It seems pretty late for some birds to still be hanging around Central Florida and too early for others to start arriving. That was the case on a recent weekend at Lake Apopka when I was surprised to see a pair of Swallow-tailed Kites and an early-arriving Yellow Warbler.
I thought all the Swallow-tailed Kites were gone by now, but I watched two gliding above Lake Apopka, feasting on Lubber Grasshoppers. Audubon says, “Migration is early in both spring and fall, with Florida birds arriving February-March, departing August-September.” I always thought they left our area in late July to head down to South America for the winter. Guess I was wrong.
While I expected the kites to be gone, I didn’t expect to see a Yellow Warbler this early. AllAboutBirds.org notes, “Yellow Warblers breed across central and northern North America and spend winters in Central America and northern South America. They migrate earlier than most other warblers in both spring and fall.”
So, I guess the one I saw was getting an early start to head south for the winter. I’ve seen some social media posts from others who have started seeing warblers in the region. Glad they’re showing up, even if it’s not fall.
Of course, the kites and warbler weren’t the only birds I saw at Lake Apopka…
