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Sunday, October 29, 2017

Halloween Special: Birds with Hoods Starring Hooded Warbler

[Port Huron SGA. June 2017]

All Hallow's Eve (aka Halloween) is today associated with harmless rituals of guising, pumpkin-carving and the exuberant display of cheap, spooky props. Yet, behind all the light-hearted graveyard mirth and the relentless sugary assault of candy treats, lies a tradition that has its historical origins in the somber remembrance of the saints and martyrs of the Christian faith.

This Halloween, however, we contemplate the occasion's parallel in the world of avifauna by remembering the tremendous sacrifice and the untold deaths that neotropical migrants such as warblers must endure for a chance to breed in (what's left of) our expansive forests.

It is therefore befitting that we profile warblers such as the Hooded and the Mourning (named for its funeral-appropriate black hood) that not only evoke the guises associated with Halloween but also celebrate the sacrifice of their race in epic migrations over countless millennia. The full list of species encountered at Port Huron SGA profiled here is:
  • Hooded Warbler
  • Pine Warbler
  • Mourning Warbler
  • Blue-winged Warbler
  • Brown Thrasher
  • Veery
  • Indigo Bunting
We begin with the Hooded Warbler:






A typical yellow warbler with a green back and a striking black hood, the Hooded Warbler was earlier considered a specialty of the Southeastern US. However, warmer temperatures now enable this handsome warbler to breed farther North in Michigan.



Like most warblers, the Hooded is an insectivore -- catching insects on the fly.


When in song, this warbler's melody is somewhat similar to Chestnut-sided Warbler but more fluty.


Next, Pine Warbler has a huge North-to-South breeding range -- breeding in S. Florida and also all the way up to Canada.



While not flashy in looks, the Pine is nevertheless resplendent in yellow, olive and white. 





Consistent with its looks, the Pine Warbler's song is a simple trill.

More in line with our Halloween theme, Mourning Warbler is instantly recognizable thanks to its grey hood and black bib:



The somber color of the hood contrasts strongly with its yellow belly and olive back.


Curiously, the Mourning Warbler is placed with the Yellowthroats. And, indeed, both have skulking habits.




Next, compared to the full-throated song of the Mourning, the Blue-winged Warbler's song is a weak "bee buzz":


The Blue-winged Warbler is not an uncommon breeder in appropriate habitat in Michigan's forests.


The Blue-winged was seen at Shoefelt Rd at Port Huron SGA and the approach to the trail yielded a pair of Brown Thrasher:



Deeper in the forest, the eerie song of the Veery resonates through the trees:


Finally, Indigo Bunting:




The perfect blue of this songbird provides a perfect contrast against the greens of the forest:



In the multitude of garish and loud human festivals, should we not give pause for thought of those creatures whose only celebration is the dance of courtship, the magic of migration and the miracle of raising the next generation?