. She says the most common warblers people can expect to see include: Yellow-rumped warblers, Yellow warblers, Black-and-white warblers, American redstarts, Ovenbirds and Black-throated greens.
And some popular spots Finney recommends people check out during warbler season include: Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Lake Park, Grant Park and Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve.
Before heading outdoors, Finney encourages new birders to be patient with themselves as warblers are notoriously difficult to spot and identify. Not only are warblers small and quick, but they also tend to zip in and out of the tops of leafy tree canopies.
“The flurry of activity can be overwhelming, but just try to focus on one tree and see what comes into sight,” she says. “Don't get overwhelmed… if you get to see a flash of that bright color, just try to soak that in… I promise the more time that you spend outside with your binoculars and with other birding groups, you’re going to start to learn how to identify them.”
Chirp Chat’s Bird of the Month for April
Male American Redstarts are small warblers that are mostly black, except for some bright orange spots on their wings, sides and tail. Meanwhile, female American Redstarts have a grey head, olive back and yellow patches on their wings, sides and tail. They’re also known for their sweet, high-pitched song.
“I really like American Redstarts because they are one of the species that are here most of the summer,” Finney says. “So they are a species that will breed at the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center and other places in Milwaukee County. But they also tend to stay a little lower in the canopy and really like to zip in and out of shrubs. So... there's sometimes a better chance of getting a good glimpse of a Redstart.”
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