Perhaps it’s because I went to UCF and am partial to black and gold, but the Yellow-throated Warbler is one of my favorite little birds.
So you can imagine how surprised and happy I was this week when a Yellow-throated Warbler visited my backyard for the first time in about five months.
Technically, they can be found year-round in northern parts of Florida and Georgia, but in my backyard the past two years there appears to be a migratory pattern. I usually see them in the late fall, winter and early spring – but never over the summer months. The last photograph I have of one in my backyard was from April.
A mid-September return was a bit unexpected. Central Florida birders are saying that based on the birds they have been spotting, the winter migration season has started. I guess that includes my black-and-gold-faced friend.
In trying to learn more about Yellow-throated Warblers, I found out that not only I am fortunate to be seeing them in my backyard now, but I’m also pretty lucky to have them visiting my backyard bird feeder.
“The Yellow-throated Warbler is one warbler that will require craning your neck to see the top of the canopy, which could give you a case of warbler neck,” AllAboutBirds.org says. “They tend to stick to the tops of the trees, so you might only get a glimpse of their undersides; look for the bright white belly and slightly notched white tail.”
It adds, “Yellow-throated Warblers may only use bird feeders on occasion, but you can still provide habitat for them by landscaping with native trees and shrubs.”
I guess I have a welcoming backyard habitat.
