I love warblers. If you’re a birder I could stop right there, for the reasons why are obvious to you and no further explanation is needed. But if you have no idea what I’m talking about, the warblers are a family of small, insectivorous songbirds found in the Americas (sometimes called New World warblers or wood-warblers to differentiate them from the unrelated warblers of the Old World). Very few warblers will visit bird feeders, and most of them remain hidden in the upper reaches of trees or within thick vegetation. This means that, unless you’re actively looking for them, you are unlikely to see one. And that’s a shame, because many of them are absolute stunners! For my money, warblers – as a group – are the most attractive birds in North America.
But flashy good looks aren’t nearly the only reason to love warblers. This is an extremely interesting and diverse group of birds. One is among North America’s rarest birds and many others are in trouble. Most undertake amazing migrations every year. Many are hard to find, and can be difficult to identify once you do (which only serves to increase birders’ desire for them).
Overall, this is just a great group of birds; one worth celebrating. And since it is currently the peak of warbler migration throughout much of North America, I thought now would be a good time to do it. This week, The Birder’s Library will present some warbler-related reviews and posts. I hope you enjoy them almost as much as the birds themselves.
- Cerulean Blues: A Personal Search for a Vanishing Songbird – Warbler Week starts out with a review of one of my favorite books from this past year
- Digital Warblers – A survey of warblers in digital media
- Revisited Review of A Field Guide to Warblers of North America
- Favorite Warbler Book – I try to pick out my favorite
- The Kirtland’s Warbler: The Story of a Bird’s Fight Against Extinction and the People Who Saved It – A history of mankind’s dealings with this intriguing bird, especially those people who have studied and saved it from extinction.
- How to Help Warblers
Posted by Grant McCreary on May 6th, 2012.
[…] Week.” Well, this year, Grant McCreary over at The Birder’s Library has Warbler Week going, which he describes as “a celebration of warblers in print and other media.” […]