What a treat to find and identify a Cape May Warbler along the shore of Lake Erie this weekend!
Every fall I go through the steps of re-learning how to identify migrating warblers on their way to places further south of Michigan.
This year was no different.
While migrating warblers in the fall have similar challenges of identification as warblers in spring:
- Small
- Fast moving
- High up in the trees (you get a lot of aching necks looking for warblers)
the birds have the added challenge of muted colors and no singing.
Warblers in spring are in their finest attire: bright, flashy colors to attract mates. And they sing beautiful songs that help you to identify the birds, even when they’re hidden by leaves.
Warblers in fall have changed to their winter wardrobe, losing the brilliant plumage and distinguishing markings that makes it easy to identify them in spring. And there’s no song.
Exactly what I discovered with the Cape May Warbler I saw this weekend.
In spring, the Cape May Warbler is a bird I can quickly identify by its chestnut cheek patch, yellow collar, and distinctive streaking on the yellow breast.
But in fall, it’s another story.
The Cape May Warbler’s chestnut cheek patch is replaced with a gray cheek patch.
The bird sports an olive-gray crown, pale yellow collar, and faint streaking on a pale yellow breast.
An entirely different-looking bird.
Fall warblers are hard to identify.
Which is why I spend a lot of time on Macauley Library comparing my photos to other warbler photos taken this month in Michigan.
As well as re-reading Madison Audubon’s excellent beginner’s guide to identifying fall warblers.
