The Early Bird

While I was talking on the phone I glanced out the window at a feeder filled with goldfinches and purple finches. I noticed a bird that seemed different. I quickly excused myself from the phone call, grabbed the binoculars and my camera and edged into a position where I had a clear view of the bird. The beak was too slender for a goldfinch; white wing bars, yellow-green head, yellow throat…

Pine Warbler Dendroica pinus

The Pine Warbler is one of the first warblers to return to the North in spring, arriving as early as February in areas just north of the wintering range. It is one of the earliest breeding warblers too, starting in late April or May in the northern part of the range.

They are aptly named, for they prefer to nest and forage in pine woods and tend to stay near the tops of the pine trees. This is the only warbler that eats large quantities of seeds, primarily those of pines. This interest in seeds often brings them to bird feeders where they supplement their diet of insects and spiders by eating suet and frequently picking out a seed here and there. This particular bird was enjoying suet and sunflower seeds.

A helpful bit of information is that no other bright yellow-breasted warbler (lacking other conspicuous field marks) has white wing bars.

The term warbler is a misnomer for many in the family but the musical trill of the Pine Warbler is a delight. Pine Warblers are generous with their songs; in the summer they will sing into the heat of the day and on warm days in the winter they will brighten woods and your heart with the sweetness of their music.

I think it is easy to confuse the Pine Warbler, the American Goldfinch and the Yellow-throated Vireo. The resemblance between the Pine Warble and the winter plumage of the American Goldfinch is superficial but I may often miss the warbler in the midst of the Goldfinches that flock to our feeders. Much more confusing is the difference between the Pine Warbler and the Yellow-throated Vireo that also nests on our property. Both have yellow spectacles The Yellow-throated Vireo prefers the canopy of the broadleaf woodland. Since we have heavily mixed pines and deciduous broadleaf woods, the property attracts both species. Their songs are probably the most useful way to differentiate between the two species as they work through our woods. The song of the Yellow-throated Vireo is described as a harsh repetitive two or three note phrase. de-ar-ie come-here or burry tweoo twowee three-eight while the call of the Pine Warbler is a slow musical and somewhat melancholy trill on one pitch, a soft sweet version of the trill of the Chipping Sparrow