Palm Warblers in Easter Finery

This time of year finds us in Florida with birds departing quickly to head home up North and begin nesting. Palm Warblers are some of the first to arrive in the Fall and usually the first to leave in Spring.

A number of days ago I heard a bird singing in an oak tree. It was a call I did not recognize but I kept searching until I could get at least a shot for ID. Later, I noticed in the photos that it was a Palm Warbler. We don't usually hear them actually singing.

Fast forward to Easter and I took a walk near the lake and noticed a bunch of birds feeding on the ground and in the trees. To my surprise, they were all Palm Warblers. Better yet, they had all molted into their Spring feathers.



We are so used to drab brown Palms with their distinctive yellow undertail coverts and bobbing tails that seeing them with the rusty caps and yellow faces is almost a shock.



Get them in the shadows and those colors really pop out against the green shrubs.



Some sat along the fence as a breeze wafted small insects toward them. They fed well.



Safe journey home, little friends...