A Waggin’ Warbler

In honor of a family member who adores the small and colorful songbirds — and who’s been feeling under the weather, contending with hospitals and doctors and procedures, oh my — today’s post is brought to you by the *Yellow* Palm Warbler. We caught this little guy hiding amidst a strand of young cypress trees, in some protected wetlands. Many people are in such a rush — they’re on the phone, or otherwise scaring the wildlife — when they visit our natural spaces (WHY?), and they miss the tiny bright gems right in front of them.

Palm Warblers are common winter residents in our marshy natural areas, migrating in the late fall to the southeastern U.S. and the Caribbean. The species is comprised of two distinct sub-species, the Yellow Palm Warbler and the Western Palm Warbler. Those breeding in the eastern range are entirely yellow underneath, while those inhabiting the western part of the range are duller in color, with whitish bellies. Palm Warblers primarily breed in bogs — east of the Continental Divide, across Canada and the northeastern United States. A distinctive feature of Palm Warblers is tail wagging, or “pumping.” More than other warblers, this bird forages on the ground for insects and berries.

I’ll miss these guys, these adorable little shocks of yellow in our cypress and marsh.

For More Information:

• Wakodahatchee Wetlands
• ProTrails
• Facebook Page
• Palm Warbler (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)