Mar 09 2010
Pictures for Peterson 3: Prairie Warbler
No big backstory here…just a beautiful little bird, singing his heart out, an image that seems appropriate for the gorgeous early spring weather we are having today, though it will still be another month before Prairie Warblers return to our area.
The buzzy, ascending song of Prairie Warbler is the first “fancy” song I remember learning, as opposed to the songs of common yard birds. If memory serves, that would have been spring of 1977, at White Clay Creek State Park, under the tutelage of Winston Wayne. Below is a more medium-distance shot of this bird in his favored habitat of shrubby, regenerating forest, which apparently used to be referred to as prairie, thus lending the bird its name.
And here he is in some dead weeds, presenting a different aspect.
The topmost picture appears on page vi of the Eastern guide, set against an orange background. It was taken on 23 May 2009, near Georgetown, Delaware. Here’s hoping the weather is nice and the birds are singing wherever you are today.
Fantastic pictures, Jeff! Last May, I happened upon a pair of dueling Prairie Warblers at the Nottingham Chrome Barrens. I must’ve watched and listened for 20 minutes as they sang and chased each other just a few feet away. The experience left me slack-jawed.
Hey Molly–
Thank you. I think Prairies get a little lost in the shuffle. Seems like nobody ever mentions them as a favorite warbler–they always get passed over for Blackburnian, or Black-throated Blue or Prothonotary, or…. But even though they fall into that rather large class of “yellow warblers,” I think they’re awfully nice. Something about that big black crescent under the eye. Plus, I love the variably red backs and the flicky-flashy white tail.
Your experience in the serpentine barrens sounds great. I’ve stayed in Nottingham a number of times, but never birder the barrens at prime time. Gotta make that happen one of these days.