Tales from the Garden

Since moving into our Arivaca home in the fall of 2016, Uno and I have felt very lucky to have seen many different warbler species visiting our garden throughout the year.   There are so many interesting things to see when watching warblers!   Their small, slim bodies and their short, narrow bills are the most consistent way to visually identify them from other small songbirds, even if you don’t get a clear view of their colors.   That bill shape enables them to easily pick insects out of small bark crevices or from the undersides of leaves, and that body shape enables them to be very agile in changing direction mid-flight to catch flying insects.     But, oh, if you do see their plumage, what a treat: from the black and white “formal attire” of the Black-throated Gray Warbler to the bright yellow patches on the Yellow-rumped Warbler and the jaunty black “beret” atop the sunny yellow Wilson’s Warbler, they are dressed up so fine!  However, be prepa...