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06/01/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 31: Yellow-browed Warbler.
And we have come to the final and rarest bird of all the yellow-ish warblers. In April of 2021, while we were all supposed to be hiding in our homes because of C-19, a birder by the name of Pat Hare, discovered an odd warbler that reminded him of a bird he had seen on the other side of the world. It was quickly identified as a very, very lost Eurasian species, known for its long migrations,(up to 6000 km each way). Trouble was, it migrated not to Siberia, but to Canada. Must have taken a wrong turn at Leningrad. True to its name, it has a pale yellow eyebrow, along with streaked yellow wings. Alexander Wilson would have probably called it a Mongolian Warbler, or some such thing. A large contingent of Ontario birders defied Covid restrictions and descended on Shalebank Hollow Park for this once in a life time discovery. We all had a great time, and no one got Covid.

05/31/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 30: Connecticut Warbler.
Before we go any further, any guesses as to who might have named this particular species? Has a penchant for using state or city names, initials A.W. You got it, our friend, nineteenth century ornithologist, Alexander Wilson. This large warbler, spends most of its time on the ground, hiding amongst the leaves and branches and is rarely seen. In the spring it can be heard singing, searching for a mate, but no matter the season, they are notoriously difficult to see well and even harder to photograph. I’ve counted 6 over the years, 4 in Ontario and one each in Cape May, New Jersey and Central Park in New York. I’ve heard most singing or chipping, seen all or part of each one, enough to identify,(the large eye ring being diagnostic), but only ever photographed one. Pictured is the Connecticut Warbler I saw in Central Park in June of 2016. No longer in breeding plumage, its belly is pale yellow and wings a dull, yellow-green.

05/29/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 28: Townsend’s Warbler
Prior to 2022 I had only seen this west coast species in California. During my Canada Big Year I saw one in British Columbia, but it was in 2025 when one lost its way and came to Ontario. There were two sightings of, possibly the same bird last year, and I was lucky enough to see them both. These beautiful little birds, with their yellow face and breast, with black mask and throat breed in British Columbia and begin singing before even leaving their wintering grounds in Mexico and California.

05/28/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 27: Kirtland’s Warbler
This rare and endangered Warbler was once down to 200 breeding pairs, due to the destruction of Jack Pine forests, the only place that these warblers will nest. Through many long years of conservation and the replanting of Jack Pines in Michigan, these resilient little birds with the their yellow throat and breast have increased their numbers to over 2200 breeding pairs. Here in Ontario, in Simcoe County, ongoing conservation efforts have resulted in a few Kirtland’s Warblers coming back to the province. In 2022 I saw them at the Packard Tract, and one even passed through Hamilton in 2024. A New effort at the Simcoe Museum, north of Barrie, where they have planted Jack Pines, has resulted in at least two of these birds showing up in May of 2026. I saw my first Kirtland’s Warblers in Grayling, Michigan in 2013 and again in 2014. Photos included here are from Michigan, Simcoe and Hamilton.

05/27/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 26: Kentucky Warbler
Or as I like to call him, Mr. Muttonchops. A lovely, but rarely seen species here in southern Ontario, the Kentucky Warbler is many shades of yellow, with its bright yellow throat and eyebrows, yellow breast and yellow-green wings. But what really makes this stealthy, ground dwelling bird stand out is its black mask and distinct sideburns, aka muttonchops. And guess who we can thank for the moniker “Kentucky?” Of course, our old friend Alexander Wilson. He was very busy in the early 1800’s discovering and naming birds, but lacked a bit of creativity in the naming business, often naming birds after himself, or the state/city where he discovered them. In this case, Mr. Muttonchops was discovered in Kentucky, in 1811.

05/26/2026

31 Shades of Yellow,(Vireo Edition), Day 25: Yellow-throated Vireo.
No month of yellow shaded birds would be complete without the Yellow-throated Vireo. In addition to its ubiquitous yellow throat, it also sports a fine pair of yellow spectacles, with some yellow in the wings and a yellow-green cap and nape. They have a distinctive call that I learned during many spring days in Florida when I worked for the Toronto Blue Jays: kind of a chee-wee, chee-woo, rising and falling in pitch.

05/25/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 24: Hooded Warbler
This is one of my favorite warblers. I first saw one in April of 2012 at Fort DeSoto Park in Florida as part of my ABA Big Year. Mostly yellow, with yellow-green wings and nape, the male sports a dark black cap and black throat. Up until then, the only two warblers I was aware of were the Yellow-rumped and Palm, also seen in Florida that winter. When arriving in back in North America for breeding season, the male and female Hooded Warblers are reunited. They spend winters apart, in very different habitats. The boys hunker down in their mature “man forests” while the females are more adventurous, hanging out in scrubby forests and seasonally flooded areas. I’ve included both male and female images, as well as one gratuitous butt shot.

05/24/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 23: Wilson’s Warbler
Today we have a buffet of various shades of yellow, as we present the male, female and juvenile Wilson’s Warbler. Our friend, Mr Wilson, the American ornithologist, is back, this time naming the bird after himself, in 1811. In all, Wilson had five species bearing his name, including phalarope, plover, snipe and storm-petrel. I had to reach back into the archives for these photos, as I have not yet photographed one this year.

05/23/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 22: Blue-winged Warbler
On the same road where I saw the Mourning Warbler, we also have breeding Blue-winged Warblers. The Blue-winged Warbler is an interesting chap. Yellow head, chin and breast, for sure. Blue wings and distinctive black slash through the eyes, distinguishing it from other warblers with yellow heads. But these birds are not content to mate with other Blue-winged Warblers. They also have a thing for Golden-winged Warblers. They are different species, so their offspring are hybrids, who cannot produce young. The most common is the Brewster’s, which has a yellow head and throat, with a white belly. The less common Lawrence’s has a yellow crown and belly, and black throat and eye patches, giving it more of the appearance of the Golden-winged Warbler.

05/22/2026

31 Shades of Yellow, Day 21: Mourning Warbler
This warbler shows a lemon yellow belly, and yellow-green wings and tail, and is one of the most reclusive and elusive of the migratory warblers, heard more often than seen. I was lucky to be givne a personal audience, and it put on a “one bird show” for me, right here in Brant County. We have our very own breeding pair of Mourning Warblers, and this one was singing up a storm, posing for photographs and even putting on a command performance spider eating demonstration.

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