Warblers get all the press, but they are hardly the only bird family that passes through in great numbers in the spring. 

I’m guilty myself of fixating on warblers, both in my birdwatching and writing. It’s hard not to as they are a fascinating family of birds and a joy to see in the spring. They come in a wide variety of colors, which is a welcome sight after a long, gray New England winter. 

But enough about warblers, at least for now. Let’s focus on some of the other families that brighten our spring.

The other day, during a morning walk, I saw a great-crested flycatcher, wood thrush, red-eyed vireo and field sparrow. They are all members of families that have several species that either migrate through or nest in New England. 

We don’t often think of sparrows as migrants as several types remain here all winter. I also think house sparrows are so ubiquitous that they are the only birds some people think about when they hear the word sparrow. But over the past few days, I’ve seen chipping sparrows, swamp sparrows and field sparrows. Don’t forget that eastern towhees are sparrows too. I’m growing more and more fond of the sparrow family as time goes on – house sparrows excluded. 

Great-crested flycatchers are large and boisterous and often overshadow the other smaller, less noisy flycatchers, such as yellow-bellied, alder and least. The flycatcher family goes beyond birds that have “flycatcher” in their name, however. Eastern kingbird, eastern phoebe and eastern wood pewee are all flycatchers too.

The vireo family is still somewhat of a blind spot for me, as I never seem to see enough of them. The one I see the most is the blue-headed vireo, a handsome bird known for looking as if it is wearing spectacles. I see red-eyed vireos a fair amount as well. I don’t always find them, but I hear warbling vireos quite often. They sing incessantly but can be hard to find as they are small brownish birds and sing from the branches of leafed-out trees. Other New England vireos include Philadelphia vireo and yellow-throated vireo. I have been lucky enough to find white-eyed vireos on a few occasions over the past few years.

The thrush family is another popular bird group in New England. They are known more for their songs than their appearance, as they sing beautifully and are mostly brown, tan and off-white. The wood thrush and hermit thrush are the two most well-known birds in New England with thrush in their name. Robins and bluebirds are also thrushes, although they do not resemble most of the other family members. 

I had a good time photographing a veery the other day. Veeries resemble wood and hermit thrushes and have an interesting vocal range like their cousins. Gray-cheeked, Swanson’s and Bicknell’s thrush are also New Englanders, at least for part of the year. They all resemble the hermit thrush so closely that it often takes an expert to differentiate the species.

I hope you are enjoying spring and the northward migration of birds. Warblers are certainly a highlight, but other bird families share the spotlight. Let me know what you are seeing out there.