Yellow-rumped Warblers are Little Acrobats
When she gets a berry she returns to her perch and tosses it back and then repeats the process. I wonder how she decides which berry to…
We are entering a lull in the birding calendar. Fall migration has slowed down and most of the songbirds have passed through and waterfowl have not moved in yet in appreciable numbers. However, there are still many beautiful things to observe this time of year. A recent trip to Park Hill Cemetery and PJ Irvin Park produced some of the most interesting photos I have taken all year. I was appreciating the large oak and hickory trees in the park when I heard the characteristic chip call of Yellow-rumped Warblers off in the distance. I could not locate the source of the sound and they turned out be much farther away than I realized. They were foraging in the canopy of a huge White Oak tree about 100 yards away. Fortunately for me, they decided to fly into the Red Cedar trees I was standing next to. They immediately started hovering and pulling the little blue berries off of the trees. This happens quickly and it is hard to tell what they are doing as their movements are obscured by their rapidly moving wings. I picked out one warbler and focused on her. She was perched and she scanned the tree searching for her next berry. She turns her head and looks out into the tips of the branches where tantalizing clusters of berries hang in the open. When she decides to move it happens in a flash. She begins by diving off of the branch. Depending on the foliage around her she may open one or both wings as she leaves the perch. I captured an image of her diving out for a berry just below the juniper needles. She has expanded her lower wing to help guide her while her upper wing remains against her body. That wing will extend as soon as she clears the needles.
When she gets a berry she returns to her perch and tosses it back and then repeats the process. I wonder how she decides which berry to pick? There are times when she is surrounded by berries on her perch. Why not grab those berries? Maybe she is looking for a certain size or subtle color that indicates the perfect stage of ripeness. It is a mystery. Yellow-rumped Warblers are adaptable and their diverse diet is part of the reason they are one the last warblers to pass through our area. They use a wide variety of foraging techniques to exploit diverse food sources. They are particularly fond of Poison Ivy berries at this time of year and you can see flocks of them around a productive patch.
The relatively quiet and open spaces in the park provide a good opportunity to bird by ear. If you stop and listen you can hear more birds than you can see. They reveal their presence by their songs and calls. Some of these are subtle and you have to be attuned to them to notice them. A single short chip note is all it takes to identify a bird if you are tuned in and paying attention. For me, Brown Creepers are particularly challenging. Their high thin calls are right at the edge of the frequencies that I can detect. I have to become still and focus completely to pick out the barely audible call. Once I have heard it the first time it somehow becomes easier to detect. Many other birds are conspicuous and a walk through the park is filled with sounds that not only reveal the species that are present, but their intentions as well. You can learn to discern the peaceful contact calls from the aggressive notes that birds use to defend their space.
It also pays to look at the sky. Some birds are silent and they will pass you by unnoticed if you are not observant. I had a Northern Harrier fly over the cemetery and I just happened to look up as he soared overhead. He was heading south in a hurry and he was gone in a few seconds. Turkey Vultures linger much longer and you can still see a few of them this time of year. As the vultures head south Red-tailed Hawks are starting to move in from the north and you can see more of them as well. They are remarkably diverse and you can see different morphs or patterns in their feathers if you observe them closely. They range from very dark to white.