A Yellow-rumped Warbler At Ontario’s Oxtongue Lake

Bob and I visited the community of Oxtongue Lake, in Ontario one spring to help celebrate my dad’s 90th birthday. Being early in May, there was lots of activity in the trees with migrating birds returning to their nesting grounds. Along Oxtongue Lake Road, we were lucky to see a Yellow-rumped Warbler singing merrily from the branch of a tree at roadside.

Fresh new growth was evident on all the shrubs, bushes and trees, and early morning sunshine warmed our backs as we walked towards the Oxtongue Lake Bridge.

At first, the warbler eluded us where it sat in the middle of a treetop, but by listening carefully, we were finally able to pinpoint its location (right of center) in amongst the newly budded branches.

The warbler didn’t stay put in one place for very long, but flitted from treetop to treetop. A fellow group of birdwatchers visiting the area from England was enthralled with this warbler as well as other species of warblers that they had spotted earlier that same morning. A pair of Hooded Mergansers also caught our attention as they swam along the shore of the lake.

It soon became apparent to Bob and me that we were dealing with more than one Yellow-rumped Warbler. Here, we see a female. There are several variations of Yellow-rumped Warblers, but each possess a bright yellow rump. The birds we saw were Eastern Myrtle Warblers.

Yellow-rumped Warblers are fairly large, full-bodied warblers with a large head, sturdy bill, and long, narrow tail. They are probably the best known and most frequently encountered wood warblers. In winter, the Myrtle form migrates to the southern United States but will go as far as the Caribbean.

Among warblers, it is one of the last to leave North America in the fall, and one of the first to return in the spring. They spend the breeding season in mature coniferous forests or mixed woodlands that include patches of aspen, birch or willow.

The plumage of Yellow-rumped Warblers is quite subdued all winter long, but the spring moult brings about a transformation that leaves the birds a dazzling mix of bright yellow, charcoal grey and black, and bold white. This female’s plumage is similar in colour to that of a male, but the colour is more dull with brown streaking on the front and back.

A male warbler has the conspicuous yellow patches on its flanks and rump, and black streaks on the upper breast and sides, that are characteristic of the Myrtle form. We can’t see the yellow patch on its crown. All Myrtle Warblers have the diagnostic white throat and eye stripe with a contrasting darker cheek, black in the male and charcoal in the female.

As the warblers darted about from tree limb into nearby thickets and back to the treetops, it was a challenge for Bob and me to keep them in our viewfinders. This warbler was really showing off that morning, probably for its mate that was never far away. It repeatedly sang its cheerful trill of notes.

When one warbler perched on a branch right above my head, I had a good chance to study the black pattern on its breast, the shape of the tail, and the white spots on the tail feathers.

It appeared that the warblers were foraging for food, seeming to scour the twigs and buds for insects. Yellow-rumped Warblers are the most versatile foragers of all warblers. They are insectivorous, but when bugs are scarce, the Myrtle Warbler enjoys eating fruit, especially the wax-myrtle berries from which the bird gets its name. It is the only warbler capable of digesting their waxy material. We should be thankful that the fruits of poison ivy and poison oak also make up a portion of this warbler’s diet.

Bob and I thoroughly enjoyed our endeavors that glorious spring morning as we traipsed from one beachfront property to another in our attempts to get pictures and footage of the birds. In looking back at our photos, we can see discreet variations in the colouring of the plumage on each bird, confirming that there were several in that one location. In any event, they really charmed and entertained us.

You May Also Enjoy:

Ragged Falls Under Major Spring Flooding On Oxtongue River

Beavers we have sighted across Ontario

Bald Eagles At Deep Bay On Vancouver Island

Cow Moose and Calf winter in Algonquin Provincial Park

Eastern Screech Owl: A Master of Disguise In Burlington, Ontario

A Long-eared Owl at Tommy Thompson Park

Glossy Ibis sighted in Whitby, Ontario

An Eastern Towhee at Forks Of The Credit Provincial Park

A Black-backed woodpecker in Algonquin Provincial Park

A Black-billed Cuckoo at Forks of the Credit Provincial Park

Among the Winged Magic at El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Reserve in Mexico

Our South African Journey to Kruger National Park

Our visit to Pinnacle Rock in Mpumalanga, South Africa

Visiting Machu Picchu, Our Long Time Dream

Our Visit To The Floating Islands On Lake Titicaca

Exploring The Cliff Dwellings At Mesa Verde National Park

Drombeg Stone Circle, Our Visit To The Druid’s Altar

Red foxes wintering in Algonquin Provincial Park

Black Bear Mom And Cubs Eat Blueberries In Algonquin Park

Gray Treefrogs at Lower Reesor Pond in Toronto

Scarlet Tanagers at Ashbridge’s Bay Park In Toronto

A Great Blue Heron at Cootes Paradise In Burlington

Black-Crowned Night Herons At Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park

Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean

Share this: Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Tumblr

Digg

LinkedIn

Reddit

Email



Like this: Like Loading...