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 prepared to get only brief glimpses of warblers,
as they all tend to move very quickly through trees and shrubs as they forage
for food, and despite their coloration, somehow they manage to blend into the
scenery when at rest.
Most also
tend to stay in the upper canopy and/or briefly dart out into the sky to hunt
gnats like a flycatcher.
Warbler-watching can definitely be a neck-craning sport.
In fact, the only way I’ve had time to
get them in focus on my spotting scope is when I’ve got it set up towards one
of our birdbaths, and even then I have to get lucky to see more than a blur of
water spray and wing beats!
But I
think the time and patience to watch these little gems in action is worth it.
Southern Arizona has one special warbler found only in
desert areas that have Mesquite or Saguaro forests that are also in riparian
areas: the Lucy’s Warbler.
This bird’s pale gray “suit” might look
drab at first glace, but its complete white eye-ring and cinnamon-brown crown
and rump feathers give it gorgeous highlights.
It’s also extra secretive and as small as a goldfinch, and it
sometimes even flocks with them (or perhaps is just purposefully hiding within
their midst). Unlike most warblers, which nest in trees and shrubs or on the
ground, Lucy’s Warblers are one of only two cavity-nesting warblers in the
United States, and the only one west of the Rocky Mountains.
This need for hollow areas within tree
trunks increases the rarity of their preferred habitat, but fortunately the Arivaca
area is the perfect place for these birds to find what they need!
However, that is true only if property
owners preserve their old Mesquites that are becoming hollow, leave standing
snags (dead trees) wherever possible, and/or create nest boxes with a size and
shape suited for these warblers.
Lucky for bird-lovers and the Lucy’s Warbler, members of the Tucson
Audubon Society have been studying their nesting behavior for years, and
discovered that they like a triangular nest box with two exits!
They sell Lucy’s Warblers nest boxes in
their nature shop, and have also created free downloadable factsheets for
building your own and how/where to place it.
We feel so lucky that Lucy’s Warblers have been nesting near
our home for the past couple of years, and visit our garden each day, right now
with their offspring accompanying them.
Building several nest boxes for them is going to be one of our fall and
winter projects, so that we’re ready next spring for more pairs to move into
our neighborhood.
Another
interesting things about Lucy’s Warblers is that they’re not as territorial as
other birds when it comes to tolerating other nesting pairs close by.
Perhaps the rarity of their preferred
habitat has led to this behavior over the years, but that rarity can change if
we pitch in to help!
If you’d like to know more about these wonderful warblers or
any other birds that live or migrate through in the United States, visit the
Cornell website at http://allaboutbirds.org. If you’d like to buy or build a nest
box to help keep Lucy’s warblers thriving in the Arivaca area, visit the Tucson
Audubon Society website at https://tucsonaudubon.org/lucys-warblers-and-nestboxes.
Photo credits:
- Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) by Dennis Paulson
- Nashville Warbler and Lucy's Warbler in birdbath by Emily Bishton
- Black-throated Gray Warbler by Emily Bishton
- Nashville Warbler "splish splash" photo and movie by Emily Bishton
- Lucy's Warbler at Saguaro nest by Dominic Sherony, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
- Lucy's Warbler at birdbath by Emily Bishton
