It’s not surprising to get a photo of a warbling vireo, as these birds sing constantly. A bird that is true to its name.
Singing in the spring: Warbling vireo
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Category Archives: migration
Singing in the Spring: Blue-winged warbler
Here is the latest photo in the Singing in the Spring series: the blue-winged warbler. One of my favorite warblers, blue-winged warblers arrived back in New England over the last two weeks. They nest in New England and have a song that sounds more insect-like than bird-like.
Singing in the spring: Rose-breasted grosbeak
What can you say about rose-breasted grosbeaks? They’re awesome in every way.
Singing in the spring: Black-and-white warbler
Black-and-white warblers sound like squeaky wheels when they sing. Their song can be ubiquitous in the New England woods depending on the time of year.
Singing in the spring: Eastern towhee
Here’s the start of a new birdsofnewengland.com mini series called Singing in the Spring. It will feature, all together now, birds singing in the spring. The posts will appear randomly throughout this spring.
I’ll kick it off with an eastern towhee. Although a member of the sparrow family, which features mostly small brownish birds, the towhee is larger and much more decorated.
Palm warbler kind of spring
Palm warblers have been by far the most visible spring migrants on my walks lately. Along with pine warblers and yellow-rumped warblers, palm warblers are one of the earliest returning warblers to New England. If you see a small yellow bird pumping its tail constantly, it’s probably a palm warbler.
A few more early warblers
My first warbler (a pine warbler) showed up on March 31. Here are numbers two and three for the year: yellow-rumped warbler and palm warbler, both seen today (Friday, April 11, 2025). More to come in the weeks ahead!
Continue readingEarly start to warbler season
Pine warblers and palm warblers are typically the earliest warblers to arrive in New England in the spring. This year, the pines showed earlier than usual (at least in my estimation.) I found at least two pine warblers yesterday (March 31, 2025) at Huntington State Park in southern Connecticut. Here’s hoping the rest of the spring migration is as good.
Drop me a line and let me know what you’re seeing out there.
Red-winged blackbirds return in force
This guy showed up at my feeder a few days ago, marking the first time I’ve seen a red-winged blackbird at my feeder in many years. Today, during a walk, I saw dozens and dozens of male red-winged blackbirds, mostly flying overhead. Males show up a few weeks before females to scout out territories. The familiar sounds of red-winged blackbirds are back. The spring migration is under way.
More scarlet tanager eating berries photos
Here are a few more photos to accompany my latest bird column. Here’s the column in case you missed it.
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A male scarlet tanager in fall plumage eats berries in New England, fall 2024.
