April — or as many of us bird lovers fondly call it, the warbler month — is almost here.
Wave after wave of migrating warblers, some 40 species in all, arrive in Georgia during April and on through mid-May from winter homes in Latin America. Many of them stay here for the nesting season; others stop over only for a day or two before flying on to breeding grounds as far north as Manitoba and Labrador.
Warblers, of course, aren’t the only neo-tropical migratory birds that arrive during April by the tens of thousands from southern climes. As spring migration rises to fever pitch, huge waves of tanagers, thrushes, vireos, flycatchers, grosbeaks, buntings, ruby-throated hummingbirds and more also come in.
But the warblers — all decked out in their strikingly beautiful spring plumage and belting out their sparkling songs — usually grab most of the bird-watching crowd’s attention.
Many birdwatchers, in fact, start complaining of a nagging ache in April called “warbler neck,” caused by constantly peering up at tree crowns to catch glimpses of the dazzling little songbirds.
As the warblers and other neo-tropical songbirds head north, they consume tons of insects, especially caterpillars and other larvae that, if left unchecked, would devastate newly emerging spring foliage. Because a large proportion of the larvae and insects populate the crowns of leafing-out trees, the warblers go there to feed — “working” a tree from top to bottom.
Because most spring warblers are almost exclusively insect eaters, you’re not apt to see them hanging out at your feeders. However, several warbler species may be all around you — in your yard, neighborhood park or nearby woods.
Some warbler species you may see in metro Atlanta — at least over the next month or so — include the hooded warbler, ovenbird, black-and-white warbler, Kentucky warbler, worm-eating warbler, American redstart, chestnut-sided warbler and others. The only warbler species that lives here year-round is the pine warbler.
One of the best ways to see these colorful birds is to go on a free, open-to-the-public Atlanta Audubon Society bird walk this spring — especially at the Southeast’s premier spot for seeing migrating warblers, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in Cobb County. For more information about the bird walks, visit www.atlantaudubon.org.
IN THE SKY: The moon will be new on Sunday. Mercury is low in the east just before sunrise. Venus rises out of the east about three hours before sunrise. Mars rises out of the east around dusk. Jupiter is high in the southwest around twilight and sets in the west before midnight. Saturn rises out of the east a few hours after sunset.
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