Birds in Particular: Butterbutts

Warblers are captivating migratory birds that arrive near the middle of May in Minnesota. They have showy, dramatic plumage that is challenging to identify. These small, winsome, round, ample balls of feathers delight Minnesota birders. They are very active perching songbirds. Some like to climb up and down trees, some like to forage in the ground pushing around dead leaves, some like to fly in and out of tree branches, all the while entertaining us as they look for food. Binoculars are your best bet. The naked eye is okay for birding warblers, but you miss the details and that is what is so alluring about warblers.
The yellow-rump is the first of the warblers to arrive in Minnesota. They actually travel the furthest, breeding as far north as the Arctic Circle and wintering all throughout Central America. We can see them in snow occasionally. As a new birder, they are one of the easiest to identify with their yellow rump that has white patches. They have yellow on their side breast, with beautiful grey, black and white coloring, and you can take notice when you find the yellow-rumps flying out to snatch insects and then flying back to the tree branches constantly. There will be many of them. Other warblers you might see nearby are the palm warbler on the ground foraging or the black and white warbler climbing up and down the tree trunk. You might even see the pine or the Blackburnian too, but the yellow-rumps are pretty bossy around them.
Crosby Farms has been a great place to go birding once the river went down. Check out Lake Elmo Park Reserve too. I saw so many warblers a few weeks ago. It was so much fun.
Email halleofalvey@gmail.com if you are interested in a birding trip.